to think that schoolchildren should be called pupils and not students?

[specialsmasher]

Just bothers me. Not sure when 'student' started to be the common term for a schoolchild, but I don't like it.

bernadettedelourdes, good to see that you are back. The voice of reason has returned and the PC brigade had better watch out

You are all soooooo behind.

It's 'learner' now.

I really think this should be in Pedants corner so you can all get worked up about pointlessly minutiae in the company of like minded people.

'pointless' minutiae (before a provoke a pedantic response with my typo)

labels are loaded with meaning and they matter. Nothing to do with pedantry.

labels are important, they reflect the thinking of those who create them. Otherwise why would they go to so much effort to think new ones up, with the latest one apparently being 'learners'

I always use 'students' 'faculty' and 'campus' and it drives my teens mad. "Don't even think about using the word faculty when you phone the school it's department fgs mother!"

i agree wiht OP
i hate students
normally said " schtoodents"

I say pupils - and children
Children stops at end Y9 though.
Hate students but is in-word at my gaffe

hmc so you don't have opinions except on the big ishoos. Ah but you took the time to post on here. I suspect you are a closet pedant or you are really Liz Hunt trying to stoke up political debate.

If is a bit baffling why hmc stuck around...

You may be onto something!

I do think this is important though. What we as a society decide to call things is very significant.

We are all (I think) concerned about the premature "adultification" of out children in clothes and music and video games. In a way, it seems to me that calling them "young adults" or "students" is all part of the same attitude. It's telling children that they have rights and responsibilties that they are not old enough for, and which it is not fair that they should be expected to shoulder.

"If a driving instructor teaches you to drive, aren't you his pupil? "

My dad is a driving instructor and has always called them students. He's been doing the job for as long as I can remember, so it's not a recent thing.

@ kaloki and Seeker precisely!
@specialmasher yes hmc[hmm}

At Oxford and Cambridge you are considered to be 'in statu pupillari' if you are a student.

It dates from Medieval times when it was teenagers of about 14 that went to university.

However I like the term because it confers the idea of protection and tolerance of shortcomings along with the idea that someone is busy learning how to do something.

While I wouldn't apply it to my (adult) students, as we like to encourage them to be independent, I think it's eminently suitably for use with schoolchildren.