PHOTO BY DEMIURGE_100, COURTESY OF UNSPLASH.COM

Originally published January 25, 2022

In past years there has been an increase in profanity in the halls of MBMS which some students and many teachers find a problem. Profanity is another term for swear words, according to Collins Dictionary.

According to the MBMS Student Handbook, first offenses can be punished with After-School Detention, second offenses can be punished with Thursday-School Detention, and third offenses can be punished with Short-term Suspension.

Unfortunately, many students swear and there are simply too many offenders to dole out consequences to them all.

When asked about profanity, Co-Assistant Principal Steven Lewis said, “To use profanity is easier than to think of the words you really mean to express yourself with.”

Using a swear word is a quick, easy way to respond, but this can start arguments as students interpret words in different ways.

“When we were back in school after hybrid, kids started using it more,” sixth-grader Kellen McCarthy said, “I heard kids using it a lot out at recess.”

After a year of being able to speak freely without consequences, students used profanity much more frequently. Another factor of the usage of profanity is the independence of teenhood.

“When they find more independence as a teenage child,” Co-Assistant Principal Heidi Morris said, “They tend to do or say things differently as they explore boundaries.”

During online learning, students were likely exposed to profanity more than usual as they could visit sites or watch TV shows or movies at home during class.

“Either it's from their parents or the Internet,” McCarthy said.

Many movies are filled with different forms of profanity, and it is almost unavoidable in today’s world.

Profanity is used in many places, but there are some in particular where swearing is most common.

“It seems as though it's part of casual conversation,” Morris said, “During competition or just free time during lunch.”

Profanity is especially common in competitions, whether it’s a sports game or even just a video game, players use profanity to express how they feel.

With many questions surrounding whether or not profanity should be allowed, there is also the question of how schools should deal with profanity.

“We have to do a better job at times teaching everybody how to communicate differently or better,” Morris said.

While profanity is discouraged at school, too many students use it to put an end to it. However, if students can be taught to communicate better, profanity won’t be as common.

"I think at this age kids shouldn't really be using it as much as I hear them using it," McCarthy said.