I'm at least the third in the cohort to blog about swearing. What the others have asked is, how do you handle students who swear? But my question is this: do we have the right to care? Most of you know that I really try not to swear. I try to be aware of the language that I am using and the impression it leaves on others. But the fact is that swearing is mostly accepted and rampant in adult society. When I brought it up after class, one person said, "Well, when they enter the work force, they will have to be able to clean up their language." Really? Because I have had several jobs in the work force, and I can tell you that in none of those places was the language clean (except for my years in Provo, UT. I bet I could count on one hand the swear words I heard and I'm pretty sure I was responsible for at least four).
So again, my question is, do we have the right to care? Isn't it hypocritical to correct the student's language and then turn around and use it ourselves? Until we're willing to clean up ourselves, do we really have the right to tell them that they can't swear?
(Of course, I recognize that in many schools it is policy, but if that is the case then they usually have guidelines for dealing with it, in which case, they way we deal with it will be in accordance with that policy. My question is more of a personal one.)
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Interesting insight... a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Er, that analogy works for me and Ian, but not you. Anyhow...
ReplyDeleteDo we have a right to care? Yes. Students (and Ian) use profanity flippantly, adults seem to use language a bit more precisely, integrating the swear words for emphasis.
I'm bullshitting here. <-Ooops.
I think we have the right to care; if something is offensive to us then we must care about it. Its amazing to me how many of my middle school kids use profane language in their everyday conversations, even with teachers. I am pretty lax when it comes to this issue. I want to encourage my kids to use more intelligent words to express themselves, then again, I believe some of them just don't know/understand how. For instance, a student in my class that struggeles academically and socially in school was telling me why he doesn't like staying at his mom's house because he "freezes his ass off there." In this conversation, I never acknowledged the word choice. However, in class when I have students critizing work or others and use profane words in their descriptions, I generally don't let it slide. I guess its subjective with me...
ReplyDeleteOh, and I feel sometimes swear words just seem to fit best. :)
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