If you entered a classroom today after a decade-long hiatus, you may mistake it for a technology startup. Teachers no longer spend class time passing out worksheets. Instead, they’re troubleshooting Google Classrooms, scanning for AI-generated essays, and teaching students how to behave in virtual classrooms.
The classroom has evolved, and so has the way teachers speak. Some of the phrases they say now? These phrases just wouldn’t have made sense back then, not even a little. So here are 11 phrases teachers say today that simply weren’t a thing ten years ago.
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“Make sure your mic is off”
Virtual classrooms learned this one the hard way, with one-too-many students broadcasting their entire lives, complete with family squabbles and loud munching. It’s now a reflex for every virtual class to start with mic reminders.
“It’s posted in Google Classroom”
Gone are the days of teachers laboriously writing homework on the whiteboard or handing out homework on scraps of paper. It’s all digital these days. Didn’t do your homework? “Well, it was in Google Classroom since Monday.”
“Let’s go over the rubric together”
Rubrics used to be reserved for all-important end-of-semester projects. Now, it’s the default for all assignments. Teachers know that students simply will not do an assignment unless they know EXACTLY how many points each sub-section and bullet point is worth.
“You can take a brain break if you need one”
Teachers have become so much more cognizant of students’ mental health. “Brain break” can mean taking a stretch, walking around, or just zoning out for a few minutes without getting in trouble for it. A decade ago? We were just labeled “daydreamers” and sent to the office.
“That’s not appropriate for the group chat”
Digital learning often means digital drama. Between side chats during Zoom and actual school messaging platforms, teachers now have to parent and psychoanalyze students when things get weird. They’re definitely not enjoying it.
“You can submit it as a PDF or a Google Doc”
Printed, handwritten homework assignments? Kind of ancient history. Teachers now take assignments submitted in every format as long as it’s not a smartphone pic of a wrinkled piece of paper you hurriedly shoved across the room.
“Put your phone in the phone caddy, please”
Cell phones used to be strictly prohibited in classrooms. Now, teachers just try to corral them. Enter the phone caddies, which are just places on the wall where phones are politely asked to go to nap during class.
“No AI tools on this assignment”
Welcome to the era of ChatGPT. Teachers have had to add “turning it over to AI to write for you” to their arsenal of academically dishonest student behaviors. Teachers have definitely heard of ChatGPT, and they know the difference, most of the time.
“Did you charge your Chromebook?”
This has officially replaced “Did you bring your pencil?” If your device isn’t charged, there’s not much hope for you. That low battery icon creeping up while you’re mid-lesson is not great.
“We don’t allow smartwatches during tests”
Believe it or not, cheaters have become quite high-tech. Teachers now eye wrists suspiciously, making sure nobody’s sneaking texted answers through their newfangled smartwatch, or pulling up Google under their desk.
“This will auto-save, but double-check just in case”
Technology is a blessing and a curse. We all know everything auto-saves these days. But teachers still add that panicked reminder about auto-save because nothing makes you lose your mind more than having your work disappear.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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