by Aziah Siid
In the 1980s and 1990s, words like “fresh,” “def,” “out of pocket,” “get crunk,” and “ill” rolled off the tongues of youths. Whether they were spitting lyrics of a song, talking about their latest kicks, or simply sharing how they were feeling at the moment, most people knew exactly what message these young people were trying to get across at that moment.
The same rings true today. Whether it’s considered African American Vernacular English, a colloquial phrase, or “slang,” students may use words like those — which derive from cultural eras, musical artists, or straight out of the neighborhoods they live in. But, some teachers are fed up with hearing students say “skee yee” or that they “stand on business.”
Indeed, one teacher’s list of words prohibited in her classroom — and banned from being used in assignments — has gone viral on social media. It’s unclear where the list originated, but with tens of millions of views it has sparked plenty of debate on whether it supports student learning or is just another form of shaming Black students and culture and playing respectability politics.
Aside from the much-needed conversation about getting students academically on grade level while ensuring culturally relevant teaching is happening in the classroom, it begs the question: is this teacher right or wrong for this list of language rules if they’re a part of these students’ lived reality?
“Please know using slang in an academic setting can diminish your capability to become a successful writer,” the teacher wrote as the header for the list. “More often than not, the way you speak is the way you write…This is an educational institution, and you will carry yourself as scholars in my classroom!”
If students are heard or seen using the words, they are required to write a short essay explaining why it was appropriate to use the word in an academic setting.
Journalist and media personality Jemele Hill shared the post on Instagram on Sunday, and thousands of people have since weighed in on the topic.
“Educators have told me that students are writing papers like they text and talk to their friends, and that basic sentence structure — noun, verb, subject, predicate — isn’t being taught,” Hill wrote in her post. “This generation of students and even Gen Z’ers are struggling with writing…Now there isn’t one way to write and certainly not one way to talk, but if these kids will eventually be [in] professional environments where these phrases can be frowned upon, is it good to start creating these habits at a young age?”
In looking at the artistry of overtly sexual female rappers like Sexxy Red and the City Girls and the unfolding of the YSL court case, folks seem to be speaking out about more than how students use language. One school principal recently posted a video on Twitter of dancing preschoolers singing “Hands on your knees.”
But that’s not what most students are doing when they use these words.
“Shouldn’t students be allowed to express themselves in ways that are culturally relevant to them?” Hill said about the prohibited list of words. “Are you teaching kids to code switch instead of being their authentic selves? Just because you use these terms frequently, it’s in no way an indicator of low IQ or intelligence. There is no such thing as “proper English.” Isn’t it your job to meet kids where they are?”
An Expression of Genius or Code Switching?
Ernest Crim, former veteran classroom teacher and Tik Tok star, responded to the post mentioning the genius behind how colloquial terms are frowned upon at one point, but words like “Period” find their way into the Urban Dictionary due to how impactful it is.
“There’s a level of genius in how each generation of youth communicates. How about helping them find alternatives to those words or phrases?” Crim wrote. “The same words/phrases we/they demonize today get added to the dictionary tomorrow… Is it okay then? We don’t need their permission to create language, especially as people who created hip hop. This can be a valuable teaching tool for our kids about linguistic ingenuity.”
Jada Pinkett Smith’s mother, Adrienne Banfield Norris — better known as Gammy, entered the conversation as well.
“We live in a global world and if children are expected to learn other languages, they certainly should learn to speak English if you live in America,” the former Red Table Talk host wrote oh Hill’s post. “Another question: Is it code switching or is it communicating in a way that all cultures understand what you’re trying to communicate?”
One former Brooklyn high school teacher, Sabrina Thompson, wrote that she related all too well to the need to monitor students’ language while also allowing them to be free.
“I am a firm believer in letting people express themselves how they wish within a certain context,” she wrote under Hill’s post. “However, they can do this ONLY if they can master the basics. There is no way I would condone someone writing IDK, BRB, IKYFL, etc in essays in general AND especially if you don’t even know how to identify double negatives, verb/subject agreement, contractions and more.”
The former teacher went on to address the achievement gap that she saw during her time as an educator, which continues to be a rising concern, particularly as students try to recover from time spent learning remotely.
“I had 18 and 19 year old’s entering my class in gen ed reading on 1st and 2nd grade levels though,” she wrote. “So many people had let these kids down well before they were “promoted” and sent to me.”