BrookSpeak

Everywhere in the school it’s there; there’s no avoiding it. Bad language—it gets you every time.

Some people see cursing as a sign of ignorance, but others believe their is a reason why people talk like they do.

“I grew up with it so it’s not a big deal to me,� said sophomore Rachel Bryant.

Some people do grow up with cursing. Without realizing, it becomes second nature.

Teachers react differently to students swearing. Some choose to ignore it, while others are offended and will punish the guilty party.

“Any swear word that’s used as a verb, yeah, I jump on the student for it,� said physics teacher Chuck Ellwood.

Some students believe there are times when cursing is acceptable.

“It’s OK in certain environments,� said junior Rachel Bradley.

Teens who curse often alter their speech in these environments.

“You shouldn’t use it everywhere; at school, sure it’s fine, but at church, no way,� said junior E.J. Laird.

Students learn quickly which teachers are sensitive to every inappropriate word, but they also figure out which ones don’t pay much attention to bad language.

“If a student says ‘damn’ or ‘hell,’ then I don’t get bent out of shape, but if they drop the ‘S bomb’ or ‘F bomb’ then, yeah, I get bent out of shape about that.�

Cursing is ultimately a choice, and students who choose to curse learn when they can get away with it and when to turn it off.

Students who choose to curse do run the risk of being judged by fellow students and their teachers.

“I prefer kids to not use bad language; I think it shows a lack of intelligence,� said English teacher Tara Cooney.