PRINCIPAL REPORT

From the College Principal

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,

In today’s world, it is becoming apparent that some young people are being influenced by the language around them. It is becoming more common for them to hear derogatory terms or offensive language on the streets, on social media channels, streaming services and in some forms of modern music.*

This has been very much on display with some of the language used in the recent protests in Melbourne over the proposed pandemic management legislation. Regardless of your views of the merits, or otherwise, of the legislation, I am sure we can all agree that some of the language used, by some of the protestors, was not in line with community expectations. The use of such language (and signage and props) runs the risk of influencing how young people think about how they may communicate with others.

Proliferating the use of such language can sometimes normalise, glamorise and sanitise their impact, taking their meaning out of context. Words can be misconstrued to be hurtful, racist, homophobic, mysogynistic or even discriminatory. Using disrespectful language is considered socially unacceptable, and if not addressed early, can become a serious problem.

The use of derogatory language or the act of swearing at someone, or about someone, is actually a form of verbal violence. It transgresses the usual rules of social interaction by impinging on an individual’s self-image and sense of dignity. Therefore, our school enforces a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to such language. Parents and carers also need to play an important role in enforcing this approach by proactively monitoring what their children are viewing or being exposed to and discussing the use of words or their origin. This can help prevent inappropriate or disrespectful language being used in the classroom, school yard or other situations.

Whilst some students may use swearing or derogatory terms for attention seeking purposes, others may use it simply because they are still learning how to moderate their language. As young people develop their language skills, it is important for them to have a clear understanding of the impact of their choice of words on others and how their words can impact other people’s perspective of them - an important and essential skill to learn as they progress in their personal and professional development.

I commend the special report on this issue which SchoolTV have prepared, and encourage you to watch it with your children. 

https://brightonsc.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-respectful-language

*The majority of this text was supplied by SchoolTV.

Yours sincerely

Richard Minack