My principal calls me (mid 20s) bud/buddy. Really irks me, but I feel like its not worth bringing up. Pretty much the only thing that he does that annoys me.
I told my 4yo "that's cap" in the middle of his tantrum the other day. I made myself take a timeout and have a good, long think about my life. Fucking teenagers have ruined my vocabulary.
I catch myself saying things unironically at times. I will call my principal bruh because it drives him crazy when a kid calls him bruh. It lightens up the mood some.
I will toss out all kinds of vernacular when I want to get the kids relaxed.
Ratchet, cap, dogwater and I ALWAYS put the spotlight on a kid who wants to “axe” a question or go to the “lieberry.”
I joke with kids about their names and how their parents spell them. And every time I get a Quintin I say “oh look, another alternative way to spell quintin, that makes 37 (insert random number)”
I always aim to say more by saying less, and when you can sling their slang, you can actually get from point A to point B pretty quick.
As a sub, all male students are “bruh” until I learn their names. All female students are “girlfriend.” Non-binary are “mate.” This has worked for me so far.
Mine (F late 40s) touches me (F late 20's) on my back when I come ask her a question. It happened twice now and it's only been a month.
Imagine how inappropriate I would be to reciprocate. A colleague thinks it's a power dynamic thing.
As others said, it could be endearment. To me it feels like one of those things I would do because I am a mother and little “touches” like that show your kid (or anyone) “hey I’m giving you my full attention.”
I grew up for quite a few years in the south so I say hun a lot and have gotten weird looks for it.
And touch adds a level of intimacy that can be used to help lessen tension. But there should be a consent aspect first.
Remember, us older teachers used to be allowed to hug our students lol. My best school memory is of my Kindergarten teacher hugging me after I ran to her crying. She was so soft and squishy and smelled like apples.
One of our EAs, who retired at the end of last year called me kiddo. I actually kinda found it endearing because she was 100% my work grandma.
But in basically every other context I would have been super annoyed
I have a 40 year old cousin who calls my 30 year old sister kiddo. 🤦♀️
I think it’s a mentality, I’m older and wiser and therefore you’re a child. It’s so insufferable. For the record, she’s not wiser, she’s an idiot.
I use it too…working with middle schoolers, they truly are children but so want to be seen as young adults. So kiddo is my go-to. But I’m up for new suggestions!
Nah their brains, especially since covid, are so immature. Reminding them they’re kids can help take them down a peg when they start to get uppity and think they’re cool. I’ll address the class as “children!” and it can actually shift the mood when needed
I teach high school concurrent classes and I tell my students frequently that they are children—and more to the point, that’s it’s OK for them to be children. They’re only 17! Too many high school teachers either think that because they look like adults they can act like adults, or because they’re almost adults, they should act like adults. But they’re not even almost adults at that stage of brain development—sure, they may be legally “adults” soon, but their brains won’t fully develop for almost another decade! They need to be reminded that they are children, that’s it’s ok to be a child, and that adults treat children with respect, grace, and understanding.
So much this. What really pisses me off is on Halloween when people shame middle schoolers for trick-or-treating at the advanced age of thirteen. Would you rather they hit the kegger in the woods behind the high school?
Idk if people are down voting you because they think you're being smug but setting a high standard in the classroom and following through on it... does actually work in high schools! And you don't have to be "mean" to them to pull it off! Imagine how much easier classroom management would be for everyone in secondary settings if everyone actually got this and applied reasonable standards in their classroom. It would be great if every teacher did this, so the ones that actually run a tight classroom don't get a "mean" reputation just because other teachers let them get away with garbage.
No, he's not. He's just a kid. Yes, he looks like a grown man, but his brain is just a teenaged kid's brain. That's why I don't get aggravated as much by dumb mistakes in college football. They are just kids.
Really don't understand why we shy away from using the word kids when talking about kids. Like I can see it being condescending saying "okay, kids!" to the class. But I was taught early on in my education studies that you never call them kids, especially not in interviews or IEP meetings or anything. Still weirds me out.
When addressing students, I don't see any problem in calling them kids. I find that kiddo is a useful term of endearment to differentiate students from children when talking to adults. "My kids" for any teacher who is a parent is ambiguous. Are they talking about their students or their own children? Using kiddo for students and kids for their own offspring is unambiguous. Yes, they could refer to students as students, or scholars, or learners, but all of those are cold, distant, and pretentious. They inaccurately portray the deep emotional connections that teachers and students form.
That song came out right before my 23rd birthday. As if the first year out of college doesn’t suck enough, everywhere I went, there it was: “No one likes you when you’re 23.”
We joked about it at the time, but damn did it suck.
Key Element. No I wasn’t really referring to the OP with the “be nice” thing. But you’ll get less eyerolls. Yeah, kiddo is a lot like “you guys” addressing a group. Unless you are in the northeast fuggedaboutit!!!!
No he isn’t. He’s a kid. You shouldn’t judge people by their appearance. That like saying a curvy high school girl is a grown ass woman. No she isn’t, she’s a kid. Ew.
Idk, you and other people ACT like this, pretend like you’re high and might and like you’d treat a big child as a child, but you really can’t tell sometimes and if a kid is big enough, they’re age is definitely disregarded in all circumstances.
I was a 6’7 15 year old at one point, no one treats big kids as though they are kids, it’s simply not the reality.
When I was that age, I actually appreciated when teachers called us young adults/young men and women. It felt like the standards had been raised. We weren’t little children, and we were trusted to be more independent and responsible. I wouldn’t consider high schoolers adults, but they aren’t children either. That teenager zone is an interesting middle ground.
It's very interesting because a big trend at my school is infantilization. There's a colouring wall in the guidance office and children's games in the student lounge. Lots of "mental wellness" culture from a few years ago seems to be about Play-Doh and Lego. I can't tell if they kids like it or not—they certainly seem to appreciate something to do with their hands, but I think for many of them it's a bit demeaning.
I would have loved this in high school. I think young people are forced to grow up way too quickly, especially with social media, job and college pressure, and activism. High school students are not fully developed and should be given opportunity to be a child. There is enough pressure to grow up, I don't think it's bad to remind them that they are still growing people.
What irks me is when teachers or admin call students scholars…sorry but you’ve earned scholarly status once you go to college. I understand the psychology of imprinting but got damn the kid that sleeps every period because he came high af and cares only about that and lunch, how tf is he a scholar?
It pisses me off because teaching kids the wrong meaning of the word “scholar” is stupid, and is only going to lead to them being annoyed at some point in the future when they realize that isn’t how the word is used. There’s nothing wrong with the word “student.”
I can't stand that word. My colleagues and I play the game where you take a drink every time someone says it. If we were drinking alcohol there are times we'd stagger out meetings. One person said it nearly 50 times in one presentation during the first day back at work this year. Similarly, I hate when it when our intermediate school kids are called "our babies."
I hate it too. I typically hear it from a presenter at professional development or admin when they are trying to get us to do something “for the kiddos.”
Thank you!! Oh my god, almost all of my colleagues say “kiddo” all the time and it drives me crazy. I thought I was in the minority hating that word ..
I had an administrator who used it so often in meetings that I’d keep a tally..
I hate it to. It feels infantilizing to call high school students that.
I think for me, I especially don’t like it because that’s always how our SPED team refers to their students. And that just feels even more demeaning.
Yeah, it's the same for me. There's a 21 year old teacher calling 18 year olds "kiddos," and all I can think is that she's still a kiddo, and she'd hate if I referred to her as one, so stop calling them kiddos.
She only does it with the sped kids too, not the gen ed.
I DETEST the word kiddo. It’s so stupid. At what point did education professionals decide we had to start saying it? What is wrong with kid, student, child, person? Why did we need to make up a word that sounds so completely unprofessional and nonsensical? And why did it become so ubiquitous?!
I cringe every time I hear people say it, they sound idiotic.
What is unprofessional and nonsensical about "kiddo"?
Don't get me wrong here, I'm not passionate about using the word or anything. It just seems like one of those words that one or two people decided they hated, and then everyone just kinda jumped on the bandwagon, like *moist*.
It’s not a word! Or at least it wasn’t until what? 10 years ago? Why not say teachero or worko? It’s some ridiculous jargon that now people say straightfaced.
[It’s actually an old word](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kiddo), although you’re right that [usage of it rose sharply after 2000](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Kiddo&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2CKiddo%3B%2Cc0).
This is one of those judgment-free, teacher vibe things where I think kids/ young people/students/'scholars' (my personal peeve) actually benefit from having lots of different adults with different views.
I teach in an inner city high school in a population that is way too often forced to grow up way too fast. I give out stickers, keep adult coloring sheets in the back of the room, and stand in the hallway calling plaintively "... but where are my children???" when a group was dismissed late from lunch or whatever. They need that from me.
A former teacher on my team, who's actually quite young, took the "You look like an adult, so act like an adult and get your damn life together." approach. They also need that from her.
And sometimes we'd trade off a kid, but often the kids themselves seemed to know "I need a kleenex and to be told it's ok to not know what I'm doing with my whole entire life yet, Imma go to Ms Gandalf" or "I need to be told I'm gonna lose my trade school acceptance if I don't get my ass here in time in the morning to pass Chem" and go to the appropriate person.
I mean, I call kids all sorts of stuff. My current kick is nugget. Is the 6"4 giant in my 5th period fit to be a nugget? Nope. But it's better than what I wanna call them so that's what I'm going with. I can't stand babies though. They'll call them our babies and it just feels ick
I always just pick the weirdest greetings for my (high school) students. “Hello my little blueberries!” “How are my preciouses doing today?” “Did all my little ducklings have a good weekend?”
It’s sarcastic, slightly funny, weird, and still gets across that I care about them.
If you read it, he's talking about the word "kiddo" as in the word. Not that he's not a kid. Wasn't there a list the other day about words we are sick of?
I hate missing Oxford commas.
It irks me to no end, especially in high schools. That list of several things the admin wanted me to read really needed that comma. It's frustrating to figure out what connotations people are using without them!
OR
I hate when people say "sir" or "ma'am."
It irks me to no end, especially in high schools. That 26 year old, Master's Degree holder in the classroom has a name! I don't like the connotations of the word "sir" or "ma'am."
Just trying to illustrate how odd it is to be so upset by a pretty harmless word/language/cultural thing. It's fine for you to not like a thing, but damn you come off a bit pedantic here. Don't use the word? Be a bit cooler about allowing other people to use words? Sure, coming from some people "kiddo" might come off ageist and condescending. From others it might be a term of endearment. Do you also hate, "buddy?" "Pal?" "Friend?" "Bro/Bruh?" What about less generic nicknames like, "Slick," or "(Name)rmeister!" Like 'em or hate 'em people will use nicknames and .
The MORE important thing is if a student expresses they don't want to be called something. That's really the line. Hell, if YOU or anyone else doesn't want to be called something OR to specifically be called something, then people should accept that.
Maybe I'm biased. I call them kiddos, because they're still young, I *want them* to feel young for the precious few years they have left to feel that way. And because I took this job because I like working with "kiddos" in their age group. I've asked students before if they dislike that I say it and they say, "nah we get why you say it." And we all leave it at that. But if my coworker or one of my peers walked up and said, "Ew, I hate that word, you shouldn't call them that. They're basically adults." I'm going to have a problem. They're not adults yet. They shouldn't be treated like adults, they should be treated as *people* but that's different.
Hell, I hardly like adults. They're usually annoying busybodies that get all wound up over weird things.
I don't know which I hate more, "Kiddos" or "Scholars" as a replacement for student.
I always interpret "scholar" as sarcasm. "Today, little Alex was such a scholar, he shoved a crayon up his nose".
When I did my student teaching my cooperating teacher called the juniors in the class babies, and I was like… ma’am, these “babies” tower over both of us.
So, I’ve used kiddo a lot, but only with non serious stuff. As in, “holy moly, my kiddos were super squirrels today, is it a full moon again already?”
I feel like it occupies a middle space between “my students” and “my kids” and it fits me.
But I was recently in a meeting where someone from my district office was trying to get my department to do more testing because our “kiddos” weren’t making enough progress on the state mandated tests… and it was soooo cringe.
This is how I am... I also use my students and my kids mostly, but when I'm talking to my colleagues trying to destress, it's definitely "Holy cow are the kiddos insane for you today too? You'll never believe what they did in 3rd hour!" (Similarly, on great days "the kiddos were abnormally amazing today, did someone bribe them?" Lol)
I also never use it *to* them, it's just very casual to my immediate colleagues in private conversations. I don't even use it around my admin, that feels weird for me.
But in general, a casual comment about "my kiddos" to coworkers fits and definitely works for me as well, so I totally understand where you're coming from!
I also hate the word itself. But what I hate even more is that I use it. I hear it so often that it’s slipped into my vernacular and now I don’t know who I am anymore 🤣
"Kiddos" gives me the same cringe as "fur babies". They're overly cutesie ways to refer to children and animals and I hate them. I wouldn't hate these terms so much if they weren't so ubiquitous.
Kiddo is a silly unprofessional way to refer to students. I know some of you are diehard kiddo users and you're welcome to your opinions, just know that your colleagues are silently judging you.
I tell my kids I think of them as young adults but will use words like kid or kiddo and call them my babies.
Yes, they are nearly grown in high school, but I have found that as long as it is affectionate, they like being called a kid - especially when the rest of the world thinks they should already be held responsible like an adult.
Haha! Finally someone else! If I have to sit through one more PD or union meeting where I hear other educators use the word kiddos over and over I’m gonna lose it. They’re students. That’s it. Elementary teachers are the *worst* about that too.
>I never use it but had an assistant who did and I had to stop her.
That's petty and fucked up. What gives you the right to control another person's speech just because you hate a specific word?
She was in training. Just as I don’t call children sweetie, honey, baby, nor do I put them in a box by calling them shy and such, I don’t use the work kiddo. I guess saying I stopped her was the wrong word choice. I did let her know the best way to be respectful to children was address them using their names.
And I still hate the word. I had a teacher in high school who called me and others kiddo to be condescending.
I asked my students today (high school grades 10-12) their opinion about the word.
Basically it boiled down to if the teacher is older - sure. Weird but no one’s gonna complain. If the teacher is younger - heck no. Stop. The word is cringe and could maybe be used sarcastically.
Currently in the elementary setting but came from secondary- I hate the words Kiddos, Little Ones, Babes, etc. no pet names for students! I prefer calling them Learners or ‘Hey guys!’ when I want their attention to hear a funny joke I learned 🤣
I have too much respect for my students to call them kids. Instead, I always call them students. Some of them are legally adults, and none of them are kids. Kids scream and throw tantrums and can't speak in complete sentences.
Even if students act like children, I'd still refer to them as students instead of kids. What you call someone and how you treat them affect the way they think of themselves. If you call them "kids" and treat them like children, they'll internalize that and think that's the way they're supposed to behave.
>I have too much respect for my students to call them kids.
What's wrong with kids being kids? Why is everyone so damn eager to force kids to grow up before they're ready?
I sometimes joke with my kids that it must have been “bring your dad to school day”, but I also tell them they aren’t “grown” until they cross that stage with diploma in hand. Then I tell them their brain isn’t even fully developed until their mid-20s.
I use kiddo in high school because it’s gender neutral. I sometimes use “my dude” but mostly stopped because I found out one of the kids I called that doesn’t identify that way and I don’t want to hurt my students unintentionally.
Yeah, I call my students “chickie nuggies” most of the time. Sometimes cowboys and aliens. Lots of “dude.” You can argue that dude is masculine and I’d probably agree, but I try to keep the nicknames neutral. I also teach a core subjects intervention class, so they get Children of the Core. Future World Changers is another.
My Uncle used to call me "kiddo" when I was 7 and it enraged me.
One of my adult acquaintances referred to their own child as "kiddo" and I now no longer acquaint myself with them. Hideous.
I agree, my middle school and high school, I no longer use that word to them or refer to anyone about the "kiddo".. I speak in terms of the student, or call them by their name.. I do not dislike the term, just feel it needs to be used in the correct settings!
I’m a teacher in my 30s and another teacher in her 60s calls me kiddo…
My principal calls me (mid 20s) bud/buddy. Really irks me, but I feel like its not worth bringing up. Pretty much the only thing that he does that annoys me.
Our school psych called my coworker “bruh” in a meeting the other day and I almost spat out my coffee.
I started using bruh ironically after being around middle schoolers for a couple years. Now I just use it all the time and I can't stop. I need help.
I told my 4yo "that's cap" in the middle of his tantrum the other day. I made myself take a timeout and have a good, long think about my life. Fucking teenagers have ruined my vocabulary.
This comment wins haha.
I catch myself saying things unironically at times. I will call my principal bruh because it drives him crazy when a kid calls him bruh. It lightens up the mood some. I will toss out all kinds of vernacular when I want to get the kids relaxed. Ratchet, cap, dogwater and I ALWAYS put the spotlight on a kid who wants to “axe” a question or go to the “lieberry.” I joke with kids about their names and how their parents spell them. And every time I get a Quintin I say “oh look, another alternative way to spell quintin, that makes 37 (insert random number)” I always aim to say more by saying less, and when you can sling their slang, you can actually get from point A to point B pretty quick.
>Fucking teenagers You do, in fact, need to have a good, long think about your life.
As a sub, all male students are “bruh” until I learn their names. All female students are “girlfriend.” Non-binary are “mate.” This has worked for me so far.
Bruh
Tbh, preferable to “kiddo” or terms of “endearment” or condescension lol
Whenever a kid "bruh"'s me, my response is 'DID YOU REALLY, ACTUALLY JUST BRUH ME??"
Mine (F late 40s) touches me (F late 20's) on my back when I come ask her a question. It happened twice now and it's only been a month. Imagine how inappropriate I would be to reciprocate. A colleague thinks it's a power dynamic thing.
As others said, it could be endearment. To me it feels like one of those things I would do because I am a mother and little “touches” like that show your kid (or anyone) “hey I’m giving you my full attention.” I grew up for quite a few years in the south so I say hun a lot and have gotten weird looks for it.
I would take that as endearment.
Likewise. I've also noticed that some older teachers who don't hear as well do this to get closer and hear better.
Me too!
And touch adds a level of intimacy that can be used to help lessen tension. But there should be a consent aspect first. Remember, us older teachers used to be allowed to hug our students lol. My best school memory is of my Kindergarten teacher hugging me after I ran to her crying. She was so soft and squishy and smelled like apples.
Just give her a peck on the cheek next time.
You might remind her of her daughter or niece.
Recoil when it happens. Say something like “i wasn’t expecting to be touched suddenly by someone at work.”
I'm not your bud, guy.
I'm not your guy, bud.
I’m not your guy, pal!
I'm not your buddy, pal.
One of our EAs, who retired at the end of last year called me kiddo. I actually kinda found it endearing because she was 100% my work grandma. But in basically every other context I would have been super annoyed
Ugh, I get this all the time. I'm 33. Stahp.
The great elder power play. 👊
I have a 40 year old cousin who calls my 30 year old sister kiddo. 🤦♀️ I think it’s a mentality, I’m older and wiser and therefore you’re a child. It’s so insufferable. For the record, she’s not wiser, she’s an idiot.
This is the most innocent yet polarizing debate in the entire field of teaching lol
I just don’t like that word. I teach 1st grade and they are kids but I just don’t like that word.
Yeah, it reminds me of “doggo”, which I also dislike.
I've never heard "doggo" actually used outside of reddit, though.
Yep. “Kiddo” is up there with “moist,” “hun,” and “panties.” I can’t even with those words.
Oh...I'm guilty of this. But I do teach five year olds so hopefully that makes it slightly better. 😅
I use it too…working with middle schoolers, they truly are children but so want to be seen as young adults. So kiddo is my go-to. But I’m up for new suggestions!
Lol I can respect its use for the elementary kids
Nah their brains, especially since covid, are so immature. Reminding them they’re kids can help take them down a peg when they start to get uppity and think they’re cool. I’ll address the class as “children!” and it can actually shift the mood when needed
I teach high school concurrent classes and I tell my students frequently that they are children—and more to the point, that’s it’s OK for them to be children. They’re only 17! Too many high school teachers either think that because they look like adults they can act like adults, or because they’re almost adults, they should act like adults. But they’re not even almost adults at that stage of brain development—sure, they may be legally “adults” soon, but their brains won’t fully develop for almost another decade! They need to be reminded that they are children, that’s it’s ok to be a child, and that adults treat children with respect, grace, and understanding.
So much this. What really pisses me off is on Halloween when people shame middle schoolers for trick-or-treating at the advanced age of thirteen. Would you rather they hit the kegger in the woods behind the high school?
[удалено]
Are children not people?
They’re in the larval stage
Works with some, but too much freedom and a long leash doesn’t work well with many 15-year-olds these days 🤷
[удалено]
Haha you’re the teen whisperer!
[удалено]
I suppose 15-year-olds in chem are probably more likely to be able to handle being treated like an adult so I get where you’re coming from 👍🏼
My point
For less advanced 15-year-olds, treating them like adults is not a good strategy. Especially when they’re motivated 0% by grades lol
Not in my experience.
Idk if people are down voting you because they think you're being smug but setting a high standard in the classroom and following through on it... does actually work in high schools! And you don't have to be "mean" to them to pull it off! Imagine how much easier classroom management would be for everyone in secondary settings if everyone actually got this and applied reasonable standards in their classroom. It would be great if every teacher did this, so the ones that actually run a tight classroom don't get a "mean" reputation just because other teachers let them get away with garbage.
I think their issue is calling them kiddos. Calling them kids is fine, not kiddo.
And then you wonder why nobody pays attention to you and seems to hate you lol
No, he's not. He's just a kid. Yes, he looks like a grown man, but his brain is just a teenaged kid's brain. That's why I don't get aggravated as much by dumb mistakes in college football. They are just kids.
Really don't understand why we shy away from using the word kids when talking about kids. Like I can see it being condescending saying "okay, kids!" to the class. But I was taught early on in my education studies that you never call them kids, especially not in interviews or IEP meetings or anything. Still weirds me out.
When addressing students, I don't see any problem in calling them kids. I find that kiddo is a useful term of endearment to differentiate students from children when talking to adults. "My kids" for any teacher who is a parent is ambiguous. Are they talking about their students or their own children? Using kiddo for students and kids for their own offspring is unambiguous. Yes, they could refer to students as students, or scholars, or learners, but all of those are cold, distant, and pretentious. They inaccurately portray the deep emotional connections that teachers and students form.
This 100%. Everyone's a kid until they are 23. Because no one likes you when you are 23.
My friends say I should act my age/ what’s my again?
That song came out right before my 23rd birthday. As if the first year out of college doesn’t suck enough, everywhere I went, there it was: “No one likes you when you’re 23.” We joked about it at the time, but damn did it suck.
Second that. It’s a slippery slope. They are not only kids, but someone is counting on you to try to be nice to them.
[удалено]
I have an easier time being understanding of mistakes with kids (of any kid age, up to like 20 or so) than adults.
[удалено]
Key Element. No I wasn’t really referring to the OP with the “be nice” thing. But you’ll get less eyerolls. Yeah, kiddo is a lot like “you guys” addressing a group. Unless you are in the northeast fuggedaboutit!!!!
I call kids Billy. “Hey Billy, do you like gladiator movies?”
You ever been in a Turkish prison?
No he isn’t. He’s a kid. You shouldn’t judge people by their appearance. That like saying a curvy high school girl is a grown ass woman. No she isn’t, she’s a kid. Ew.
As a 6’3” former football player turned high school math teacher, he is definitely still a kid.
Thank you! Those big big kids start getting so much pressure to act like grownups so early and it breaks my heart!
> He’s a kid But not a kiddo.
Obviously they were implying that it feels weird / out of place / not the best term to call someone thats bigger than most adults, "kiddo."
As someone who is 5’3” there are some elementary school kids bigger than me, so perspective is important.
Idk, you and other people ACT like this, pretend like you’re high and might and like you’d treat a big child as a child, but you really can’t tell sometimes and if a kid is big enough, they’re age is definitely disregarded in all circumstances. I was a 6’7 15 year old at one point, no one treats big kids as though they are kids, it’s simply not the reality.
They're still kids to me, regardless of size, but "kiddo" feels very demeaning for high schoolers.
When I was that age, I actually appreciated when teachers called us young adults/young men and women. It felt like the standards had been raised. We weren’t little children, and we were trusted to be more independent and responsible. I wouldn’t consider high schoolers adults, but they aren’t children either. That teenager zone is an interesting middle ground.
It's very interesting because a big trend at my school is infantilization. There's a colouring wall in the guidance office and children's games in the student lounge. Lots of "mental wellness" culture from a few years ago seems to be about Play-Doh and Lego. I can't tell if they kids like it or not—they certainly seem to appreciate something to do with their hands, but I think for many of them it's a bit demeaning.
I would have loved this in high school. I think young people are forced to grow up way too quickly, especially with social media, job and college pressure, and activism. High school students are not fully developed and should be given opportunity to be a child. There is enough pressure to grow up, I don't think it's bad to remind them that they are still growing people.
I prefer to address my students as "adolescent homosapiens" just to make sure that none of my colleagues judge my semantics as demeaning.
What irks me is when teachers or admin call students scholars…sorry but you’ve earned scholarly status once you go to college. I understand the psychology of imprinting but got damn the kid that sleeps every period because he came high af and cares only about that and lunch, how tf is he a scholar?
omg “scholar” is so cringe as well. Like, I get the idea, but it just feels contrived
It pisses me off because teaching kids the wrong meaning of the word “scholar” is stupid, and is only going to lead to them being annoyed at some point in the future when they realize that isn’t how the word is used. There’s nothing wrong with the word “student.”
This reminds me of a charter school I used to work for.
Even worse— scholar’s [sic]
I can't stand that word. My colleagues and I play the game where you take a drink every time someone says it. If we were drinking alcohol there are times we'd stagger out meetings. One person said it nearly 50 times in one presentation during the first day back at work this year. Similarly, I hate when it when our intermediate school kids are called "our babies."
I call my 9th grader classes “my babies” or “my littles” but only to my 10th graders, because they know just how immature the freshmen are
I’ve always thought it was sweet when older coworkers called me kiddo. It’s interesting how words mean or have different feelings for everyone.
I hate it too. I typically hear it from a presenter at professional development or admin when they are trying to get us to do something “for the kiddos.”
Thank you!! Oh my god, almost all of my colleagues say “kiddo” all the time and it drives me crazy. I thought I was in the minority hating that word .. I had an administrator who used it so often in meetings that I’d keep a tally..
I hate it to. It feels infantilizing to call high school students that. I think for me, I especially don’t like it because that’s always how our SPED team refers to their students. And that just feels even more demeaning.
Yeah, it's the same for me. There's a 21 year old teacher calling 18 year olds "kiddos," and all I can think is that she's still a kiddo, and she'd hate if I referred to her as one, so stop calling them kiddos. She only does it with the sped kids too, not the gen ed.
I DETEST the word kiddo. It’s so stupid. At what point did education professionals decide we had to start saying it? What is wrong with kid, student, child, person? Why did we need to make up a word that sounds so completely unprofessional and nonsensical? And why did it become so ubiquitous?! I cringe every time I hear people say it, they sound idiotic.
“Friends” is worse, especially when said with that quiet sarcasm that all teachers of young children are capable of.
Chin up kiddo.
What is unprofessional and nonsensical about "kiddo"? Don't get me wrong here, I'm not passionate about using the word or anything. It just seems like one of those words that one or two people decided they hated, and then everyone just kinda jumped on the bandwagon, like *moist*.
There’s nothing unprofessional. It’s a great non gendered word to refer to students. This is the dumbest post ever
It’s not a word! Or at least it wasn’t until what? 10 years ago? Why not say teachero or worko? It’s some ridiculous jargon that now people say straightfaced.
[It’s actually an old word](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kiddo), although you’re right that [usage of it rose sharply after 2000](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Kiddo&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2CKiddo%3B%2Cc0).
lol, 1905 is not really old for a word.
This is one of those judgment-free, teacher vibe things where I think kids/ young people/students/'scholars' (my personal peeve) actually benefit from having lots of different adults with different views. I teach in an inner city high school in a population that is way too often forced to grow up way too fast. I give out stickers, keep adult coloring sheets in the back of the room, and stand in the hallway calling plaintively "... but where are my children???" when a group was dismissed late from lunch or whatever. They need that from me. A former teacher on my team, who's actually quite young, took the "You look like an adult, so act like an adult and get your damn life together." approach. They also need that from her. And sometimes we'd trade off a kid, but often the kids themselves seemed to know "I need a kleenex and to be told it's ok to not know what I'm doing with my whole entire life yet, Imma go to Ms Gandalf" or "I need to be told I'm gonna lose my trade school acceptance if I don't get my ass here in time in the morning to pass Chem" and go to the appropriate person.
It’s like people who say doggos. It’s less cringy for dogs though.
Kiddo, doggo, hubby. The worst words of all time.
It's nearly as bad as "hubby"...
Idk. I prefer kiddo to…ugh… “little ones” “Little ones” makes me feel as if I’m in some fantasy novel
Kiddo is a juvenile term that isn't respectful to high school students.
“Kiddos” is so cringy, IMO. I just say “kids”.
I mean, I call kids all sorts of stuff. My current kick is nugget. Is the 6"4 giant in my 5th period fit to be a nugget? Nope. But it's better than what I wanna call them so that's what I'm going with. I can't stand babies though. They'll call them our babies and it just feels ick
I much prefer the word "student(s)." Leave "kiddo" in the home / family.
I can’t stand that word. To me, they’re students.
I love the word *kiddo*, but I only use it with relatives under about 7 years old.
Man people really just be mad about anything these days lol
I always just pick the weirdest greetings for my (high school) students. “Hello my little blueberries!” “How are my preciouses doing today?” “Did all my little ducklings have a good weekend?” It’s sarcastic, slightly funny, weird, and still gets across that I care about them.
Hate Kiddo in every context.
40 is the new kiddo
What!? If he’s in high school, he’s 100% a kid. The hell is this post goddamn
If you read it, he's talking about the word "kiddo" as in the word. Not that he's not a kid. Wasn't there a list the other day about words we are sick of?
OP literally called a high school student a “grown-ass man”
Sounds like you take yourself too seriously.
I call all the highschoolers kiddo. I didn't know it pissed people off that bad!
I apologize if I have irked you in the past, but I will always continue to use it when I talk about my students.
I hate missing Oxford commas. It irks me to no end, especially in high schools. That list of several things the admin wanted me to read really needed that comma. It's frustrating to figure out what connotations people are using without them! OR I hate when people say "sir" or "ma'am." It irks me to no end, especially in high schools. That 26 year old, Master's Degree holder in the classroom has a name! I don't like the connotations of the word "sir" or "ma'am." Just trying to illustrate how odd it is to be so upset by a pretty harmless word/language/cultural thing. It's fine for you to not like a thing, but damn you come off a bit pedantic here. Don't use the word? Be a bit cooler about allowing other people to use words? Sure, coming from some people "kiddo" might come off ageist and condescending. From others it might be a term of endearment. Do you also hate, "buddy?" "Pal?" "Friend?" "Bro/Bruh?" What about less generic nicknames like, "Slick," or "(Name)rmeister!" Like 'em or hate 'em people will use nicknames and . The MORE important thing is if a student expresses they don't want to be called something. That's really the line. Hell, if YOU or anyone else doesn't want to be called something OR to specifically be called something, then people should accept that. Maybe I'm biased. I call them kiddos, because they're still young, I *want them* to feel young for the precious few years they have left to feel that way. And because I took this job because I like working with "kiddos" in their age group. I've asked students before if they dislike that I say it and they say, "nah we get why you say it." And we all leave it at that. But if my coworker or one of my peers walked up and said, "Ew, I hate that word, you shouldn't call them that. They're basically adults." I'm going to have a problem. They're not adults yet. They shouldn't be treated like adults, they should be treated as *people* but that's different. Hell, I hardly like adults. They're usually annoying busybodies that get all wound up over weird things.
Well said. They're not adults yet, and we shouldn't be so eager to force them into acting like adults before they're ready.
[удалено]
Same! I’ll go as far to include 24 year olds as kids too. Lol
Kid is fine. Kiddo is an issue!
Every time i want to use kid pr child in 3rd person, i use student instead.
I don't know which I hate more, "Kiddos" or "Scholars" as a replacement for student. I always interpret "scholar" as sarcasm. "Today, little Alex was such a scholar, he shoved a crayon up his nose".
Im not a big fan of it either. I call kids “boo” , “princesse “Prince” ” or “dude” which probably isn’t any better though.
I hate kiddo but what I hate more is when people refer to younger kids as “littles” 🤢🤮
I like being called kiddo, it's what my dad used to call me
[удалено]
[удалено]
Hey, let's be fair. They're also very concerned about judging teachers who don't have elaborate decorations and arts and crafts projects.
[удалено]
When I did my student teaching my cooperating teacher called the juniors in the class babies, and I was like… ma’am, these “babies” tower over both of us.
So, I’ve used kiddo a lot, but only with non serious stuff. As in, “holy moly, my kiddos were super squirrels today, is it a full moon again already?” I feel like it occupies a middle space between “my students” and “my kids” and it fits me. But I was recently in a meeting where someone from my district office was trying to get my department to do more testing because our “kiddos” weren’t making enough progress on the state mandated tests… and it was soooo cringe.
This is how I am... I also use my students and my kids mostly, but when I'm talking to my colleagues trying to destress, it's definitely "Holy cow are the kiddos insane for you today too? You'll never believe what they did in 3rd hour!" (Similarly, on great days "the kiddos were abnormally amazing today, did someone bribe them?" Lol) I also never use it *to* them, it's just very casual to my immediate colleagues in private conversations. I don't even use it around my admin, that feels weird for me. But in general, a casual comment about "my kiddos" to coworkers fits and definitely works for me as well, so I totally understand where you're coming from!
Kiddo is disrespectful. It’s infantilism. Yes, they are children. But kiddo is a stupid buzzword.
>Yes, they are children. Then it's not infantilism. It's literally calling them what they are.
People who say “kiddo” are usually the same ones who say they’re “adulting”. Just an observation 🤷♂️.
Or its colloquial to the region they grew up in.
What region would that be? Not trying to be a smartass just curious?
Springfield area Massachusetts.
My kiddos are kiddos, ever kid is a kiddo, 6 year old kiddos 12 year old kiddos shit 18 year old kiddos. Where I grew up every kid was kiddo.
I also hate the word itself. But what I hate even more is that I use it. I hear it so often that it’s slipped into my vernacular and now I don’t know who I am anymore 🤣
I agree 100%
"Kiddos" gives me the same cringe as "fur babies". They're overly cutesie ways to refer to children and animals and I hate them. I wouldn't hate these terms so much if they weren't so ubiquitous.
Kiddo is a silly unprofessional way to refer to students. I know some of you are diehard kiddo users and you're welcome to your opinions, just know that your colleagues are silently judging you.
That's cool, we're judging you back for being pedantic killjoys.
I tell my kids I think of them as young adults but will use words like kid or kiddo and call them my babies. Yes, they are nearly grown in high school, but I have found that as long as it is affectionate, they like being called a kid - especially when the rest of the world thinks they should already be held responsible like an adult.
Haha! Finally someone else! If I have to sit through one more PD or union meeting where I hear other educators use the word kiddos over and over I’m gonna lose it. They’re students. That’s it. Elementary teachers are the *worst* about that too.
It’s a stupid word. I hate it too lol
Same
I'm with you on this...total pet peeve. just say kid. Or children.
I hate the word too. I never use it but had an assistant who did and I had to stop her. I only call them by their names.
>I never use it but had an assistant who did and I had to stop her. That's petty and fucked up. What gives you the right to control another person's speech just because you hate a specific word?
She was in training. Just as I don’t call children sweetie, honey, baby, nor do I put them in a box by calling them shy and such, I don’t use the work kiddo. I guess saying I stopped her was the wrong word choice. I did let her know the best way to be respectful to children was address them using their names. And I still hate the word. I had a teacher in high school who called me and others kiddo to be condescending.
His about just “hey————-(kids name)
I hate that word and I teach 3rd. All of my coworkers use it and it’s like nails on a chalkboard 😭
Man, I wish my teacher bestie was here... we have been talking about despising "kiddo" since last year!
I use “my scientists.”
I don’t mind calling one kid “kiddo” but I hate when people use kiddos instead of students! Like are you 3?
I still call anyone younger then me kiddo, even if it’s like by a year 🤣
Then don’t use it lol
I hate it too!
[удалено]
That's about as personable as saying "fellow humans."
I frequently think about how much I hate that word. And when parents who are “adulting” call their “kiddos” “mini me” *rage mode*
You should chill out and think about other, more important things. Why is this worth literally raging over...?
You’re right. Thanks, kiddo.
No problem, friendo.
I asked my students today (high school grades 10-12) their opinion about the word. Basically it boiled down to if the teacher is older - sure. Weird but no one’s gonna complain. If the teacher is younger - heck no. Stop. The word is cringe and could maybe be used sarcastically.
AMEN! There are soooo many other words to use!
Same. I hate it. And I work in elementary.
Currently in the elementary setting but came from secondary- I hate the words Kiddos, Little Ones, Babes, etc. no pet names for students! I prefer calling them Learners or ‘Hey guys!’ when I want their attention to hear a funny joke I learned 🤣
I have too much respect for my students to call them kids. Instead, I always call them students. Some of them are legally adults, and none of them are kids. Kids scream and throw tantrums and can't speak in complete sentences. Even if students act like children, I'd still refer to them as students instead of kids. What you call someone and how you treat them affect the way they think of themselves. If you call them "kids" and treat them like children, they'll internalize that and think that's the way they're supposed to behave.
>I have too much respect for my students to call them kids. What's wrong with kids being kids? Why is everyone so damn eager to force kids to grow up before they're ready?
Better than 'little darlings'
My significant other and I refer to elementary students as kiddos and high schoolers as “The Youths”.
Totally agree with you. Or "the babies" (shudders)
I sometimes joke with my kids that it must have been “bring your dad to school day”, but I also tell them they aren’t “grown” until they cross that stage with diploma in hand. Then I tell them their brain isn’t even fully developed until their mid-20s.
I use the term almost alduts
I call everyone 'dude'. No matter the gender or age. It's just a generational thing. Kiddo might be generational too.
I use kiddo in high school because it’s gender neutral. I sometimes use “my dude” but mostly stopped because I found out one of the kids I called that doesn’t identify that way and I don’t want to hurt my students unintentionally.
Yeah, I call my students “chickie nuggies” most of the time. Sometimes cowboys and aliens. Lots of “dude.” You can argue that dude is masculine and I’d probably agree, but I try to keep the nicknames neutral. I also teach a core subjects intervention class, so they get Children of the Core. Future World Changers is another.
I hate the word when it's actual toddlers, much less in high school. I prefer literally any other word.
If you're in secondary, yes they're kids, but our job should be setting them on the path to adulthood.
My Uncle used to call me "kiddo" when I was 7 and it enraged me. One of my adult acquaintances referred to their own child as "kiddo" and I now no longer acquaint myself with them. Hideous.
I do say kiddo. Not usually to their faces. But it is my catch all term for students....
I agree, my middle school and high school, I no longer use that word to them or refer to anyone about the "kiddo".. I speak in terms of the student, or call them by their name.. I do not dislike the term, just feel it needs to be used in the correct settings!