And in her excitement she talked and talked, her mouth just like a spout,
She wondered why the sky was blue and if brown cows ate beans,
As she continued on her way, scrutinizing many things.
But most of what her thoughts did wonder were quite a fear to count,
Would her teachers’ mouths be kind, or an evil fount?
And when she came across the door, she found her fear unfound,
For what she saw was far more strange, a crazy blend of sound.
There was a young teacher of clear cool form who looked for controlled speech,
And an old teach who used such words as Dilbert, dingbat, and cute as a Georgia peach,
Still another bold young man, who was quite new no doubt,
Set about to be a friend with words like “yo dog” and “man chill out.”
So Wendy sat and thought a new, of all she thus learned,
And now she wondered why on earth “ teachers are so weird.”
Teachers format their communication to fit their individual teaching style. However, certain differences in how teachers converse may be attributed to their age. This is what I observed from the communications of the teachers at my high school. I learned that the age of a teacher not only affects how that teacher communicates but also affects the ease of opening communication. Opening communication is derived from the ability of new teachers to relate to their students and how they find a balance between being a student’s friend and a disciplinarian.
To gain a first-hand perspective of this connection, I gave my old teachers a survey that is designed to display such views. Some of the questions presented in the survey include the following: How long have you been teaching; at what age did you start teaching; does your age affect your ability to or the way you communicate; and what kind, if any, slang terms do you use when teaching? It is from the assemblage of these expressed views that I will ascertain the stability of my thesis.
The communication style of the older teachers has many distinctive qualities different from the communication styles of other age groups. In high school I noticed that teachers in their late 40’s to early 60’s usually used little slang. If any slang was used, it usually originated from the language used by the educators from the present teachers’ adolescences. It is likely that this results from the current teachers, transposing the communication they experienced in high school into their current roles. These slang terms include the following: bonkers, ding bat, don’t sweat it, nifty, don‘t have a cow, don‘t flip your wig, bummer, screwed up, spazzed out, hunk, golly gee, stoned, swapping spit, lollygagging, cool threads, and thongs (apparently this means flip-flops). One of my teachers was Mrs. Gloria Diane Padgett, a 57-year-old teacher and my mother. A finer example of a teacher using this ancient slang I believe could never be found. I can remember walking down the hallway one day with a stack of copies which my dear teacher had so kindly asked me to “hurry up and get,” when I managed to trip and allowed the entire parcel to spew onto the floor. My dear teacher proceeded then by asking me, “Are you alright, ding bat?” After assuring her that I was quite unharmed, my ever-comforting educator said, “Well, gosh, are you just going to sit in the floor all day? Pick up the papers you silly goose and stop spazzing.” I replied ever so respectfully, “Well, you could help, nut job.”
As you can see, these examples of slang differ greatly from the slang we use today. This is why older teachers may strive to keep such language out of the education process. When I examined my surveys of the older teachers I found that most in fact did try to refrain from using slang when teaching, but they occasionally would use slang from the force of habit. This was the view of the foreign language teacher, Mrs. Carol Reid, who said in her survey, “At times, I use slang terms, but not as a general rule.”
With my examination of the older teachers complete it is now logical to continue with the observation of the teachers who fall into the middle-age group. These are teachers who fall into the late 30’s to mid 40’s in age. Though this age group is relatively young in terms of life span it is roughly the mid-point of a teacher’s occupation. These teachers use slang terms more freely. These are terms which only coexist within the teachers’ generation and the student population. Examples of this would be “cool,” “hey,” and “what’s up”. This slang vocabulary is more constricted in variety compared to the vocabulary of the older and younger teachers, yet proves a functional form of language. This is the view of one teacher who said, “Yes. Sometimes I do [use slang terms] purely for comic effect. I might intentionally make some clumsy effort to use current slang. It always elicits a laugh from my students, helps them relate to me, and lets them know that I value their experience and do not take myself too seriously. On the other hand, I routinely use words such as ‘cool’ that are common to my generation and to theirs.” The incorporation of these rules for deciding what slang terms are permissible and which ones are not might be viewed as a kind of pidgin language or “pidgin rules of language,” relating to the function of a different language or dialect to a current atmosphere. As these teachers grow older they might resist the urge to use such slang terms as the generation gap continues to grow, resorting to a more standardized style, as have their present older colleagues.
As for the younger generation of teachers, ages in the mid 20’s to early 30’s, I have observed that the use of slang words is either very common or it is very rare. The reason for this is that, as newer teachers with less experience, they are still searching for the balance between being a teacher and being a friend. “I tend to use words such as, bling bling, word up, and fine because, as an English teacher and one of the younger educators, I can relate to such language and incorporate it into my teaching.” This is a quote from the high school English teacher Ms. Karen Davis, who proved very fluent in the slang terms of my generation. Ms. Davis goes on to say, “As I grow older and gain more experience as a teacher, I will become better able to communicate with my students and assert my role as a teacher.” This idea of incorporating generational dialects into the classroom is not uniform for this age group, however. According to the High School Basketball Coach and Junior High English teacher Mr. Daniel Armstrong, he generally tries to avoid the usage of slang in his teaching. However, my observations have not proven this to be true. I can think of several occasions where Mr. Armstrong has referred to some of his students as dog or man, and has on occasion used the term “ya know”. Most of these instances are for exaggeration more than real assimilation into the teacher‘s conversations, but still the influence remains.
Some of the younger teachers may be unaware of their use of slang terms because they use them in their everyday conversation. A New York Times report by Jennifer Lee presents the idea that the usage of text language is used by students in papers because of the constant bombardment from their peers on instant messenger sites. “I was so used to reading what my friends wrote to me on Instant Messenger that I didn’t even realize that there was something wrong,” said student Montana Hodgen in Lee‘s article. It is probable that the communication style used by certain younger teachers to students is more likely to include current slang terms because many of these terms are still used by these teachers outside of the educational field. Perhaps at this level of experience and age, a more independent stance is necessary so that the ability to learn how to deal with students is gained.
In Deborah Tannen’s book The Argument Culture the idea that education has its basis as a kind of confrontational battle ultimately fighting to break the hold of ignorance on the unreformed is presented (256-290). Tannen suggests that this form of teaching would be better replaced by a more respectful form. Tannen uses the “rules of engagement” from The New Golden Rule by Amitai Etzioni as the guide to how teachers might try to communicate with their students (288). Of these rules, two seem to relate to the use of slang in education: “Don’t demonize those with whom you disagree,” and “Engage in a dialogue of convictions: Don’t be so reasonable and conciliatory that you lose touch with a core of belief you feel passionately about.” The usage of slang in the classroom might be the younger teachers’ way of “not demonizing” their students by trying to seem reasonable enough to communicate in the most comfortable way for them. This idea was very apparent in the High School Basketball Coach’s dialogue with students. It almost seemed as if because of his age the students expected him to have a completely different dialogue with them than would teachers of different age groups. This could be because he is closer in age and thus would have a more closely related slang vocabulary. This makes the use of slang necessary in order to not “demonize” the students. The whole point of teaching is to encourage students to grow not only in abilities but also in confidence as they pursue their ambitions in life. For the latter part of the curriculum to be efficiently achieved, it makes sense that younger teachers would slacken their speech for student, especially those in high school. It would be detrimental to the teaching process if a younger teacher, relatively close in age to the students one teaches, presents a front of highly polished and fine tuned speech in their conversation since this may cause students to feel incapable of reaching this professional level achieved so quickly by one so close in age. The slang used by younger teachers helps them to show students that at one time they were students in high school as well. In doing so, teachers become able to show students that reaching their goals is just as possible as it was for them at that age. However, these teachers have to distinguish if using these slang terms means betraying their “core beliefs” of teaching formalized Standard English. As these teachers grow older, learning more about their individual teaching styles will help them communicate with their students.
The reversal of this idea is true for older teachers. In order to not demonize students they must not use current slang terms, because it would show a lack of professionalism and strength for the students. The older teachers represent the end product, or what the students are supposed to aspire to at least in the professional since. In this way the two groups act as a fail-safe of each other. The younger teachers encourage the students and the older teachers insure that they know what is expected of them in the future.
But, these two objectives might be destructive to each other if it weren’t for the mid-range of teachers providing a “pathway” between the two disciplines. If it weren’t for the mid-range of teachers whose dialogue bridges the reserve of the older with the relativeness of the younger, the apparent differences between the two might pit them against each other, at least in the eyes of the students.
So far, I have covered the correlation between age and teachers communicating with their students, but what other circumstances could affect communication? From the survey, I found some interesting results. When asked the question, “Have you found that, when talking with other teachers, you have to adjust your language to better communicate with older or younger teachers?” Older teachers expressed the need to adjust their language to better the communication with the younger teachers. “I may not have to, but I’m sure I do--and I do this without any real thought. Being one of the oldest members of the faculty is part of it. Younger teachers often seek advice. I’m sure I relate differently to them than someone of my age group.” (Padgett)
The views of the younger educators, however, differed from the perspective of the elders. “No. Most of the teachers that I teach with are not very old. I do not feel that there is that big of a gap between us.”(Comuzie, Sarah) This view then proved to vary between teachers of the middle age group, with some affirming and others denying the influence of age on inter-faculty relations. This could be due to the inexperience of the younger teachers to communicate with people of this age as colleagues, and also due to the older teacher’s inexperience with the common dialect of the younger teachers.
Communication is the key element to any learning environment, whether it is a student trying to learn from a teacher, a teacher trying to learn how to teach a student, or learning how to communicate with colleagues. The further study into the relationships in the high school environment and how ideas are communicated might increase the efficiency of the education process. For now, teachers must continue the trial and error method of learning how to communicate.
References
Lee, Jennifer “I Think Therefore, IM.” New York Times on the Web 19 Sept. 2002. 16 Feb. 2007
Tannen, Deborah. The Argument Culture: Moving From Debate To Dialogue New York: Random House, 1998.
“Teacher Communication Survey” - Padgett, Tyler- quotes from Padgett, Gloria Diane. Reid, Carol. Kevin, Brewer. Davis, Karen A. Comuzie, Sarah. Armstrong, Daniel.
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