Introversion In Public Schools

I began this research with the intent on writing about introversion in the public school system. Being an introvert myself, I was encouraged to research this topic based on my experiences going through the public school system. Throughout school, I was constantly being reminded that I didn't fit into the mold that was set out for me. I saw how every student was forced to be very open and outgoing, and I watched as my friends and classmates failed because they couldn’t squeeze themselves into this expectation. Therefore, I was interested in how the public school system could be changed in order to benefit both extroverted and introverted students, so that all students could be successful. These introverted students are often times very creative,

When I began looking through the UMSL databases, I quickly discovered that there hadn’t been as much research done on this topic as I had imagined there would be. I found countless articles with titles such as “The Curse of Introversion” and “Self-Blame, Social Introversion, and Male Suicides.” I realized that introversion is so often looked at as if it were a disease or a disorder. Discovering this encouraged me to find out why; why is introversion so unwanted? why are introverts shamed for who they are? This brought me to a book that was suggested to me at the beginning of the research process and that I had had my eyes on for a long time: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. Through reading parts of this book, Chapter 11 in particular, I was able to find an answer. This was an answer that was so obvious it was hard to find. Introversion is unwanted because silence doesn’t sell. You can’t be boisterous and proclaim yourself to the world if you are quiet, the two just don’t go together. Introverts don’t look like celebrities. Salesman don’t look like introverts. I found that because we live in the age of advertising, introverts just don’t fit in. After reading this book, I was able to narrow my search criteria. I began searching for introversion success and aid for introverted children. What I found was still disheartening, but more and more positive articles began to show themselves. I found letters form psychologists to parents explaining to them that introversion isn’t a disease to be cured but a personality to be admired. I found articles written by introverts trying to help other introverts understand that they are