Hearing the phrase, "I accidentally..." from people makes my head spin. Are there times in life when accidents happen? Absolutely? However, the older I get the more I learn that accidentally really means impulsively.
My daughter sent me a text me a few weeks ago and told me that she accidentally cut 3 inches off her hair and gave herself bangs. Nope. That wasn't an accident. A few days later she told me that she accidentally cut holes in the knees of her favorite pair of jeans. Again, that would be impulsive and not accidental.
As I think about my 6th grade students, I realize that accidentally is a word that frequents their vocabulary. Lately, I've been encouraging them to reflect on the difference between accidental and impulsive. I'm hoping that this slight shift in vocabulary will help them learn to become more reflective about their intentions and actions as they move through life.
This is very insightful and made me think about times when I've used accidentally incorrectly. Such a great lesson for your students!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, this got me thinking! I am sure I've used accidentally in that same way but it definitely wasn't an accident. I love that your getting your students thinking about this too. Thanks for sharing your slice!
ReplyDeleteAlso- who hasn't "accidentally" given themselves bangs at some point in life right?
The accidental bangs are a rite of passage for growing up.
DeleteWow as well. Add "inadvertly" and "unintentionally" to the word-bubble. Your post also put me to thinking about other replacement word patterns.
ReplyDeleteSo true! I was just thinking about "by accident" which I hear SO MUCH from my students. And I couldn't think of what the opposite would be. You're right on - impulsive! I love it. Thanks for this post. I also like Vanessa's "inadvertently". I also think maybe we could use "regrettably I..."
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I accidentally found you Gorgeous Girl! 😉
ReplyDeleteImpulsive is a great alternative in those instances. The weight of our words is something we often miss. The word I am currently trying to curtail from my usage is 'just'. I 'just' want to say/do/tell you...
ReplyDeleteI catch myself using just in so many of my work emails. It's also a habit I am trying to break.
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