Mabel Teaches Middle School and Tries to Instill Social Consciousness

Mabel teaches middle school and tries to instill social consciousness in her students by questioning their use of common and derogatory slang such as "retarded" to describe things or people that they think are dumb or silly. After a lesson on using "the r-word" and its negative impact on people, she was pleased that students dropped it from their daily conversation in her classes. Around the same time, however, she notices that the kids are talking about Pop-tarts all of the time. The cafeteria serves Pop-tarts for breakfast a lot; she assumes that the kids just like this breakfast treat. Later in the semester, she discovers that the kids use the word "Pop-tart" to refer to things that they think are dumb or silly. This is an example of ______.

A) rites and rituals in the culture of schooling
B) everyday practices that enact a culture
C) vocabulary that defines insiders and outsiders
D) stories that serve as moral directives