There was a time when certain four-letter words would be a reason for serious discipline in our schools. A high level of respect was expected from each and every student. Profanity gradually became a more accepted part of pop culture as is evidenced by the sitcoms, movies and music videos we see today. Acceptance breeds familiarity and profanity is now a common occurrence within the halls of our high schools, middle schools and even grade schools.
There are no longer serious consequences for profanity in schools as it is no longer considered to be a serious offense. This doesn't mean that teachers and faculty will accept fluent profanity in their classroom, but the hallways and lunchrooms are quite a different story. The younger children are repeating what they've heard and the older ones think it's cool. By the time they're in high school, profanity is as common as cliques and book bags.
Although there could be several reasons for the booming cultural acceptance of profanity, the most likely consideration is saturation. Lack of respect and an inability to articulate may have been the beginnings of this phenomenon, but as it swelled, society has become saturated with profanity on every level. Some children hear it at a very early age from their parents and siblings, but all children are exposed at school, whether from their peers or a frustrated teacher.
By accepting that profanity is a way of life, not an aberration as in the past, we are allowing our children to rely on a very limited means of expression. Their vocabulary is dwindling to a handful of expletives in place of creatively thinking about the right way to say how they feel.
Personal expression is one of the ways we assess and appraise each other throughout life. Schools are a vital learning environment for this type of expression and should not be so relaxed in accepting profanity. In conjunction with parents and the media, schools should work to reverse this unrestrained trend. The positive effects on our society in general will be better communication and more respect all around.