LAUGH
I am really not sure who came up with all this “eduspeak” or why. I do know that when teachers hear one of the below buzzwords or phrases, we can’t help the level of eye rolls we exhibit or the groans that we try to stifle.
Popular buzzwords teachers love to hate
1. DEEP DIVE
The only deep dive teachers want to take is one with a snorkel and wet suit off the coast of the Bahamas.
2. BELL-TO-BELL INSTRUCTION
We are confused by this. Are “brain breaks” out then? This seems kinda unhealthy.
3. SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING
These words are just another way to pass responsibility to teachers for the mental health of their students. When will we fit this in with our already-packed curriculum?
4. DATA-DRIVEN
Yeah, we are being data-driven right out of the teaching profession.
5. GRACE
Too much grace has caused too many problems. Students think they can turn in work due in January in May.
6. LEARNING LOSS
Teachers have always met students where they are. Students have come to us behind arbitrary standard benchmarks before. We never implied they lost something, though these buzz words seem to suggest that.
7. “WE CAN DO HARD THINGS.”
Yes, we can, so the next time we send our students to the office for bad behavior, call their parents instead of sending them back to us with a wink and a pack of Smarties.
8. PRODUCTIVE DISCOURSE
We try to have in-depth and stimulating discussions, but somehow it always takes a sharp turn straight down Bathroom Humor Alley.
9. UNPACK STANDARDS/CURRICULUM
How about we just unpack the fridge in the Teacher’s Lounge instead? Standards are pretty straightforward.
10. RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
No one can really explain what this is, but everyone has a strong opinion on it.
11. KIDDOS
This term rings a tad too phony and implies students are fragile pieces of delicate porcelain. It’s often uttered by people who have no “real” relationships with students.
12. “REMEMBER YOUR WHY.”
We fully know the value of what we are doing, but let’s have our paychecks reflect that same value.
13. FLEXIBILITY
We are like gosh darn Gumby for goodness sake. You can bend us in a million directions and we bounce back.
14. PLC
There has to be at least one acronym in this list. A Professional Learning Community is just a fancier term for “grade-level meeting.”
15. A-HA MOMENT
Teachers have these all the time when they talk to parents and realize why their students are disrespectful. A-HA!
16. EFFICACY
This could be like “fidelity,” but I am not quite sure.
17. STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
Teachers could bring in a three-ring circus and not have complete student engagement.
18. GAME CHANGER
This is one of the buzzwords that is always applied to some new teaching strategy that really is an old teaching strategy with a different name.
19. ROBUST
Because RIGOR wasn’t enough to replace the word “challenging”, we had to add ROBUST to the mix.
20. “TRUST THE PROCESS.”
We don’t. We don’t trust the process at all.
If we spent more time creating a respectful teaching and learning environment for teachers and students instead of creating more buzz words, teachers might stick around a little longer.
