An English teacher in Florida has been suspended after giving their 8th grade class (13-15 year olds) explicit lyrics to analyze.

The students were having problems understanding concepts such as puns, similes, and metaphors so rather than continue using more traditional material to explain them, the teacher brought in the lyrics to Lil Wayne’s song, 6 Foot 7 Foot which contain a number of taboo words.

Parents complained and the teacher was suspended for 3 days.

The headmaster released a statement saying, “Students were having difficulty grasping the concepts of literary devices such as: pun, simile, metaphor, so the teacher used colloquial material. This material did not meet the school’s standards and was not approved. The teacher recognizes that it was totally inappropriate for a school assignment.”

Editor’s Comments

The teacher was a fool. By all means use contemporary material which will interest your students, but even the most inexperienced teacher knows that this kind of material is certain to upset parents and cause problems.

Why did they do it? Shock value? Perhaps to try and win over the students? Perhaps to vent their own frustration at the boring material they had to use? 

Only the teacher knows. But let this serve as a timely reminder that as teachers we need to err on the side of caution when it comes to those subjects which can easily cause problems in the classroom: sex, religion, swearing and politics.

There most certainly is a time and place to include taboo words in teaching English, but it has to be the right time and place: and this wasn’t it.

Useful Links

Sensitive Subjects‏‎ in Teaching English – what subjects you should avoid in the classroom

Taboo Words‏‎ and Teaching English – how to deal with swear words and teaching

6 Foot 7 Foot by Lil Wayne

These are the full lyrics to the song in question. Do not read them if you are easily offended!

Six-foot, seven-foot, eight-foot bunch

Excuse my charisma, vodka with a spritzer
Swagger down pat, call my shit Patricia
Young Money militia and I am the commissioner
You no wan’ start Weezy cause the ‘F’ is for finisher
So misunderstood, but what’s a world without enigma?
Two bitches at the same time, synchronized swimmers
Got the girl twisted cause she open when you twist her
Never met the bitch, but I fuck her like I missed her
Life is the bitch, and death is her sister
Sleep is the cousin, what a fuckin’ family picture
You know Father Time, and we all know Mother Nature
It’s all in the family, but I am of no relation
No matter who’s buyin’, I’m a celebration
Black and white diamonds, fuck segregation
Fuck that shit, my money up, you niggas just Honey Nut
Young Money runnin’ shit and you niggas just runner-ups
I don’t feel I done enough, so I’mma keep on doin’ this shit
Lil Tunechi or Young Tuna Fish

I’m goin’ back in
Okay, I lost my mind, it’s somewhere out there stranded
I think you stand under me if you don’t understand me
Had my heart broken by this woman named Tammy
But hoes gon’ be hoes, so I couldn’t blame Tammy
Just talked to Moms, told her she the sweetest
I beat the beat up, call it self-defense
Swear, man, I be seein’ through these niggas like sequins
Niggas think they He-Men, pow, pow, the end
Talkin’ to myself because I am my own consultant
Married to the money, fuck the world, that’s adultery
You full of shit, you close your mouth and let yo’ ass talk
Young Money eatin’, all you haters do is add salt
Stop playin’, bitch, I got this game on deadbolt
Mind so sharp, I fuck around and cut my head off
Real nigga all day and tomorrow
But these motherfuckers talkin’ crazy like they jaw broke
Glass half empty, half full, I’ll spill ya
Try me and run into a wall: outfielder
You know I’mma ball ’til they turn off the field lights
The fruits of my labor, I enjoy ’em while they still ripe
Bitch, stop playin’, I do it like a king do
If these niggas animals, then I’mma have a mink soon
Tell ’em bitches I say put my name on the wall
I speak the truth, but I guess that’s a foreign language to y’all
And I call it like I see it, and my glasses on
But most of y’all don’t get the picture ‘less the flash is on
Satisfied with nothin’, you don’t know the half of it
Young Money, Cash Money
Paper chasin’, tell that paper, “Look, I’m right behind ya”
Bitch, real G’s move in silence like lasagna
People say I’m borderline crazy, sorta kinda
Woman of my dreams, I don’t sleep so I can’t find her
You niggas are gelatin, peanuts to an elephant
I got through that sentence like a subject and a predicate
Yeah, with a swag you would kill for
Money too strong, pockets on bodybuilder
Jumped in a wishin’ well, now wish me well
Tell ’em kiss my ass, call it kiss and tell

Word to my mama, I’m out of my lima bean
Don’t wanna see what that drama mean, get some Dramamine
Llama scream, hotter than summer sun on a Ghana queen
Now all I want is hits, bitch, Wayne signed a fiend
I played the side for you niggas that’s tryna front, and see
Son of Gun, Son of Sam, you nigga’s the son of me
Pause for this dumber speech, I glow like Buddha
Disturb me, and you’ll be all over the flo’ like Luda
Bitch, I flow like scuba, bitch, I’m bold like Cuba
And I keep a killer ho, she gon’ blow right through ya
I be mackin’, ’bout my stackin’, now I pack like a mover
Shout to ratchet for backin’ out on behalf of my shooter
Niggas think they high as I, I come laugh at your ruler
Cash Money cold, bitch, but our actions is cooler
Wayne, these niggas out they mind
I done told these fuck niggas so many times
That I keep these bucks steady on my mind
Tuck these, I fuck these on your mind, pause
To feed them, on my grind, did I get a little love
Keep throwin’ my sign in the middle
Hit ’em up, piece on my side, cause ain’t no peace on my side, bitch
I’m a man, I visit urinals with pride
Tune told me to, I’m shootin’ when the funeral outside
I’m uptown, thoroughbred, a BX nigga, ya heard? Gunna