Paige Elliott: Catch Phrases and Buzz Words in Student Writing

Let's begin with talking to our students about the real world. What world are they living in exactly? I'm sure some of you are coming up with great (and somewhat comical) answers to that question right now, but honestly, when we use that term, don't we really mean when students become self-reliant adults? How do you think they feel when someone implies that their world is not real; their problems not genuine, their emotions not valid?

We tell them to keep their noses to the grindstone, but do they even know what a grindstone is? And burning the midnight oil – do they envision racing a sports car to the corner market after watching Letterman? Speaking of cars, we tell our students not to put the cart before the horse. They dream of driving Hummers and BMWs; something tells me the most meaning some kids make out of this statement is pushing a grocery cart before they get put a quarter in a cute merry-go-round outside of the store.

Rome wasn't built in a day. Obviously the Department of Public Transportation received and understood this message, but do our students? And using transportation as a segue -- a student going a mile a minute generally means he's going "fast and nonstop", yet at that speed on I-40, he'd be going below the speed limit.

When life hands you lemons, it is suggested you make lemonade. This is a stretch for some of our students who still don't know that Gatorade flavored "Fierce" and "Xtremo" aren't actual fruits.

Younger audiences tell us things are the same difference. What does that mean? Either things are the same or they are different. I hear kids in the hall explaining they could care less. I want to tell them to do so! Another question: is "my bad" a sincere apology? For those of you who work with teenagers, I can't leave out the use of "like" and "I know, right?"

In conclusion, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. We're all guilty of using catch phrases, clichés and buzz words. They're convenient and sometimes they're exactly what we want to say. So at the end of the day, we should take a moment to stand in someone else's shoes or follow in his footsteps and think. Our students may misunderstand clichés and repeat their own. I wonder why?