Teacher Talk: 11 Frequent Phrases

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Every year a few of my students start a notebook full of interesting, weird, or funny things I say. Here are some phrases I find myself repeating in class, both to myself, and my students. If they are similar phrases, they’re lumped into the same bullet point. You can probably imagine the behavior or talk they respond to.

I don’t know if these are the best things to say, but I mostly get into epistemological arguments with my students (9-12), so they’re all things that have worked for me more than once.

At the end of the post, I include a few favorites from students, but I haven’t understood their explanation for why they like these yet. (Students & colleagues, feel free to correct.)

11 Frequent Phrases

  1. All models are wrong. Some models are useful.

  2. I’m going to start making weird noises until you get back to your seats. BRAWPP!

  3. Did you mean to say that? Let’s try again without the word. Rewind! [makes tape rewinding sound] Try a different way of saying it. What did we really mean to say, what were you trying to get? Let’s not use that word which might get us fired, and say what we mean instead. Helping or hurting? Uh, rude. Wow, excuse me. What the what now?

  4. How long do you want to feel this way? You sound upset. You sound like you’re not having a good time. I would not want to feel what you sound like you’re feeling. [repeat what student says, slowly, calmly, to check accuracy]

  5. Are you getting what you came for?

  6. Slow down. Breathe. Time out! Pause. Hold up. We have time for this. Can you help the rest of us out with some of that energy? Okay, carry us please, you look way more active than I feel, haha.

  7. If you’re the first scientist on the planet looking at something nobody’s ever seen before, is anyone gonna tell you if you’re right or not, or are you gonna have to figure it out for yourself?

  8. You’re in California, learn some Spanglish. I was made in China. Talking to a Spanish/Chinese/Arabic-speaking scientist, you’d say <term>. Why stop at just one language?

  9. Oh so I can’t change my mind? Some of us wanted to be dinosaurs when we’re five and some of us still want to be dinosaurs but I’m not going to feed you a live goat tomorrow.

  10. Lemme make sure I’m the most embarrassing one in the room first so we can get started.

8 Student favorites (excerpt)

  1. “No cannibalism.”

  2. “Make some human/alien/animal noises please so I know you’re alive.”

  3. “We’re all skin bags!”

  4. “Deep breaths. Strength in, bullshit out.”

  5. “You humans often <something scientific>.”

  6. “Wait, what century is this?”

  7. “And then we’ll have Sex in the spring, more feedback loops, maybe do Drugs if we have time…”

  8. “Are you okay?”