Most of those teachers believing in and supporting active learning propositions begin their internships or student teaching practicums fired up about what they can accomplish and how they will do it. However, very often the realities and rigidity of either the school systems in which they work, the cooperating teachers or mentors with whom they work, or the most recent new governmental mandate prevent the teachers from reaching their goals. At least that is how the teachers come to understand their lack of progress. However, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of observations later, the author propose a different theory: that many of the problems these teachers have in transitioning from old and timeworn processes to forward-moving and energized classroom environments relate to their use of old language. The language teachers use can play a critical role in developing an energized classroom. In this article, five words or phrases which not only can lead to more positive and lasting classroom changes, but will force the emphasis where it belongs: on the learner and learning, rather than on the teacher and teaching are discussed.