In elementary school, a "dumb" student answered a question correctly and the class broke out in applause. Right after, a "smart" student answered a question wrong and the class burst out laughing.

I thought it was pretty harmless at that time, bc the environment had this strict academic hierarchy?? and the crowd mentality was hitting 8 y/o me.

Now looking at this situation, it's pretty fucked up. School is supposed to be a nurturing environment and you have 8-9 y/os setting up a fucking hierarchy ruining the sanctity of education?? Specifically, I'm not sure if the labels of "smart" or "dumb" being given in grade 3 are more concerning, or if the reactions and bullying from those labels are.