Tashawna King

Language holds a lot of power. It is the preferred method of communication in our culture; it is the fuel we use to empower our desires, and to direct our energy. Language creates and transforms our lives. You can gain students attention by speaking to them in an appropriate language without raising your voice. Students do not answer to you when you speak in a harsh language because they want to hear their teacher speak in a calm language. I think students get enough of being yelled at when they are home which is why they will not listen to teachers if they are yelled at in school. When you speak in an appropriate language you can immediately gain students attention. In addition, labeling students “at risk” is not the appropriate language because when students know they are labeled “at risk,” they do not try as hard as they can because they feel inferior; they start to give up slowly. I think teachers should make a note that students are having trouble with some work, but teachers do not have to label students “at risk” because language holds the power of how students act in the classroom. Students become less motivated when they are labeled.