Teach-Secondary-14.1

Was that... swearing? Michael Power offers some practical advice for how to manage incidents of offensive language being used beyond the classroom walls Y ou’re walking down the bustling school corridor when you hear it – a burst of laughter, some loud chatter, and then that word. Or…was it? Maybe it was actually a ‘ship’? Or a ‘duck’? But no, no – you’re pretty certain it wasn’t. If you work with secondary-aged children, then chances are you’ve faced this dilemma countless times – the overhearing of what sound like off-colour remarks in shared spaces like hallways, the canteen or the playground. Managing language in a structured classroom is one thing, but what about all those chaotic moments between lessons? Should we intervene every time? Or let it slide? And at what point does ignoring it become a tacit nod of approval? ‘Casual’ language Students don’t exist in a vacuum. They absorb language fromTikTok, YouTube, their families and – let’s be honest – each other. This cocktail of influences means that by the time they hit the school grounds, they’ll be armed with a colourful vocabulary, much of which won’t be PG-rated. Take, for example, an exchange between two Y10 students I recently overheard on the playground. Their conversation was punctuated with slang, a fewmild expletives and what I can only describe as a creative insult involving someone’s favourite football team. None of it was malicious; it was boisterous, cheeky and typical of teenage banter. But as I stood there inmy high-vis jacket, radio in hand, I wondered – should I be stepping in ? The answer isn’t actually that straightforward. On the one hand, schools do have a duty to create a respectful environment. On the other, however, we risk playing games of linguistic whack-a- mole – jumping on every slip-up, creating a culture of hyper-surveillance in the process. Somewhere between those extremes lies the sweet spot. Why languagematters Words have power. A well-timed ‘ Good morning! ’ can brighten someone’s day, just as a casually dropped insult can linger like a bad smell. And while not every expletive or off-colour joke will be loaded with intent to harm, they still contribute to the culture of a school. Unchecked language – be that swearing, casual sexism or use of derogatory terms – can normalise disrespect. AY7 student hearing older peers pepper their conversations with slurs might think, ‘ Oh, that’s just what we say here... ’ Worse, students on the receiving end of offensive language may feel alienated, making the school feel less like a safe teachwire.net/secondary 64