The Language of Teaching

When you spend six to eight hours a day talking you're bound to say some strange things. Recently, though, I've noticed a couple of common phrases things that a lot of instructors use that they really shouldn't be. First, there are entirely way too many older (say 40+) male instructors who seem to think it's okay to scream, "You go, girl!" when one of their female students does something right. There's really no correct response so the student is left staring awkwardly at the instructor. Are the instructors trying to connect with a younger generation? Has the phrase has become so main stream that they feel it's okay for them to say it? I don't know, but it's just weird and it needs to stop.

Secondly, instructors have a strange tendency to use "that" and "those" instead of "your." I've heard several instructors describe a turn like this: "Take that knee and push it down toward those toes. And point that arm where you want to go." As the student takes off you'll then hear them scream, "Push down on those toes, push down on those toes!" I've caught myself doing this a few times and I don't know why we just don't say "Take your knee and push it down toward your toes." I'm currently making a conscious effort to use "your" over "those" but I'm just not sure where the habit started.