Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: The N-Word My name is Kristin. I have taught high school English for nine years in a rural school. Recently, my husband and I had to move to a much larger city because of a promotion my husband received. I found a job as an English teacher at a high school that serves mostly African American and Hispanic students. My new students are nice and respectful. However, there is one issue that has been bothering me. I have been seeing my students talking to each other using the "n word." They are not bothered by this, but even in class discussions, if they are responding to one another, sometimes they use the "n word." In my previous school, we were very strict about these types of slurs. I am at loss now. Is this part of the school culture? Should I explain to my students why they should not use that word? Should I make a rule about it? I do not know how to deal with this. Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) If you want to stop people from saying that word in your class, set a rule with punishment for every time you hear the word. Find out something that the students hate doing and then every time someone says the N-word, make them do that assignment. Give them more homework when they say the word, and if things do not get better, use official discipline referrals. Maybe teach a lesson on what that word represents and where it comes from. You might even bring in a guest speaker to explain the situation to the kids.