Words matter. A lot.
Especially the words we use to or about other people.
That is not a new idea, but a program in its second year at Edsel Ford High School is challenging young teens to reconsider how, or if, they should ever use derogatory words.
Zanib Sareini, the district’s affective education facilitator, explained that Edsel Ford student leaders asked the adults for help curbing some language use.
“They wanted students to think about the impact of their words, even with their friends,” Sareini said. Now Sareini, with the help of some Edsel student leaders, is holding sessions with all of the freshmen students to talk specifically about derogatory terms.
The slide presentation is titled, “Language Matters: Addressing Derogatory Language”
The sessions take one class period and encourage a lot of honest discussion about what derogatory terms students are hearing from their peers, are those terms ever okay, and what the impact is of derogatory terms.
At the end, students spend a few minutes making a sign for middle schoolers encouraging them to choose their words wisely.
Derogatory language is defined during the presentation as:
- A term or phrase that expresses negative feelings, disrespect, or a low opinion of someone or something
- An expression of criticism, hostility or disregard
Often these terms are used towards members of a certain group, the presentation notes.
Less than three weeks into school, students were asked how many of them had heard the n-word used in the hallways. Almost all the students raised a hand. Students also talked about hearing slurs used for Muslim and Arabic students, special education students, and others.
“Language can really impact how we feel about ourselves, how we feel about others,” Ms. Sareini explained.
Just hearing something like the n-word in the hall can make people feel unwelcome or make others think the whole school is racist. Even things said as “a joke” between friends can cause damage to the friend, to the speaker, and to others who hear it.
Senior students Nasrin Maweri and Sarah Reda said they wanted to get involved in the program because insulting and demeaning others has become too normalized with teens.
“We feel like there needs to be a change in the school,” Maweri said.
Reda added, “Someone has to stop it.”
Reda said the sessions have led to some good conversations with the freshmen.
“I am having a lot of fun talking to them,” she said.
Principal Rima Hassan said the idea first came about after she was named Edsel Ford’s principal in 2021 and started meeting with a student advisory group. The teens wanted a program to address the damage caused by slurs like the n-word and other derogatory terms students were using.
“Language Matters” was developed and launched last year with the freshmen class. This year those students, now sophomores, will also get a refresher session.
Sareini said the program is expanding to Dearborn High this year. She then hopes to add Fordson and the district’s other high school programs, if she can train other adults to assist.
Besides the sessions with students, Edsel has also incorporated the message into school assemblies and provided teachers with some training on how to respond when they hear students using derogatory language.
“Language is a powerful tool that shapes how we see and treat ourselves and others,” Ms. Sareini said. “Helping students reflect on the impact of their words empowers them to choose language that builds a positive culture and environment. These workshops give students the opportunity to explore how language—whether intentional or not—affects those around them, and to practice making choices that foster respect, empathy, and belonging in our school community.”
