Matilda De La Rosa Vargas (287) and Siting Liang (287)

It’s 2025, closing in on 2026, and Gen Alpha’s slang is at an all-time high with random phrases and certain numbers being forced down the throats of everyone who uses the internet. No matter what social media platform you’re on, it seems inescapable, and depending on who you are, this can be paradise or torture. This new era of slang, usually referred to as brainrot, has been terrorizing not just middle schools but is slowly infiltrating high schools all around the United States, including our very own Central High. Now, when we think of meaningless brainrot like “6-7” or “rizz,” we might find it cringeworthy, but not surprisingly at all, there are countless students who proudly embrace the new and ever-changing lingo. 

 Ivan Duong (286) put it pretty well when he said, “I don’t necessarily like brainrot as a whole, but there are some that I like and some that I dislike…brainrot kinda comes and goes.” And that’s true, one week everyone’s saying the same thing nonstop, and by the next, it’s already old news. But while most students eventually move on, some teachers are still bravely (and sometimes awkwardly) trying to keep up. One of them just so happens to be Ivan’s AP Statistics teacher, Mr. Zak.

If there’s one teacher at Central who’s keeping up with the slang epidemic, it’s definitely Mr. Zak, who’s known for his sarcasm and dad-like humor, throwing in Gen Alpha slang into math lessons “just to get a chuckle” and “to see how kids react”. He’s not trying to be Gen Z, but rather just testing the water, one “rizz” at a time. According to him, phrases like “6-7” have already become “the most common cliché,” yet somehow, he keeps saying it anyway. During class, he’ll drop a dramatic “6-7” at the perfect moment, and the room always bursts out laughing. Ivan admits it works, saying it’s “kind of both” relatable and awkward when teachers use slang, but Mr. Zak has found a way to make it funny without overdoing it.

Ivan thinks that self-awareness is what saves teachers. At first, he says it’s “funny and relatable,” but when teachers start forcing it, “it gets really awkward over time.” In the end, Mr. Zak might not know what “skibiddi” means, but somehow, he’s proven you don’t need “rizz” to make AP Statistics entertaining, just a perfectly timed “6-7.”

Stepping out of Mr. Zak’s class and into the world of Central’s freshmen, who prove that brainrot fluency doesn’t come from experience, it’s clear that class 288 has loads of energy and brainrot brilliance to share with the rest of the school. 

Zooming in into Mr. De La Osa’s first period class–a personal favorite–where brainrot is much embraced, and cringe is a compliment, it seems Mr. De La Osa cracked the case of easing the lively first-years. While the student reactions he gets when using slang can vary, he admits that “seeing you all cringe is great,” and he believes that teachers use slang both “for fun or just out of habit.” After all, as he puts it, “we’re on the internet too”. Now, while many students may believe teachers spamming “6-7” is to gain aura points, Mr. De La Osa counters that not only is it hilarious, but it’s “a great way to relate to you all”, of course adding that he finds it funny “battling you all in cringe”. 

Victoria Morales (288) being a heavily involved student in Mr. De La Osa’s class, seems to hold the same beliefs as her teacher. According to Victoria, key components in a teacher’s success at using brainrot comes from the frequency that they use it. Which, if we’re being honest, many of our peers might struggle with this more than the teachers do. Of course, Victoria admits that “we shouldn’t center our entire class around 6-7,” but she doesn’t deny that “It’s nice to have a certain amount of silliness in class and be able to embrace that kind of joy.” Whether you’re the brainrot police or the number one fan, one thing’s for certain: our newest addition to the chaos–CHS staff–have a lot to learn, and this time, the students will be the teachers! 

Glossary:

Rizz	Short for “charisma” which means charm or flair.
Aura Farming	An effort to try and gain aura points which is a system that quantifies how confident and nonchalant someone can be.
Aura	A distinctive atmosphere around a person, a vibe or energy radiating from them.
Skibidi	Good, bad, cool, or weird. It depends on the context and usually is just a filler word.
Grimace shake	A viral TikTok trend centered on a limited-time, purple berry shake released for McDonald’s mascot Grimace’s birthday in 2023.
Cap	A lie
6-7	Don’t ask.