As the internet grows throughout the years, more slang continues to become popular. This year, students are swearing and using slang more often than just casually. Slang is a growing part of teen lives, as more forms are introduced throughout the school year, students need to be careful when they use it and how they use it. Along with swearing, it seems as though maybe students are pushing their luck at school.
School is a professional space, and teachers are expected to be spoken to in a professional manner.
This is not a problem for Math Teacher Jenna Roebuck; she has rules in place in her classroom, alongside other teachers. Roebuck is a common student favorite, meaning she gets to talk more ‘comfortably’ with her and other students, while still enforcing her rule in place.
“I do not allow bad language in my classroom, I don’t think it’s appropriate in the classroom setting,” Roebuck said. “They’re still in my classroom, which means they have to follow my rules. If they want to use it outside my classroom, that is their decision.”
A common argument from students is that they are old enough to know when and how to use their language appropriately, and that they are young adults and know better. But when it becomes such a problem that teachers realize and have to put rules in their classroom, it becomes a tricky situation for students.
Charlie Thomas ’27 is an active user of slang, and it is a normal part of his everyday vocabulary to swear. It can be an eye-opener for him sometimes when teachers place rules in the classroom.
“I tend to swear more than often, and school is definitely a more professional setting, so it’s hard to transition my language back to more ‘family-friendly’, especially after the summer,” Thomas said. “People should watch what they’re saying, but then again, we are young adults, so we should have more freedom.”
As for the rest of the students who don’t tend to swear as often, the rules don’t seem too horrible, as teens grow up, they will either grow into swearing more or grow out of overusing slang and coarse language.
English teacher Kevin Cox, through his years of teaching, has noticed a slight uprise in the usage of slang in the classroom and out of the classroom. It has never been a problem for him before to have to tell students to politely stop using coarse language or not to use certain slang, but this year presented a new challenge for him..
“I think high school as a whole, some students are starting to push the boundaries, and some students may think it makes them sound more mature or adult,” Cox said. “Sometimes in the hallways, the language can get a bit more coarse, and I have been hearing it more now than when I first started my career.”
As the internet continues to grow, students will continue to learn more slang and use it more often. In a whole, it would be hard to enforce strict rules for the whole school, not just in certain classrooms, to not use certain slang or swear words. As long as this doesn’t become a bigger problem, there will be no change.
“What students speak outside my classroom is out of my control, but in my classroom, they are expected to follow all of my rules,” Roebuck said.
