I'm a second year teacher and my students are in grade 11. I do not have a permanent contract yet. On Friday, I gave a quiz. One student had an appointment and missed the quiz. Some of the students who wrote the original quiz didn't do very well on it, so I am offering all students a chance to re-write a similar quiz tomorrow. I don't normally offer re-writes. I told the student who missed the original quiz to show up for the re-write so that I could assign her a grade. She gave me a hard time over it, saying that it wasn't far that everyone else had the opportunity to re-write except her. I told her that's what happens when you miss class. She continued to press me on it and I got a little irritated and said "this makes me not want to offer a re-write at all, if I am going to get crap about it". I did sort of apologize to her at the end of class and offered to look over one of her homework problems so that she could see if she is doing the problems correctly before the quiz. But now I am worried I am going to get in trouble for being unprofessional and using the word 'crap'. Am I overworrying?
Yes ^ And given the context, I don't think it was that bad. I was expecting worse when I read your title, plus, they're older students. It would've been different with elementary kids
Exactly...not proud of it, but I have said that word once or twice myself in my teaching career. Apologize and move on..
Heck, I've said it out loud to my third graders when I forgot to leave a sticky reminder in my read-aloud book about it. Crap happens.
I really think that this is a non-issue. Unless your school is very, very strict, I can't imagine that this would even register on anyone's radar.
It isn't one of George Carlin's seven words, and it isn't even as bad as kids seem to think "shut up" is. You're fine.
Actually its not one of the 7 words. George Carlin had a lot of crap. Two different comedic bits. Love Carlin.
I say it at least 5 times a day: "crappy work = crappy grade." I also tell them that if they do a half ass job on a project, I'll do a half ass job grading it. The kids get this much better than 2 minutes of my saying I expect quality work. I also teach older kids. They see it as me telling it like it is. I'm in a smaller, less formal educational setting. The principal at my first school would consider it a fireable offense. He once wrote somebody up for saying "freaking," as in "that meteor shower last night was freaking amazing!" He considered it "inappropriate sexual slang."
I've said "Oh shit" in front of 5th graders (I had accidentally dropped a giant goldfish onto a keyboard *sigh*) and the kids just laughed it off. You should be fine, but definitely try to keep your anger from letting words slip out. (I have to try very very hard with my little ones)
You have nothing to worry about with grade 11 students. They for sure have said much much worse. Of course, you're held to a higher standard, but I've said some pretty off the wall things, and if you laugh it off, no one thinks twice about it. I actually find, you're more likely to get in trouble when you freak out and start apologizing for saying something. In fact I said something pretty off the wall today. I won't repeat it because I know some on here will doom and gloom me, about inappropriateness, but the kids just thought it was hilarious. It helps that we have a teacher that says and does things ten times worse than anything I ever would say.
At my previous school, there were some teachers who would say inappropriate things and even cuss in the classroom when students were present. I heard these adults use this language when I was present in their classrooms. Those teachers would also use foul words in personal conversations at staff developments. The P and APs didn't bat an eye because these teachers were their buddies.
I don't believe cussing is appropriate, but everyone has different ideas about what is appropriate, so something which I might think is at least borderline appropriate might be considered very inappropriate to someone else. Of course it's always best to err on the 'completely appropriate' side. I've heard my P say way more inappropriate things to students than I ever would.
Agreed! I believe that all school personnel should never use foul language on school grounds under any circumstances. For one thing, it sends students the message that foul language is acceptable.
Although I wouldn't direct I at students, I do use the word 'crap' in the classroom - mostly when I do something that is unintended! I don't agree with swearing in front of students, but we have one teacher who has been know to do so. He teaches welding, and when I hear some of the things my students attempt, I can understand why. They welded coins together when they had a sub one day, and they have been disciplined for their behavior with hot welding rods.
Many of the responses seem unbelievable to me. Back in the 60's saying crap might be a big deal. But the context wouldn't be. I would like students to understand that if they miss class, they will have to work harder to learn as much. I have even had students miss more than 10 days, even some miss 40 days and act like they deserve a good grade without making up the work. As far as the word crap goes, I've used it often. What is the big deal. It pales in comparison to the stuff we hear today. Makes me wonder - are you in a Christian school? In public school I have seen boobs, butts, heard all kinds of things. Is someone trying to hold you to some standard? I have been in meetings where male teachers admit the 7 - 12 grade females are tempting them and agree there should be a dress code. In meetings female teachers say they are sick of seeing butts and boobs.
It honestly depends upon the culture of the individual school. Some of my coursework has had to be changed in light of parent intervention, so my team is pretty sensitive to certain things. For example, my students are currently writing narratives based upon a fairly well-known piece of art, but several nude figures in the painting have been cropped out in the version I have in my classroom. In another school, it might not matter so much.
You were all right! It turned out to be a non-issue. I don't think it was the best choice of words on my part, but also not the end of the world.
. My Block 3 has really been testing me this year. I' must have said 'cut the crap' half a dozen times.
Might just be my elementary school sensibilities but there are other ways to curtail student behaviors.
In addition to other vulgar student and parent behavior that I saw and heard firsthand at my former school, it was a huge culture shock for me to hear teachers and other staff members themselves making comments that were beyond horrible just like the ones that Puppet Debris described in the above post and even worse. Some of the teachers and other staff members would call a few others the "b," "c," and "a" words behind other adults' backs, in e-mails, and to their faces. The P wouldn't do anything about it because those teachers were her buddies and she would say that it's freedom of speech. I heard teachers say frequently, "Shut up, [expletive]!" to certain other adults. They would also laugh and point at other adults. Needless to say, I was and am appalled by this behavior!
Agreed. Don't make a deal about it, just address and downplay it, and move on. It isn't a big deal--don't make it into one.
Yeah, this is NOT okay. Ever. The way I get other adults to stop this is to tell them that they are putting themselves in a very bad position by talking like that. All it takes is one person to make an accusation, and then all these comments that they made are going to come out, even though they were made away from the students. The fact that this is the culture at a school is appalling to me, and reflects poorly on the administration.
At least you feel bad about it. I'm tired of hearing people say that kids have already heard swear words or worse. That is not the point. I think that we as teachers and parents need to be role models. Especially these days when kids may not be getting enough discipline at home.
Very alarmed??? Why? It's human nature. Look at the way some girls are allowed to dress. The parents don't care how they leave the house, and school doesn't enforce it. If you believe that a man doesn't notice these things just because he's a teacher, or much older than the kids, you are being naive. Doesn't mean he is acting on what he is thinking. But please don't be naive.
Craziness. Kids do not think ahead sometimes especially when being led on by other wise guy students.
