Sorted usually means labeled - especially in young children. These labels can reduce their self esteem and quite possibly scar them for life.
When I started going to school, students were sorted into two classes - retarded and everyone else. We now know that many students who were once "retarded" were slow learners, had ADHD, or couldn't think as fast as the "super smart" kids. Of course no student wanted to be called a retard, so many just dropped out of school. However, when they started sorting students into classes that were suited for their learning abilities, the number of dropouts decreased.
Schools used to sort their students based on the color of their skin. This only served to plant the seed of racism in kids. (Children aren't born racists. That's something they learn.) We can see what this kind of sorting led to.
Some schools sort their students by gender. Many times this is done to reduce incidents of "hanky panky". There is a possibility that this kind of sorting may make one gender (usually male) feel more dominant.
There are many pros and cons to sorting children. Some are beneficial, others not. It really depends on the criteria of the sorting (what and why).
I was sorted out of several classes in grammar school. They called it "skipping" grades. Which put a mark on me in the eyes of the other kids. My son was not sorted out. By then they kept kids with their classmates. What they did for him was offer after-school classes. He was labeled MGM...Mentally Gifted Minor. In 4th grade he learned about computer programming. I kid you not. He has been a Professor and Chair of the Computer and Information Sciences section at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu for years. Was that early exposure to computers something that stayed with him? Quite possibly. The powers that be didn't want me to get bored so they "skipped" me. Now whether I'd have been better off socially staying with my age group I will never know. I played the hand dealt me as best as I could. But it does put a label on kids early on. Good or bad? Eye of the beholder. Thank you for your reply Shuhak! :)
This post was edited by RosieG at March 11, 2021 12:10 PM MST
Shuhak 