A teacherโs list of words prohibited in her classroom has gone viral, and social media is divided on whether or not the memo was helpful or racist.
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โIf you are caught using these words, you will write a short essay explaining why you chose to use these words in an academic setting to express yourselves,โ the teacher writes before listing the 32 words considered off limits. โPlease know that using slang in an academic setting can diminish your capability to become a successful writer.โ
โBruh,โ โstanding on business,โ โon my mommaโ and the 2023 Oxford Word of the Year, โrizzโ โ a shortened version of โcharismaโ โ are just a few of the frowned upon words and phrases on a list the teacher says is โsubject to change. Itโs also important to note that the โN-wordโ is featured at number 21.
โThis is an educational institution and you will carry yourselves as scholars in my classroom,โ the teacher wrote.
The teacherโs race is unclear in any of the discussions online. But social media was quick to fire back, accusing the list of being anti-Black and the teacher of attempting to extinguish the studentโs freedom of speech.
โโโSheโs on a power trip & and doesnโt value the language of her students. She is more concerned with compliance than learning about her students, because she does not value her studentsโ identities,โ wrote one commenter on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Others believe the teacher simply wants to set the students up for success by encouraging good grammar in the classroom.
โI agree with this method (not all of the words, though) & Iโm not sorry. Kids donโt know when to use this language & this will teach them to think before they speak, know time & place for everything, & to respect adults,โ wrote another commenter on X.
Yes, kids should know that there is a time and a place for slang, but punishment is not an appropriate response to self-expression. Some of the most celebrated books in American literature include African American Vernacular English (AAVE), including Alice Walkerโsย โThe Color Purpleโ and Toni Morrisonโs โBeloved.โ
Oh, and white people do it too. If you donโt believe me, all you have to do is pick up a copy of โThe Catcher in the Rye.โ I dare someone try to say J.D. Salingerโs use of slang diminished his capability to become a successful writer.
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