In a move that has left students bewildered and netizens amused, an anonymous teacher has gone viral for banning 32 slang words in their classroom, igniting a heated online debate. The list, shared in a Twitter post, has garnered over 33 million views and counting.
The teacher, apparently fed up with what they deemed as improper English, decided to impose a vernacular blacklist at their undisclosed school.
In the now-viral post, the educator declared, “The gibberish some of you choose to use is improper English,” attributing the decision to an observed increase in students using terms they found “inappropriate for an academic setting” and detrimental to the learning process.
The forbidden vocabulary includes words like “Bruh” (teen slang for “bro”), “What’s up G Wade?” (a unique interpretation of “Wassup Gwayy,” a 2023 song by rappers Famous Sally and YB), and “bet” (Gen Z speak for “yes” or “I agree”).
Students caught using these expressions face the consequence of having to write a “short essay explaining why you chose to use these words in an academic setting to express yourselves,” according to the teacher’s announcement on Twitter. The educator firmly stated, “This is an academic institution, and you will carry yourself as scholars in my classroom.”
While some critics accused the teacher of being overly strict and on a power trip, others applauded the measure. One supporter commented, “Seems like a teacher that actually cares to me… probably more [than] the parents.”
However, detractors labeled the policy as potentially “anti-black,” as it appeared to single out expressions prevalent in African-American culture. Despite this criticism, some supporters suggested a different perspective, theorizing, “Sounds like a black teacher trying to help black kids elevate.”
In the midst of the debate, some Twitter users couldn’t resist poking fun at the situation by playfully using the banned slang words. The online discourse continues to unfold, with students, educators, and internet denizens sharing their thoughts on the teacher’s unconventional approach to shaping language etiquette in the classroom.
I will go with the teacher ‘s vision of inculcating the ethics and values in students who have adopted a nonsense culture blindly
Its giving “pressed”, no cap, on my momma.
An excellent effort.. hatsoff to such a vigilant teacher…such teachers are rare..who really cares about the manners of there students..
May Allah bless you sir