What to do when our sweet, ‘butter wouldn't melt in their mouth,’ 8 year old, cutie-pie turns into a potty-mouthed 12 and 13 year old?
It’s a fix, right?
Our babes grow up really quickly, and before we know it they’re the ones teaching us the new terms and quips. For them, our language use is old and boring, whereas their turn-of-phrases are exciting and nimble.
So, yeah ‘L’ to anyone who doesn’t understand what I'm talking about.
At Jungle Academy we have extensive and clear guidance on the appropriate use of language, especially the colourful sort. This is all stated clearly in our Student Handbook, which is revisited often during daily Connection Times.
We have a zero tolerance policy on swearing in classrooms, around teachers or other adults. Students are told immediately that this type of language is not appropriate in the present place or company.
Consequences are on-hand for repeat offenders, but we find we never have to use them, because the students quickly get-it. The odd slip-up in class is met with a friendly but firm reminder of what’s expected regarding language.
Our policy is, if we treat them as young adults then they act like young adults and they are more willing to become responsible for their words and actions.
That said, students at Jungle Academy do have spaces and times where it is only them. We actively encourage this and it is an integral part of our program. In these instances, we do not police the minutiae of their language, but have guided them prior that they must be respectful to others at all times.
Think of our policy like a family day at the beach. When everyone is sitting around the beach fire, talking and toasting s'mores, as parents do we allow our children to use foul language? Of course not, this would lead to strong consequences for them, and they know it. But when our tweens and teens walk off in groups for some alone-time, are we monitoring their speech? Or do we hope that the values and boundaries we have instilled in them will carry them through as they negotiate complex social interactions.
What would you do if you heard a child screaming obscenities across the beach for all to hear? Would you intervene? This would probably depend upon your parenting style? For more on parenting styles see here.
If a similar incident happens at Jungle Academy we would intervene, with the principle goal of finding out what is the root cause of the outburst? Why did the student feel the need to act or speak in such a way.
Afterall, swearing is just another form of expression students need to master. We talk to the students about how swearing can be a high-art form, or it can be the height of laziness and reflect poorly on how people see us.
It’s not the words, but the intention that matters.
It’s common for some students to misunderstand an environment like this when they first experience it. Many of the students who were the worst offenders for swearing consistently came from parents who believed the rules on swearing should be more strict. They believed that students should be monitored at all times while at school to prevent them from slipping up or going overboard. For us, we would ask, when does the student get time to learn if they're always being told what to do?
At Jungle Academy, we establish the boundaries that students can explore to understand what is appropriate and what is not. The boundaries are not determined by the students themselves, but by us as educators. We believe that the most valuable lessons are those in which we hold ourselves and our peers accountable, and we modify our behavior because we want to change, not because we are told to.
We believe that swearing is just one aspect of growing up and that there are many social skills that students need to learn to become well-socialized adults.
We believe our students are well on their way to learning this important lesson.
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