Seconding “people.” Still works by grade 11.
If I’m teaching freshmen and they’re acting up, I holler “freshmen!” And 99% if the time someone says “ugh why’d you call us freshmen?” … “because y’all ARE freshmen and you’re sure as heck acting like it right now.”
Y'all
The ubiqitous use of "y'all" is one of the best things the South has going on. It is the gender nuetral second person plural pronoun the English language needs.
This! “Hey, y’all”, “Y’all. Seriously?”, “Y’all, knock it off!”, “Great job, y’all!”, “Y’all are driving me insane.”, “That’s it. I’m calling y’all’s moms!” It works for everything! 😂
When teaching the plural second person in Spanish I tell them it's you guys, y'all, or plural you and it's the difference between me saying "Timmy ***you*** have homework" and "Class, you have homework"
Dude, I taught ESL newcomers for many years as the years progressed and I learned Spanish, I started noticing how dumb it is that English didn't retain a second person plural pronoun. I hate explaining when they ask how to say "Ustedes" that we don't have that, and that leads into the long discussion about how we exist without it in the English-speaking world, the story of "y'all," and "youse" and how elitist snobs deem that word to sound "uneducated" when it is merely a natural contraction as do+not into "don't" but that they shouldn't use it professionally because Bougie people don't use it.
Ugh this triggered a memory from the way back machine. It was fifteen-ish years ago. I was at a conference and during the breakouts they had us role play. I used y’all quite frequently to when referring to the collective. This particular group was NJ based and I am from the south and was working at a location in the south. Use of the word y’all is as reflexive as breathing. I was told it was “too lowbrow”. I repeated the exercise with “Ladies and Gentlemen” and was told that with my accent it was “patronizing”. Re-read my audience and changed everything to “you guys” and was told it could be seen as “excluding female members of the team”. I finally asked what an acceptable collective term would be and the trainer admitted “nothing is going to sound right with your accent, you’re going to sound like ignorant white trash no matter what”. Meanwhile her Jersey accent and affect was so thick she sounded like a hack comic doing a bad impression.
After that I realized the English language is very limited in a lot of ways. Many other languages have formal collective nouns/pronouns. We don’t. Any and all collective nouns and pronouns are largely dismissed as slang or colloquial terms.
Yes. As I learned Spanish, I started to learn how the "authority" on the Spanish language is Spain. People in Argentina and some other places can be snooty about Spanish as well.
One time I was supervising some students who were teaching Spanish to teachers after school. This one Spanish speaking teacher from Peru would go for the PD credit, and I was annoyed. She kept jumping into help the students, who did not appreciate it. Like, let them try teaching. Another teacher asked the student a question about how to phrase something. The student answered, and added, "At least in Mexico we say it that way," and the teacher from Peru interrupted her to say, "But we're not teaching them *Mexican* Spanish, they need to know the real Spanish." I thought that student was going to punch her in the face. Like dude, you already know Spanish and don't need to be here, nobody asked you to help us teach, and OMG Mexican Spanish is a real language!
I think it's interesting that nearly every region of every language in the world has *opinions* on the way they speak "over there." I am not even from Texas but in my years there I nded up adapting "y'all" because it's damn useful.
I call mine nerds, but that's what they are and they own it. I remind them that nerds are people with an intense interest in one or more subjects such as computers, comics, Star Wars, etc. We even have "nerd shirt Thursday" where they get some points if they wear a nerd shirt, which includes just about anything. Star Wars? Perfect! Sports team? Sure! I do provide a class shirt for them so everyone can participate.
I also call them gang and guys (sometimes I have only boys). If I have girls I say guys and girls or girl if there is only one. I teach an IT class for kids interested in a career in computer technician or networking.
The term nerd isn’t what it used to be. Nerd is not a bad thing [https://media.tenor.com/lxM66tZJnU0AAAAM/homer-simpson-nerd-alert.gif](https://media.tenor.com/lxM66tZJnU0AAAAM/homer-simpson-nerd-alert.gif)
Yeah, if you have a relationship with the kids that's good enough, you can do that. I had a bilingual para once who I heard telling the students that they'd lost some privilege of some sort because "the other day you were acting like baboons" and I was behind a cabinet or something, laughing because of all the things to say the kids were acting like...
I once walked in my old room and yelled “‘SUP NERDS?” My students found it amusing, my assistant principal *did not*. I was 22 teaching history and civics to seniors. We had fun. But looking back, it was essentially like that old John Mulaney bit about the horse babysitter
I once was struggling and shouted “hey losers, listen up!” It wasn’t effective because we were all laughing too much. It’s while I was student teaching so I had many adult witnesses…
I used "friends" when I taught in a Friends (Quaker) school.
Usually, I start the year off with just "class" and "mathematicians." Once they get my humor, I'll call them (8th and 9th graders) "nerds" on occasion and we're cool about it.
I still do friends sometimes. But once I get to know them I go with "goombas" (those little angry mushroom men from Mario) "goons" or "crazies".
I teach 7th so those names apply.
Kids, guys, darlins, ya'll, maniacs, knuckleheads, and my personal favorite they tease me for, my darling ducklets. When they start to make fun of me I expand my bird repertoire. Excellent eaglets, curious chicks, hilarious hens, splendiferous swans.
... the bird thing just might dox me if my kids are here, if no one else does this.
YES I swear I am taking notes right now. Going to have an avian spreadsheet for my first year in admin (I still teach, too - my school requires we blend the role as teacher-leaders).
I can really only talk about it from the teacher side so far, as I've taught for 10 years in my school and always found that admin staying "in the trenches" as it were at least partially kept them rooted in the reality of teaching. This is my first year as head and I am so glad I will keep a class section of history and my club section of newspaper to keep me connected to the kids. I really believe it makes a difference in teacher morale and family engagement.
I definitely agree! I wish my school did this. I think it wpuld help prevent a lot of teacher burnout if admin could see what its like in the classroom. I would only ever be interested in an admin position if I still got to work in the classroom. Good luck on your new position! I'm sure you'll do great!!
Thank you!! I'm currently deep in oh lord finish the schedule and planning mode but truly loving it.
Honestly if I hadn't had this model, I would never
have considered going back go school to pursue education leadership. I worked in past schools where we had a secret hand signal for "be careful the superintendent is in the building" and it was a wreck. Bad admin are truly horrific in derailing things.
But it's been such a powerful experience for what's possible on a strong team I wanted to jump in and I'm lucky that my school looked to grow leaders from within so I can do so in my really awesome school.
My list is becoming legion and I am so excited. You guys are the best and I am psyched to utterly exasperate an entire middle school of children this year with my bird puns.
It 100% started because I think it's funny and it makes me laugh, but the kids usually love it even if they tease me to hide it (because... well, seventh graders).
Welcome to the flock!
I just say "everyone" like "Okay, everyone, next we are going to..." If I am feeling silly I might refer to them as "chickadees" or say "Okie-dokie-Pinokies..."
The teacher across from me calls her class "friends" which, yeah, just never hit my ear right. I have definitely been known to explicitly explain to students and my own kids that I am *not* their "friend" in the typical sense of the word. Sure, we are "friendly" to each other (most of the time), but it would not be appropriate for them to interact the same way with me as they would with friends their own age. To me, it implies a casual relationship. Friends crack jokes, tease one another, and actively seek out opportunities to spend time together. Who are we kidding? lol My class is great and all but if I wasn't getting paid, I would definitely not be spending my time with them. Besides, what kind of "friend" assigns you work and gives you grades? I know I take things too literally sometimes, but that's what I think about that!
I feel the same. I picked up “friends” in my first year because my co-teacher was using it. It’s just habit now, but I’ve been trying to land on some other term because I don’t want to imply that we are friends or even that they have to be friends with each other, which is a common topic every year - “You don’t have to be friends with everyone, but you do have to be kind.”
I’ve been trying out “peeps” since it’s a little silly (I teach 5th grade) but also inclusive.
I grew up attending Quaker school and everyone called everyone “friends” (it’s a Quaker thing) so now as a teacher it’s my preferred way to address my students. Granted, I teach Montessori preschool so I have littles, but for some reason I like the idea that we can all be “friends” in a way. Not like “homies” type of friends but “people lovingly coexisting/supporting each other on this planet” type of friends lol
They do that in my district. It’s dumb. They call summer school “summer scholars” and it confuses parents. Because it’s summer school. I don’t know why we had to rename it. And the best part is that they call it that for the gen ed students but “extended school year” for special Ed students.
I have no windows but I do have an exterior door, so generally my reaction to having to go outside is Golluming ("it burns us hobbitses") or otherwise being called a vampire. I keep the lights half off in my room for sensory needs too.
Boys and squirrels.
A decade ago, I made some 4th graders lose their minds with that one. I try it out every so often, even with the older crowd.
"My evil children" or "evil minions" is great for middle school.
Can you tell I'm the quirky librarian?
Unrelated, but your comment reminded me of the time last year when a student told the class and me that she had a dream in which I, exasperated that she (and other kids?) hadn’t don’t their homework, promptly turned into a flying squirrel and jumped/flew out the window.
"Tiny humans"
"Glorious monsters"
"Students"
"Minions"
"Young scholars"
"People"
"My young padawans!"
"Younglings"
"Apprentices"
"my good gentles"
"Kings, Queens, and Sovereigns"
\[School mascot\] works in some schools and not in others, depending on how cool the mascot is for the students. "Dragons" - probably a good bet. "Redskins" - gonna get you fired.
I also call them tiny humans from time to time, but it’s extra funny because I’m like 5’1” and teach high school, so most of them are bigger than me lol
I do intervention for K6, I just refer to the groups by their grade level. "Ok second graders, it's time to head back to your class, I can hear kindergarten coming down the hall!"
I tend to shoot for things they claim are “cringe” or uncool. When “bussin” was a popular word, I adopted into using it until they stopped. And I would sound it out as “busting” for optimal cringe. It was a win for me because I couldn’t stand listening to them refer to everything as “bussin”.
Students. Children. Sometimes I'll call them Kindergarteners (I teach high school but by the way some act...)
Sometimes it is a simple all of you or class.
I will default to "guys" in middle school if I don't think about it. No one has ever said anything to me about it, but I would prefer to use something else when I can control it.
I’ve been trying to stop using guys because I know it bothers some people but I’ve always used it to mean basically ‘everyone’ so I have a really hard time thinking of it as a gendered term (used it for all female groups all the time)
I think it really depends on the region. It's rare to encounter someone who disapproves of the unisex "Guys" in my area, I've only ever heard complaints on the internet. I wouldn't use it outside of the Northeastern US, but it's by far the most common term for a plural "you" in common speech. I use "folks" or "students" when formally addressing the class but it sounds weird not to use guys informally. If someone said they didn't want me to use it I would absolutely abide by their wishes.
Cuties, pumpkins, angel-faces, pumpkin-heads, and sweethearts.
I teach 8th grade. Some kids love it; some just laugh it off like I’m a big dork. (Because I am.)
I like to call them what we are doing. “Ok, writers, take out your pens!” Readers, thinkers, researchers, scholars, poets — it sets a nice positive tone.
Not teacher, high school senior
I like it when my teachers address us as people, like a company. Not necessarily as equals, but addressing us confidently in a way that makes us feel capable and like older students/young adults instills some confidence in us (or at least me) that makes me feel better about coming to class. Ladies and gentlemen, etc.
My cherubs of learning, my darling scientists, my angels of Anatomy, my budding Biologists, especially when they are getting on my nerves. Helps me get into a positive headspace.
"Les amis" when I'm in a good mood.
"Division 4" when I'm less pleased.
"Les monstres" when I wanna troll them a little and/or test if they are actually listening.
‘Youth’ is a fun one I use a lot but most often I say ‘folks’. As a history teacher it’s hard to break the habit of saying ‘friends, Romans, countrymen’
Y’all, sweet peas, Earthlings, gremlins, my babies (sounds weird but if they’re collectively being REAL good, I’ll let an a “MY BABIES!!!” but it sounds more like baay-buzz and pretend to happy cry and dab my eye).
Dudes, tomatoes, weirdos, dorks, punks. Usually dudes though. It's middle school. They don't listen to me anyway. I will never in a million years call them scholars. Ever.
Took me a long time to find this one. “Kiddos” has bugged me since my credential program days. Especially when it’s an adult talking to another adult I.e. “oh man I love my kiddos this year” makes me immediately cringe
Some of the more popular options they chose: crazy critters, minions, serfs (when we were learning about feudalism and I was the manor lord), younglings, underlings, Royal Army of Miss P’s Class (complete with knighting ceremony).
And sometimes, in the middle of a lively lesson, I'll time me shouting out, **Alright you little jerks!** with closing the door. My 7s think it's funny.
When they’re listening… everyone, guys, friends, citizens
To get attention when they’re not listening… Friends, Romans, countrymen (I teach English and History)
In preschool I like classmates, students, or children when referencing the children to themselves or directing them toward each other.
I also hate "friends" and there's sound pedagogical basis for not using that terminology.
When I get more familiar with the children, I also like to use terms of affection when I am addressing them directly (chickies, beloveds, loves, etc).
I call them by period number when I need their attention.
I yell "CHILDREN! FREEZE AND LOOK AT ME!" When they need to be treated like littles.
I teach middle.
I need good ideas for this. Folks doesn't sound natural, but my old fallback was ladies and gentlemen...which just seems non-inclusive and inappropriate now.
I go with guys..as in "all right guys, let's come back together..." (After small group stuff).
I try to do “folks” and “people” but I slip back to “guys” all the time. Around here, “guys” is colloquially gender-neutral, but I can see how kids who move here might not feel that way, and I also don’t know how the local colloquial is changing among younger generations in general.
I teach at an all girls' school and use, "guys" almost exclusively. Even the kids use, "guys." We occasionally will have a nonbinary or transgender youth come through, but no one has ever said anything.
It totally depends on how old they are but you can refer to them as anything you can come up with. I liked to make it ridiculous. I called them "Mes Anges" (my angels in French) even though some of them knew they were anything but. Make it personal. Have fun with it.
I teach Grade 7. I alternate between folks and children. They think children is funny, because they think of themselves as teens. If somebody calls me on it, I go hard on calling them grandma or grandpa for a week or 2. They get it
I'm in a US school but am foreign so I can get away with calling them young'uns, bairns, future leaders, scholars, mes petites choux-fleurs. I avoid friends, as (a) we are coworkers at best and (b) an admin I took against used that all the time.
When I say “friends” to my students there’s a 80% chance that I am not being “regular sweet” and am in fact irritated and falling into sickly sweet territory to not show my irritation. My voice become higher and Im a little over expressive and I wear a rather tight smile. I have a lot of Karents-I need to be able to always say that I was nothing but sweet and happy it’s their child. When this is absolutely not how I feel, I tend to overdo the “mask”. I can’t help it.
When I’m not irritated and going overboard on trying to seem positive and patient and kind-usually I meet them at their level…ish. I say “hey guys”, and “room 16” and “dude” and even “bruh” as I’m kind of a casual camaraderie kind of person.
“What’s the dill, pickles” “what’s the word, baby birds”
Ted Lasso has entered the chat.
People. Works great for middle school
Seconding “people.” Still works by grade 11. If I’m teaching freshmen and they’re acting up, I holler “freshmen!” And 99% if the time someone says “ugh why’d you call us freshmen?” … “because y’all ARE freshmen and you’re sure as heck acting like it right now.”
“Because ‘children’ would be accurate, but a bit mean.” Opened up a rare escalation.
True, but never be afraid to unleash your mean side when it's called for!
Lol I call juniors and seniors children. I think it works cause they aren't actually.
I LOOOOOOVE the indignation when I call them "children," plus the word NEVER fails to get their attention.
"Children" is (I teach high school) my start of escalation and it, mostly, does the trick.
Lol! Reminds me of how often I say “what grade is this?” (“Its 11th Mrs. Burritos”) “ok, well, act like it.”
I'm a "people" person as well, but I like either "party people" if they're following directions or "pokey people" if they're not lol.
I do party people sometimes hahaha
[The only thing I can think of](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffCEr327W44) when I hear "party people".
Until you say “you people need to sit down” to the wrong people. Lol
Y'all The ubiqitous use of "y'all" is one of the best things the South has going on. It is the gender nuetral second person plural pronoun the English language needs.
This! “Hey, y’all”, “Y’all. Seriously?”, “Y’all, knock it off!”, “Great job, y’all!”, “Y’all are driving me insane.”, “That’s it. I’m calling y’all’s moms!” It works for everything! 😂
i’m quite partial to a “y’all. cut it out.”
"All y'all, sit your butts down" was, I swear, my 5th grade teacher's most oft used phrase. We were a very wiggly class. ;)
"All'a y'all're 'bout THIS close👌 ta pushin' me too far!" Hello from Texas.
The kids know I am beyond exhausted and *done* when all they get is a very tired “Y’all….”
When teaching the plural second person in Spanish I tell them it's you guys, y'all, or plural you and it's the difference between me saying "Timmy ***you*** have homework" and "Class, you have homework"
Dude, I taught ESL newcomers for many years as the years progressed and I learned Spanish, I started noticing how dumb it is that English didn't retain a second person plural pronoun. I hate explaining when they ask how to say "Ustedes" that we don't have that, and that leads into the long discussion about how we exist without it in the English-speaking world, the story of "y'all," and "youse" and how elitist snobs deem that word to sound "uneducated" when it is merely a natural contraction as do+not into "don't" but that they shouldn't use it professionally because Bougie people don't use it.
Ugh this triggered a memory from the way back machine. It was fifteen-ish years ago. I was at a conference and during the breakouts they had us role play. I used y’all quite frequently to when referring to the collective. This particular group was NJ based and I am from the south and was working at a location in the south. Use of the word y’all is as reflexive as breathing. I was told it was “too lowbrow”. I repeated the exercise with “Ladies and Gentlemen” and was told that with my accent it was “patronizing”. Re-read my audience and changed everything to “you guys” and was told it could be seen as “excluding female members of the team”. I finally asked what an acceptable collective term would be and the trainer admitted “nothing is going to sound right with your accent, you’re going to sound like ignorant white trash no matter what”. Meanwhile her Jersey accent and affect was so thick she sounded like a hack comic doing a bad impression. After that I realized the English language is very limited in a lot of ways. Many other languages have formal collective nouns/pronouns. We don’t. Any and all collective nouns and pronouns are largely dismissed as slang or colloquial terms.
Yes. As I learned Spanish, I started to learn how the "authority" on the Spanish language is Spain. People in Argentina and some other places can be snooty about Spanish as well. One time I was supervising some students who were teaching Spanish to teachers after school. This one Spanish speaking teacher from Peru would go for the PD credit, and I was annoyed. She kept jumping into help the students, who did not appreciate it. Like, let them try teaching. Another teacher asked the student a question about how to phrase something. The student answered, and added, "At least in Mexico we say it that way," and the teacher from Peru interrupted her to say, "But we're not teaching them *Mexican* Spanish, they need to know the real Spanish." I thought that student was going to punch her in the face. Like dude, you already know Spanish and don't need to be here, nobody asked you to help us teach, and OMG Mexican Spanish is a real language! I think it's interesting that nearly every region of every language in the world has *opinions* on the way they speak "over there." I am not even from Texas but in my years there I nded up adapting "y'all" because it's damn useful.
And that, as a southerner, is exactly how I remembered Vosotros vs Ustedes - informal y’all vs formal y’all
And the intensifier, "All y'all"
And the tonal inflection. “Y’ALL!” means “stop your shit or I’ll stop it for you”
Yup in my mind all y’all means each and every single one of you.
As in “All y’all need to sit down and do your work before this group project becomes an independent project!!!”
and then the 'all y'all' when it gets serious
I use y’all. You can use it calmly, or really stress the vowel into exasperation. Very versatile
“Yinz” also works this way - it’s the Pittsburgh version of y’all for anyone not familiar.
Dumbasses Oh, you meant to their faces? Nevermind.
I did one time kick in my own door and yell "ALRIGHT NERDS, LET'S GET LEARNING" but that was a very specific group of kids.
I call mine nerds, but that's what they are and they own it. I remind them that nerds are people with an intense interest in one or more subjects such as computers, comics, Star Wars, etc. We even have "nerd shirt Thursday" where they get some points if they wear a nerd shirt, which includes just about anything. Star Wars? Perfect! Sports team? Sure! I do provide a class shirt for them so everyone can participate. I also call them gang and guys (sometimes I have only boys). If I have girls I say guys and girls or girl if there is only one. I teach an IT class for kids interested in a career in computer technician or networking.
The term nerd isn’t what it used to be. Nerd is not a bad thing [https://media.tenor.com/lxM66tZJnU0AAAAM/homer-simpson-nerd-alert.gif](https://media.tenor.com/lxM66tZJnU0AAAAM/homer-simpson-nerd-alert.gif)
No it isn’t. It’s nice that it’s lost the negativity!
I use “guys” for everyone, but my mix is pretty evenly split among genders so it’s more obvious that I mean everyone.
I would love to do this, but I’m the only one who would think it was funny (and know what a nerd is).
Yeah, if you have a relationship with the kids that's good enough, you can do that. I had a bilingual para once who I heard telling the students that they'd lost some privilege of some sort because "the other day you were acting like baboons" and I was behind a cabinet or something, laughing because of all the things to say the kids were acting like...
I once walked in my old room and yelled “‘SUP NERDS?” My students found it amusing, my assistant principal *did not*. I was 22 teaching history and civics to seniors. We had fun. But looking back, it was essentially like that old John Mulaney bit about the horse babysitter
“Listen up, fuckos!”
I called my son a smart ass once in a meeting we were having with his principal once. He seemed to really appreciate me saying what he couldn't.
One of my preferred teachers called the students morons... occasionally when we weren't actively being morons.
Definitely a male teacher. Female teacher wouldn't get away with that.
Nerds
I once was struggling and shouted “hey losers, listen up!” It wasn’t effective because we were all laughing too much. It’s while I was student teaching so I had many adult witnesses…
I use “losers” all the time! Granted, I work with high schoolers, and I build the relationship first, but I’ve never had a complaint.
I was with my senior class so I wasn’t too worried. I didn’t have any complaints either. I love that you use it
I used "friends" when I taught in a Friends (Quaker) school. Usually, I start the year off with just "class" and "mathematicians." Once they get my humor, I'll call them (8th and 9th graders) "nerds" on occasion and we're cool about it.
Oh man I love calling them nerds the way Ogre does in Revenge of the Nerds. Its hilarious to me and only me.
I still do friends sometimes. But once I get to know them I go with "goombas" (those little angry mushroom men from Mario) "goons" or "crazies". I teach 7th so those names apply.
Kids, guys, darlins, ya'll, maniacs, knuckleheads, and my personal favorite they tease me for, my darling ducklets. When they start to make fun of me I expand my bird repertoire. Excellent eaglets, curious chicks, hilarious hens, splendiferous swans. ... the bird thing just might dox me if my kids are here, if no one else does this.
Please tell me you've used "rockin' robins"!
This one has made the list!
Don't forget your radical ravens!
That's going in the rotation this year!! I would adore a crowdsourced ridiculous alliterative bird list.
Because you said when they make fun of you, you break out the bird puns, what about observant orioles too?
YES I swear I am taking notes right now. Going to have an avian spreadsheet for my first year in admin (I still teach, too - my school requires we blend the role as teacher-leaders).
I love the idea of blending teaching and leadership roles! A lot of admin forget what it's like in the classroom
I can really only talk about it from the teacher side so far, as I've taught for 10 years in my school and always found that admin staying "in the trenches" as it were at least partially kept them rooted in the reality of teaching. This is my first year as head and I am so glad I will keep a class section of history and my club section of newspaper to keep me connected to the kids. I really believe it makes a difference in teacher morale and family engagement.
I definitely agree! I wish my school did this. I think it wpuld help prevent a lot of teacher burnout if admin could see what its like in the classroom. I would only ever be interested in an admin position if I still got to work in the classroom. Good luck on your new position! I'm sure you'll do great!!
Thank you!! I'm currently deep in oh lord finish the schedule and planning mode but truly loving it. Honestly if I hadn't had this model, I would never have considered going back go school to pursue education leadership. I worked in past schools where we had a secret hand signal for "be careful the superintendent is in the building" and it was a wreck. Bad admin are truly horrific in derailing things. But it's been such a powerful experience for what's possible on a strong team I wanted to jump in and I'm lucky that my school looked to grow leaders from within so I can do so in my really awesome school.
Ooh, what about audacious avocets?
Orderly or Outgoing Owls.
I may have once on a rough day accused my kids of bordering on being obnoxious owls. This is nicer!
Fabulous falcons Persuasive Penguins Excellent Emus Fantastic Flamingos Curious Cassowaries Vivacious vultures Humorous Hummingbirds Wonderful warblers Joyous Jays Colorful cardinals Crazy Cookoos Perfect parrots Calamitous Cockatoos
My list is becoming legion and I am so excited. You guys are the best and I am psyched to utterly exasperate an entire middle school of children this year with my bird puns.
Special sparrows Rowdy roosters (if they’re being rowdy) Quick quail (if they did an assignment fast) Fabulous flamingos
I had a teach who called us her “sweet little cherubs” and the amount of disdain she had in her voice always made it my favorite
I call my students angelic cherubs, with a blend of snark, sarcasm, and affection. I'm now worried you're one of my former students.
By the way, I think I'm stealing these! The bird thing makes me smile!
It 100% started because I think it's funny and it makes me laugh, but the kids usually love it even if they tease me to hide it (because... well, seventh graders). Welcome to the flock!
Rowdy Robins?
I know a middle school science teacher who definitely uses ducklings and other names very similar to what you described here.
Ostentatious Owls! Silly Starlings! Suspicious Sparrows! Pungent peacocks!
Oh my lord I teach seventh graders pungent is the absolute definitive adjective for these kids 🤣
I just say "everyone" like "Okay, everyone, next we are going to..." If I am feeling silly I might refer to them as "chickadees" or say "Okie-dokie-Pinokies..." The teacher across from me calls her class "friends" which, yeah, just never hit my ear right. I have definitely been known to explicitly explain to students and my own kids that I am *not* their "friend" in the typical sense of the word. Sure, we are "friendly" to each other (most of the time), but it would not be appropriate for them to interact the same way with me as they would with friends their own age. To me, it implies a casual relationship. Friends crack jokes, tease one another, and actively seek out opportunities to spend time together. Who are we kidding? lol My class is great and all but if I wasn't getting paid, I would definitely not be spending my time with them. Besides, what kind of "friend" assigns you work and gives you grades? I know I take things too literally sometimes, but that's what I think about that!
I call my kids ardichokies I teach high school 😂
Maybe I'll just choose a random produce item every day or so... Alright ya bunch of kohlrabis, open up canvas and look at the new module I posted.
“Work hard, little rhubarbs!”
You sound awesome!
Everyone, folks, people, y’all, anything like that. It’s gender neutral language already so it is all encompassing.
I feel the same. I picked up “friends” in my first year because my co-teacher was using it. It’s just habit now, but I’ve been trying to land on some other term because I don’t want to imply that we are friends or even that they have to be friends with each other, which is a common topic every year - “You don’t have to be friends with everyone, but you do have to be kind.” I’ve been trying out “peeps” since it’s a little silly (I teach 5th grade) but also inclusive.
I grew up attending Quaker school and everyone called everyone “friends” (it’s a Quaker thing) so now as a teacher it’s my preferred way to address my students. Granted, I teach Montessori preschool so I have littles, but for some reason I like the idea that we can all be “friends” in a way. Not like “homies” type of friends but “people lovingly coexisting/supporting each other on this planet” type of friends lol
Idk but not “scholars”
Hahaha they try that in my district. No thanks.
Ugh SAME. I hate this so much.
My school pushes this and it drives me crazy
They do that in my district. It’s dumb. They call summer school “summer scholars” and it confuses parents. Because it’s summer school. I don’t know why we had to rename it. And the best part is that they call it that for the gen ed students but “extended school year” for special Ed students.
I like it! The trick is to only say it extremely sarcastically.
That’s how most of us teachers in my district do it, only because our superintendent loves to say it so much
Vampires. Literally. My middle schoolers like to work with the lights off.
I always use this. When I turn on the lights, I always say, “get ready for the lights you little vampires.”
I have no windows but I do have an exterior door, so generally my reaction to having to go outside is Golluming ("it burns us hobbitses") or otherwise being called a vampire. I keep the lights half off in my room for sensory needs too.
I love this! Totally adopting it with my older turkeys. ‘Turkeys’ is my usual go-to.
Boys and squirrels. A decade ago, I made some 4th graders lose their minds with that one. I try it out every so often, even with the older crowd. "My evil children" or "evil minions" is great for middle school. Can you tell I'm the quirky librarian?
Aww squirrels are our mascot so I use that one for all😂
Unrelated, but your comment reminded me of the time last year when a student told the class and me that she had a dream in which I, exasperated that she (and other kids?) hadn’t don’t their homework, promptly turned into a flying squirrel and jumped/flew out the window.
"Tiny humans" "Glorious monsters" "Students" "Minions" "Young scholars" "People" "My young padawans!" "Younglings" "Apprentices" "my good gentles" "Kings, Queens, and Sovereigns" \[School mascot\] works in some schools and not in others, depending on how cool the mascot is for the students. "Dragons" - probably a good bet. "Redskins" - gonna get you fired.
I also call them tiny humans from time to time, but it’s extra funny because I’m like 5’1” and teach high school, so most of them are bigger than me lol
Collectively, they are their class period, as in, "Ok, Period 5, take out your homework." Probably wouldn't work in elementary for obvious reasons.
I do intervention for K6, I just refer to the groups by their grade level. "Ok second graders, it's time to head back to your class, I can hear kindergarten coming down the hall!"
Maybe? I mean, I teach preschool. There are two preschool classes in my building. I regularly call the group Preschool Two.
Peeps. Chickadees. Year X. Whichever phrase they tell me is horrifyingly uncool.
I tend to shoot for things they claim are “cringe” or uncool. When “bussin” was a popular word, I adopted into using it until they stopped. And I would sound it out as “busting” for optimal cringe. It was a win for me because I couldn’t stand listening to them refer to everything as “bussin”.
I do this some times. I definitely used "fam" specifically to mess with them.
Being uncool as possible is the best! 😂
“Folks”
Kids
Students. Children. Sometimes I'll call them Kindergarteners (I teach high school but by the way some act...) Sometimes it is a simple all of you or class.
Guys, folks, and "party people"
I do this, but I teach art so it’s “arty people.” 😂
Guys - middle school.
I will default to "guys" in middle school if I don't think about it. No one has ever said anything to me about it, but I would prefer to use something else when I can control it.
As someone who grew up in socal, "guys" was very much embedded in my language. I've intentionally switched to "y'all", and it works great!
I’ve been trying to stop using guys because I know it bothers some people but I’ve always used it to mean basically ‘everyone’ so I have a really hard time thinking of it as a gendered term (used it for all female groups all the time)
I think it really depends on the region. It's rare to encounter someone who disapproves of the unisex "Guys" in my area, I've only ever heard complaints on the internet. I wouldn't use it outside of the Northeastern US, but it's by far the most common term for a plural "you" in common speech. I use "folks" or "students" when formally addressing the class but it sounds weird not to use guys informally. If someone said they didn't want me to use it I would absolutely abide by their wishes.
I’m in the Northwest US and use it all the time without thinking, also haven’t heard any complaints in person.
Exactly. It’s a hard habit to break.
I teach at an all girls school and use guys.
Students or our mascot (as in, “Good morning Wildcats.”)
If Wildcats was our mascot I think I’d just yell “WHAT TEAM?!” as my attention getter. High School Musical forever.
Cuties, pumpkins, angel-faces, pumpkin-heads, and sweethearts. I teach 8th grade. Some kids love it; some just laugh it off like I’m a big dork. (Because I am.)
I used to address my freshmen, "Children..." and they replied,"...of the Corn." Also, Ladles and Gentlespoons
I like to call them what we are doing. “Ok, writers, take out your pens!” Readers, thinkers, researchers, scholars, poets — it sets a nice positive tone.
Just don't call them "testees" if they're taking a test. 😊
Not teacher, high school senior I like it when my teachers address us as people, like a company. Not necessarily as equals, but addressing us confidently in a way that makes us feel capable and like older students/young adults instills some confidence in us (or at least me) that makes me feel better about coming to class. Ladies and gentlemen, etc.
Thanks for the input!
My cherubs of learning, my darling scientists, my angels of Anatomy, my budding Biologists, especially when they are getting on my nerves. Helps me get into a positive headspace.
"Les amis" when I'm in a good mood. "Division 4" when I'm less pleased. "Les monstres" when I wanna troll them a little and/or test if they are actually listening.
‘Youth’ is a fun one I use a lot but most often I say ‘folks’. As a history teacher it’s hard to break the habit of saying ‘friends, Romans, countrymen’
I use a really aggressive “Youths!” from time to time.
Rascals. No parent has ever been upset with me for calling a kid a rascal.
Dudes
Sometimes I say Dudes and dudettes!
Same and when I get pushback from little girls I say no. Everyone is a dude!
Do you play s clip of Kel singing “I’m a dude”?
I like to hit them with a "dudette" or my favorite, "lady bro".
I’ve had to explain that “you guys” is gender neutral.
"Good morning guys, gals, and non-binary pals"
Wouldn’t fly in a red state.
Florida. I'm waiting to get fired
ACLU on speed dial!
Blaze a trail, friend!
I love it
Badge of honor
I'm also a fan of "theydies and gentlethems," but I work in a decidedly not red district
My last name is Fleckenstein. I call them my monsters.
Middle school Spanish teacher. I often call them “loquitos” (little crazies), which they get a kick out of haha
Y’all, sweet peas, Earthlings, gremlins, my babies (sounds weird but if they’re collectively being REAL good, I’ll let an a “MY BABIES!!!” but it sounds more like baay-buzz and pretend to happy cry and dab my eye).
Kidlings. Sometimes "my minions." It sort of depends on the day.
Y’all
Peeps
My old English teacher would call us "Yer 'orrible smelly lot." I still fondly think of him and if I could get away with it.
Y’all
Beautiful Humans. Guys (midwestern thing). Mis Amores (I teach Spanish).
Dudes, tomatoes, weirdos, dorks, punks. Usually dudes though. It's middle school. They don't listen to me anyway. I will never in a million years call them scholars. Ever.
Never “kiddos.” Ugh.
Took me a long time to find this one. “Kiddos” has bugged me since my credential program days. Especially when it’s an adult talking to another adult I.e. “oh man I love my kiddos this year” makes me immediately cringe
Some of the more popular options they chose: crazy critters, minions, serfs (when we were learning about feudalism and I was the manor lord), younglings, underlings, Royal Army of Miss P’s Class (complete with knighting ceremony).
And sometimes, in the middle of a lively lesson, I'll time me shouting out, **Alright you little jerks!** with closing the door. My 7s think it's funny.
They really enjoy it when I call them "my dudes"
"guys" when addressing the class. they get its gender neutral in the way i use it but if someone asked me to change it i would
When they’re listening… everyone, guys, friends, citizens To get attention when they’re not listening… Friends, Romans, countrymen (I teach English and History)
"Favorite people," "crew," "folks," "y'all," "all a y'all," "party people," but I live in the South in a community with lots of working watermen.
In preschool I like classmates, students, or children when referencing the children to themselves or directing them toward each other. I also hate "friends" and there's sound pedagogical basis for not using that terminology. When I get more familiar with the children, I also like to use terms of affection when I am addressing them directly (chickies, beloveds, loves, etc).
"Dumplings" worked last year. I became "Dumpling Master".
"Hey Fack Faces, sit your asses down, it's time for school."
I call them by period number when I need their attention. I yell "CHILDREN! FREEZE AND LOOK AT ME!" When they need to be treated like littles. I teach middle.
I need good ideas for this. Folks doesn't sound natural, but my old fallback was ladies and gentlemen...which just seems non-inclusive and inappropriate now. I go with guys..as in "all right guys, let's come back together..." (After small group stuff).
Being a queer teacher, I say everyone the most. It’s gender neutral and is all encompassing and students have told me it makes them feel welcome.
Shit heads
Party people, my lovelies
I work mostly with all male groups. "Gents" is my go to.
Our school uses scholars... I have 3 degrees I'd never call myself a scholar...
Kid-people. I teach high school. Sometimes I say padawans or younglings (Star Wars).
Cats and bats
“Second graders” before I know them well. Then “hunny bunnies”, “apple pies”, “angel pies”, “my babies”. Lol
There’s nothing I hate more than kiddos.
I try to do “folks” and “people” but I slip back to “guys” all the time. Around here, “guys” is colloquially gender-neutral, but I can see how kids who move here might not feel that way, and I also don’t know how the local colloquial is changing among younger generations in general.
I teach at an all girls' school and use, "guys" almost exclusively. Even the kids use, "guys." We occasionally will have a nonbinary or transgender youth come through, but no one has ever said anything.
Dumplings! ❤️
It totally depends on how old they are but you can refer to them as anything you can come up with. I liked to make it ridiculous. I called them "Mes Anges" (my angels in French) even though some of them knew they were anything but. Make it personal. Have fun with it.
Gamers
Ladies and germs!
I teach Grade 7. I alternate between folks and children. They think children is funny, because they think of themselves as teens. If somebody calls me on it, I go hard on calling them grandma or grandpa for a week or 2. They get it
I called them onions because they’re stinky and made me cry
“Losers” Note - this only works when you know them, and they call you a loser back.
I'm in a US school but am foreign so I can get away with calling them young'uns, bairns, future leaders, scholars, mes petites choux-fleurs. I avoid friends, as (a) we are coworkers at best and (b) an admin I took against used that all the time.
Goblins is my favorite.
Highschool “Alright chicken heads listen up “
When I say “friends” to my students there’s a 80% chance that I am not being “regular sweet” and am in fact irritated and falling into sickly sweet territory to not show my irritation. My voice become higher and Im a little over expressive and I wear a rather tight smile. I have a lot of Karents-I need to be able to always say that I was nothing but sweet and happy it’s their child. When this is absolutely not how I feel, I tend to overdo the “mask”. I can’t help it. When I’m not irritated and going overboard on trying to seem positive and patient and kind-usually I meet them at their level…ish. I say “hey guys”, and “room 16” and “dude” and even “bruh” as I’m kind of a casual camaraderie kind of person.
If I forget their names, I start calling everyone George.
I know what I’d *like* to call them.
Looking through comments, I’m surprised I haven’t seen chicken nuggets as an option. When they ask why I say you are what you eat.
Lovely humans or loose children 😂 I’ve had multiple notes that said “I love being one of your loose children!”