Opinions : Kids calling teachers by first names.

Liberated from SC.

shaneandtamz
4/12/2009 8:40:44 AM and removing the old ms miss mrs mr adage thing... whats your lots feelings on this.. OH those with out children welcome..

Okay, so growing up I attended Kura Kaupapa, Mainstream School and Immersion Units (we moved too much), I've had Whaea This, Koka That, Matua Whatshisname, Nanny Meanoldlady, Mrs Thingy etc... all accompanied by a range of first and last names.

Decent teachers never had any issue gaining my respect, no matter what I was expected to call them.

I had the added issue that most of my teachers were at some stage colleagues of my Dad, so first name basis when they were drinking around at the house with Dad and Mrs Brougham was used at school.

Using someones surname doesn't give them 'status' any longer, it's outdated and irrelevant to our youth IMO. If a teacher is struggling to gain respect from their class, then the problem lies elsewhere.

Using someones surname doesn't give them 'status' any longer, it's outdated and irrelevant to our youth IMO. If a teacher is struggling to gain respect from their class, then the problem lies elsewhere.

I found it weird in my daughter's last year at school that she was calling her early 20 something teachers Miss....... When I went to parent teacher meetings I had to call them that too as I didn't know their first names. They in turn would call me Mrs... and I ain't no Mrs!

The teachers my daughter really liked got surname only ...male and female. That was her mark of respect!

Oh and shaneandtamz needs to be added to the moron list!

One way of looking at it is that the best way of respecting someone (in the matter of addressing them) is to call them what they WANT to be known by. When schools strictly enforce a universal way of addressing teachers, that is actually disrespectful, in my opinion.

I've seen teachers addressed as 'Teacher Firstname' by some Chinese children because it was part of their culture to do so, and the teachers didn't mind, even though they preferred to be known by first name only.

With myself, if someone calls me by my surname, I don't usually know they are talking to me - it is not how I am known, so I don't consider it respectful. A stranger I'd forgive, but someone who did it just to be old fashioned would not win my favour so easily.

At my school, teachers that had no or little respect from their students were simply called 'Miss' (regardless of marital status) or 'Mistuh'. The teachers that had earned respect (yes earned) were called their surname only. I did have one teacher that taught outdoor recreation who had a small enough class to gain personal respect and we used his first name.

Waireka wrote:Liberated from SC.

shaneandtamz
4/12/2009 8:40:44 AM and removing the old ms miss mrs mr adage thing... whats your lots feelings on this.. OH those with out children welcome..

Her post should be put in the 'fucked up grammar originating from smilecity' thread.

relict wrote:One way of looking at it is that the best way of respecting someone (in the matter of addressing them) is to call them what they WANT to be known by. When schools strictly enforce a universal way of addressing teachers, that is actually disrespectful, in my opinion.

I've seen teachers addressed as 'Teacher Firstname' by some Chinese children because it was part of their culture to do so, and the teachers didn't mind, even though they preferred to be known by first name only.

With myself, if someone calls me by my surname, I don't usually know they are talking to me - it is not how I am known, so I don't consider it respectful. A stranger I'd forgive, but someone who did it just to be old fashioned would not win my favour so easily.

Agree with that. what dr Urry preaches is a load of bollocks.

markslovenz wrote:Someone mentioned John Key earlier. He prefers to be called John, by reporters at least in one on one situations. If my daughter walked up to him and called him John, I would be mortified. It's simply not appropriate.

Does that mean markslovenz would be mortified at the inappropriateness of someone respecting a person's preferences?

Perhaps, in light of markslovenz's choice of username, she has low respect for herself that makes her want to be defined by her partner. Maybe if he is in such a position of authority, as indicated by the language of possession, she should be referring to him with an honorific.

relict wrote:

markslovenz wrote:Someone mentioned John Key earlier. He prefers to be called John, by reporters at least in one on one situations. If my daughter walked up to him and called him John, I would be mortified. It's simply not appropriate.

Does that mean markslovenz would be mortified at the inappropriateness of someone respecting a person's preferences?

Perhaps, in light of markslovenz's choice of username, she has low respect for herself that makes her want to be defined by her partner. Maybe if he is in such a position of authority, as indicated by the language of possession, she should be referring to him with an honorific.

Yes because markslovenz makes as much sense as pockets on my jeans.

What titles are appropriate can be related to age, generation, time in history and to culture, but we live with a mixture of cultures and people don’t wear their ages on their forehead, so I don't understand trying to make rules about it.

There was a time when it was considered appropriate for a wife to address her husband with Mr or Sir, but that doesn’t fit with our philosophy any more. Likewise the teacher-student relationship has rightly changed over time, but people will always take different amounts of time to shift with a trend (or die out).

One can make the discussion all about artificial respect, and boundaries, or one can base it on an understanding of how people learn, and what learning is of value. Does one value the ability to recite Shakespeare and list American presidents over the ability to think critically or discuss issues of social justice?

I have worked in both types of schools and I agree that it creates undue levels of familiarity. In certain schools it works well, because you have few behavioural issues.

I noticed that the school on the news last night had no brown faces, nor did the school where kids and teachers were on a first name basis at which I worked. Whether you believe that makes a difference or not is up to you... but I truly believe it does. Just as the principal last night said that a teacher can gain respect without a title, I firmly believe that a teacher can have a personal relationship with a child without becoming over familiar.

Thinking back now, I did call my more respected teachers last name only, but above that the ones I really got along with I would call "Sir", though I couldn't use that for females obviously.