Gender Roles and the Modern Urban Teenager

One of the first things I have to get out of the way for each new crop of students is my classroom expectations for their behavior. This includes not just how they interact and behave towards me, but also, to some extent, how they interact with each other while they're in my classroom. My basic requirement is that they act as if they respected each other. I explain to them that this does not mean that they actually have to respect each other - I can't mandate how they feel, obviously - but that I expect them to treat each other like they did as long as they're in my classroom.

There are a couple of things that I almost always have to catch individually that fall into that category for me, but don't seem to intuitively do so for them. One is "yo mama"s and other manifestations of the perennial teenage male game of "the dozens." It's pretty easy for me to explain to them that that language is disrespectful even if they only mean it as teasing. Another one is the phenomenon of put-downs when someone doesn't know something; again, while it's hard to get them out of the habit, it's easy enough, once I point it out, to get them to realize that this is disrespectful. The hardest one every year, and the one I have to keep reminding them on throughout the whole year, is the use of "gay" as a put-down, meaning "stupid."

By this point, the kids know I have a personal issue with that. ( Observations on language, appearances, and gender role changes that might explain their use, although not excuse it, behind the cut. )

Gender Roles and the Modern Urban Teenager

One of the first things I have to get out of the way for each new crop of students is my classroom expectations for their behavior. This includes not just how they interact and behave towards me, but also, to some extent, how they interact with each other while they're in my classroom. My basic requirement is that they act as if they respected each other. I explain to them that this does not mean that they actually have to respect each other - I can't mandate how they feel, obviously - but that I expect them to treat each other like they did as long as they're in my classroom.

There are a couple of things that I almost always have to catch individually that fall into that category for me, but don't seem to intuitively do so for them. One is "yo mama"s and other manifestations of the perennial teenage male game of "the dozens." It's pretty easy for me to explain to them that that language is disrespectful even if they only mean it as teasing. Another one is the phenomenon of put-downs when someone doesn't know something; again, while it's hard to get them out of the habit, it's easy enough, once I point it out, to get them to realize that this is disrespectful. The hardest one every year, and the one I have to keep reminding them on throughout the whole year, is the use of "gay" as a put-down, meaning "stupid."

By this point, the kids know I have a personal issue with that. ( Observations on language, appearances, and gender role changes that might explain their use, although not excuse it, behind the cut. )