Saturday, January 7, 2017

Saturday Sayings: The Language We Use



Teacher lingo is a real thing. It's a language all of our own, filled with buzz words, acronyms, and teacher-friendly terms. IEP, IRI, SBAC, formative assessments, pedagogy, etc. It's a foreign language to the world outside of education. In fact, I've often worried during IEP meetings whether the parents could understand half of what was being said. Sometimes it's easier to smile and nod.

I'm convinced that we speak this language without hardly thinking about it, because it's our culture. And if we did stop to think about it, maybe we'd find opportunities to revise our language, like in these examples: 


He's a low reader. 
She's in the low math group. 

Haven't we all said something similar about a student at one point or another and hardly thought twice about it? We're culturized to describe them that way. I understand that it's simply a descriptor, not used with any malicious intent. I've been using the word "low" most of my career, and I've never used it offensively. Yet it's been causing me some angst of late, because I stopped to think about how it sounds when it's attached to the name of someone who's in my care. And because it's on my radar, I notice how often we teachers use it to describe our students. A lot. 

Some might argue that it's merely a matter of semantics. Will a different adjective fix the problems these students face or how we go about helping them? Maybe not, but is there a better word we could use? I've got a few in mind. Maybe I'll never find a replacement that I'm completely comfortable with, but on behalf of my students who struggle academically, I'd like to use my words concerning them more carefully regardless of the fact they'll never hear me describe them that way.



Pin It!

10 comments:

  1. Great thoughts, Tammy! You are right. We need to be so careful with our language.

    Crystal

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Crystal. Sometimes it just helps to rethink how we talk, huh?

      Delete
  2. I also very much agree with this. It reminds me of growth mindset philosophies and the power of "yet". Maybe if we referred to them as not having mastered the skill yet it would solidify in our minds as well that they have the potential to do it. Sometimes I think if we have them classified in our minds as a certain thing like "low" we lower our expectations for them as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Miss Trayers, I definitely appreciate the growth mindset language, like the power of yet. It's a language of hope, for sure and we need that with some of our learners.

      Delete
  3. You're so right Tammy. I've been looking into the growth mindset as well and like the power of "yet" like Miss Trayers. I find even my new first year teacher daughter describing her students that way-"high," "low" and can't help but think it is very much a teacher "lingo" we need to change! Great thoughts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tammy, yeah our new teachers are following in our steps, but like you said, we can change that. :)

      Delete
  4. I also tend to use "low", "high" etc. It definitely seems to be part of the teacher culture. In BC, though, one of the descriptors on our report cards is "Not Yet Meeting Expectations". I like that we do it this way ... it's more realistic, I think, and much more positive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb, we have similar wording on our current report card. I do like the sound of it better.

      Delete
  5. I have had some teacher kids in my Title 1 reading groups and that has made me more aware of the words I use to describe my students. When discussing my students, it comes across my mind "would I want their mom/my teacher friend to hear me describe my students this way knowing their child is in my class?" That helps me be a bit more mindful, but I could definitely do better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lori, Exactly. Making the connection that these little people belong to someone definitely reminds us to be mindful.

      Delete