Professors are to be respected, treated with courtesy, and definitely not cursed at. It’s rude and disrespectful. It could get you tossed out of school. There are clear expectations of student’s behaviors. However, should professors be held to the same standards, or be allowed to be disrespectful, curse and potentially offend?
If a teacher doesn’t practice decorum then why should students?
Professors might use bad words to make a point, or when reading from a book, such as historical works.
But professors cursing in the classroom is unprofessional and disrespectful toward their students. Pupils often admire and view their professors as role models. Walking through the Pierce campus, it’s clear that using foul language is commonplace. Students don’t need to have their already crude habits reenforced by a highly educated, supposedly sophisticated, professor who is occupying a privileged and prestigious position. Higher education should hold higher standards for students and teachers. Professors should not just teach their expertise, but also be an example of how to use words to communicate effectively, and not just to offend or shock people.
Deciding to swear in a classroom can also open a pandora’s box of expletives which are weighted very differently on the dirty word scale. What scale of measurement determines the line where a curse word goes from harmless to unacceptable? Are there dirty words that are guaranteed not to offend anyone? Probably not.
Some people don’t curse. Occasionally, it’s surprising to learn who swears and who doesn’t. One could assume that cursing would put a particular person at ease, when in fact it makes them uncomfortable. However, it is rare that a person feels offended by someone using clean language.
Curse words are not appropriate in a professional setting, and are not polite when speaking publicly. Foul language in the workplace can even get you fired. The classroom should not be an exception to real world standards of behavior.
When professors use profanity it doesn’t make them more approachable, or benefit the students. It only normalizes vulgar speech.