Thank you JessiKa! I always appreciate you essays. I try not to be harsh, but instead aim more for curious. Of course, as a teacher I sit in a position of authority and even my curious tone might come off as harsh.

I don't like being a gate keeper for language because what I want is for them to learn to choose their own words even when adults are not around. When the Junior High students start cussing, I often try to engage them in a "right time, right place" discussion. Some of them are surprised that I like to swear. Much of the time they are unaware of the origins of their words or the impact. My non-Christian students seem to like to say "Jesus Christ" as a swear word. They can't see why it is offensive. I'm not much of a Christian, but many people who I care for are, so I try to point that out.

Sometimes I don't know where to step in and intervene. This year our school got into a big discussion with some of the students over the dress code. As a male teacher, I never say anything, so that lives our women teachers in the unenviable position of calling out 12 year-olds for wearing inappropriate clothing. No one likes to do that and we actually appreciated the arguments of some of the young women who said they should be allowed to wear whatever they want and that dress codes are really stupid because they should not be responsible for the male gaze. Touché.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.