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[Lance Charnes]

My English MC needs a collective word for the group of students she has with her on a project. She doesn't consider them adults and isn't concerned about hurting their feelings. Too many readers have objected to her calling them "the children," though. I've considered "the mob" and "that lot," but they're potentially confusing when there's more than one group around. My other MC calls them "the kids," so I don't want to use that.

Suggestions?

[Matthew S.]

The Peoples
the clique
the crowd
the junta
the en masse
the senate
the supreme court
the conclave (or is that enclave?)
the coven
a murder of crows (and by extension, a murder of crowds)
the star chamber
the jury (the jurists)

Matthew S.

[B L McAllister]

helpers?  If that's too plain, try "bobbleheads."

[dhparker]

the brats, or brat pack?

[Kathy Wendorff]

I like brat pack. Or some teasing sort of pet name, like urchins, my half-size assistants, young pups, juvenile delinquents -- after the first few mentions, your character could cut back to "the pack"  or "the assistants" without confusing the reader.

Kathy W.

[dhparker]

Oops, I didn't read that well.  I missed the fact that your character is English.  Here's something that might help:  http://www.hp-lexicon.org/index/master-index-intro.html  Admittedly, J. K. Rowling made up a bunch of words, but many of them she's just adopted.  Even "Muggle" has other meanings and has been used before Potter, if you can believe Wikipedia.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muggle

All of that is to say, you might find a word at that site that you could adopt. 

[Matthew S.]

I like Urchins - so Oliver Twist.

Matthew S.

[Lance Charnes]

Eek! I just read my post again and discovered I left out an important point  -- these are college students.

Although I do like "the urchins"...

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Dave Freas]

My brood?
The kiddie squad?
Teenybopper brigade?
"This rag-tag lot"?
The NQA (Not Quite Adult) squad? Then she could call them the NQAs.
The grad pack? (depending on where they are in their college careers).
My burden?
My onus?
The T & T (Trial and Tribulation) squad?
My chicks?
My flock?
My reason to drink?

[Elena]

The only thing I remember calling my college students collectively was "my little pumpkins".  They thought it was hysterical given that they all towered over me. Though there were occasional, very occasional times when I would look at them over my glasses (which meant they all went blurry) and say in deep tones with great significance, "Gentlemen".  Peace would reign 

Another prof referred to them as his chair warmers.

Elena

[brightwater03@comcast.net]

Hi,
Here in the US, lately, we call them "targets."

[I have requested this comment be deleted.]

Moppets?

[Michele Viney]

Lance

I've been thinking about this and the words the others have been coming up with are great - although I can't see a modern 21st century professor using the word "urchins" a bit TOO Dickensian! Bear in mind that there is huge American influences in Britian and Ireland - Music, TV, Film - and people pick up slang from them. So you could use an Americanism without it sounding too false.

But how about "My Gang"? It does suggest a kind of rough affection.

Michele

[Charles King]

Duckies. ... Brood ... Come to mind, but I think a large portion of this depends on how she feels about the little darlings. Are they are a burden? Does this fullfil her, this project? The answer here will shape her tag for the kids.

Charles