I'm so glad I don't teach in the suburbs! :)

Today one of my best friends from NYU called me during lunch to tell me about his students.

He teaches freshmen at a high school in Long Island, only a couple miles from where I teach. The school is suburban, relatively diverse and pretty wealthy.

He told me about how his students overuse the word "gay". Now, contrary to urban definition (well at least my experience as a student in NYC and a student teacher/long term sub/first year teacher), "gay" in the suburbs  is MUCH different than that of the inner city in that it doesn't always mean "homosexual", it deals with the way people dress, talk, walk, act, etc. According to him, "gay" is used almost as much as "like" or "ya know" in the suburbs. Whereas, I, only teaching 1 grade level below him, almost never hear the word "gay", he hears it every day, 7.8/5. (like my use of decimals there? teaching has gone wayy too far in my head...)

Side note: I actually banned that word from my classroom in the beginning of the year. Tolerance and respect are my number 1 priorities in classroom management.

My friend, also a first year teacher, said that today a group of students (2 students) ganged up on another student -saying he was "gay"... because he walked and talked "like a girl".

Immediately in my head, I'm like, "umm... that's not what "gay" means... and furthermore, WHY ARE YOU USING THAT LANGUAGE WITH OTHERS?!". If I were him, those 2 kids will never be saying the word "gay" ever again in their life!

Fortunately for the kids, it was settled with a detention for both of them.

I think these kids in the suburbs often feel sooo entitled and better than everyone else that they don't think twice before saying something. Most of the kids in my class all get along great, but in the suburbs, bullying, peer pressure and disrespect occur at far more alarming rates.

I genuinely feel sorry for the student that was called that HORRIBLE word... but also for my friend, who has to deal with this type of bullying on a daily basis.

And they say the inner city is so much harder... uh, well at least we don't get this type of behavior.

I'm SO glad I don't teach in the suburbs and have to deal with these snotty, stuck up kids.