Teacher Discussion Forums

I teach adult-ed ESL in California at the advanced level. Somewhere in the course of the year, I usually include a small lesson (about one hour) about all the dirty words in English. Yes, all of them. My rationale is that these are words or phrases which they may encounter every day, and which they can't look up in the dictionary. Typically, most students are very interested, and ask lots of questions about swear words they have heard. When I write the words on the board, students often nod their heads in recognition, and are fascinated to learn how these words are used in context, as opposed to their literal translation. All in all, I believe it is a very useful and informative lesson.

However, I worry about political correctness. Some of the older students get a little embarrassed, and though I try to feel out the class before I teach this lesson, I feel there are some students who may be offended. Additionally, I worry that I may get in trouble, or even fired, if word of this leaks out. As you may imagine, I try to keep it all on the hush-hush. But all it takes is one complaint, and I could be in hot water.

So, am I crazy to even contemplate including this lesson in my itinerary?
Has anyone else done anything similar in their classes? I've confided with a couple of teachers, and their reactions were along the lines of shock and disbelief. So I just keep it to myself now. But in my defense, I will say that, if I were taking a foreign language course, I would be very appreciative of a quick synopsis of the bad words. It would keep me from using them inappropriately, and add depth to my understanding of the spoken language.

Any feedback on this would be appreciated.

Since it is an adult class, I don´t think you have to worry at all about being fired. If there is a problem, you can always work it out. I teach in a middle school and it would be a very different situation. I teach my students that ask me what does "*beep*" mean or some other bad word (first I tell them the meaning: jerk) that they can go their whole lives without using swear words. And it is true. You can.

I think it is important to know what the words are like you said. But if you directly teach the words in a lesson, it is expected that students will know them and be able to use them. In a sense you are encouraging them. For adults this is not always an issue, if they have developed their social skills.

I wouldn´t shy away from describing the meaning of swear words in movies or literature we are using, but I see limited application in teach the words for use. There are many other useful topics you can teach instead. I therefor wouldn´t teach swear words out of a decision on curriculum and because it could cause cooperation problems within my students.

I work mainly with elementary students, so I would also be fired for this kind of lesson. I think that if you do have a class with just the foul language, you could warn the students ahead of time, so that anyone who might object to this subject could skip class. I do agree with your rational for teaching these words, though. Even if you don't test the students on this vocabulary, they might hear it more than the standard words in text books. My 6th grader just had the word radiator- heating system in a house, not the car part- in his unit, and I never used the word or saw one until I went to college and had one in my dorm.

I don't think you're crazy, but I think you should be cautious.

Personally, I deal with these words one at a time during a course. For example, if a student asks for a sheet of paper, I may explain the importance of good pronunciation... Another opportunity I use is when a student indicates the number 2 by sticking two fingers in the air (a gesture which is extremely provocative in Britain).

While I agree it's good that your students know about these words, I can see that an entire hour devoted to this subject could cause problems.

Funnily enough, I would have thought that California was one place that anyone could say what they wanted about anything. Is Political Correctness really becoming such a problem?

I actually think that political correctness may be more rampant in California than in other parts of the country. In the San Francisco Bay Area, where I live, what used to be righteous liberalism has turned into a sort of Democratic passivity. That is, don't say anyting to rock the boat. Stay within the lines. Perhaps it's a factor of the area being so culturally and economically diverse--I don't know. But especially with our schools being so underfunded, teachers sopmetimes feel as though they're treading on shaky ground whenever they venture outside the strict course curriculum. At Christmas time, we are strongly discouraged from singing any songs with religious overtones. This I'm actually O.K. with, but it gives you an idea of how uber-sensitive we have become out here--and it may just be the tip of the iceberg.