Before society sands down the rough edges, teens have their own kind of wisdom. Raw? Yes. Brutal? Almost always. Unique? ABSOLUTELY. Entertaining? Let’s see…

Nov 24, 2009, 11:08:27 AM
Overheard in the girls’ restroom, 9th-grade girl to 7th-grade girl, in a wise, learned voice:
“You are going to love high school so much, but let me tell you right now, enjoy your time in middle school because it goes by so fast.”
Kids—they crack me up!

May 12, 2010, 6:58:01 PM
Overheard in my classroom today:
“No, you don’t get it. Summers aren’t for us. Summers are so teachers can stand to be around us again.”
Ah-HA! I managed to teach a child something this year! I’ve never been prouder…

Oct 12, 2010, 4:36:26 AM
Discussing the Reformation and Henry VIII’s role in establishing the Church of England:
Student: “Yo, Henry was a dawg. He was like the original pimp-player!”
Me: “I think he might have been hypocritical—supporting Charles against Luther, then starting his own religion when the pope wouldn’t grant him an annulment.”
Different student: “If hypocritical means ‘nasty,’ then yeah, he was totally hypocritical.”
LMAO. Kids—they crack me up.

Feb 04, 2011, 12:27:48 PM
How sad is it that my 4th block class just got a new student, and another student in the class shouted:
“Who’s the new victim?”
Another added: “Should we warn her?”
And a third chimed in: “Naw, it’s more fun when they don’t know!”

Apr 28, 2011, 4:26:50 AM
Tales from the Tenth Grade: Overheard a conversation between one of my flamboyantly gay students and one of my “Twilight girls” about Edward Cullen:
“Biotch, you got to know if he’s covered in glitter, he’s one of my tribe.”
Some days, I do actual physical damage to myself to keep from laughing out loud.

May 17, 2011, 4:31:55 AM
10th Grade Tales: I told them about the Six-Day War and the stated goal of President Nasser of Egypt to “push the Jews into the sea.”
One student: “So I guess we shouldn’t send him a Happy Chanukah card?!”
We continued with the Yom Kippur War and other Arab-Israeli conflicts. I asked them to summarize the Middle East.
Student summary: “Don’t piss off the Jews. They’ll break your stuff, then kick your butt!”
Kids—they crack me up.

Many adults are offended by the raw, unfiltered way teens speak, but I actually enjoy it. Without years of “social sandpaper,” their observations are unvarnished, even if they sometimes lack tact.

What’s the best “teen” insight you’ve ever heard? Share your stories in the comments so we can all be schooled in Teen Wisdom!