Following is an excerpt from a teacher’s comments:

When I’m in a classroom, I must too often ask a student to get the dictionary and look up the word ‘retard’ or ‘retarded’.

Retard: To cause to move or proceed slowly; to hinder; to impede; to obstruct. Retarded: abnormally slowed.

I also tell students, “When we use a word regardless of it’s actual meaning as a slur, insult or put-down, it shows the ignorance of the person who uses the word.”