How are kids supposed to address professors? Dr., Professor, first name? Daughter got rude reaction
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Anonymous
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Always address as Dr. X or Professor X. If they want to be informal, they will tell you.
In general, in undergrad, I used the formal greeting, in grad school, I used first names (they would say call me Larlo). As a professional myself (not in academia), I am almost always addressed by first name, occasionally, by Mr. last name, and only rarely Dr. Last Name (usually my management trying to make a point to a customer). Oh, and I have on project where 5 people have my first name. So, on that they call me Dr. Larlo, which is weird because my first name is not Larlo. |
Anonymous
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I’m a former academic; this is a huge pet peeve of my colleagues. They get extremely casual emails that begin with “Hey” or “Ms. Smith” instead of “Dr. Smith.”
If they have a doctoral degree, they should be addressed as Dr. in email, otherwise Professor if no doctoral degree. Here are some guidelines: https://ugr.ue.ucsc.edu/email |
Anonymous
? They should be called "professor" only if they are a "Professor." Instructors are not professors. Wonder what school this is. I would worry about it OP unless your DD is in a major that has a small department and she rsks making a bad name for herself. At a big university this is no big deal. |
Anonymous
wouldn't. |
Anonymous
Would you advise your child to go to a job interview and address the interviewer by their first name? |
Anonymous
This. Apparently some of these posters would. Good luck with that. |
Anonymous
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And this is why I never let my kids call adults by their first name. Maybe it is old fashioned but everyone gets some sort of title —
Aunt or Uncle Fname (for family and closest family friends Ms or Mr Jones or Ms Suzy and Mr John (kids’ friends’ until they say otherwise) Neighbors are Mr and Mrs Jones until they say otherwise You never go wrong starting more formal and then getting more casual over time, if the relationship warrants it and the other person agrees. Whether you pay someone or not makes no difference. My children call the landscaper Mr Smith because he isn’t their friend. |
Anonymous
What does that have to do with the OP's post? Nothing. I'd say be kind to these academics. They have so little going for them they need to have honorifics like "Dr." and "professor" to validate their existences. It's like Dr. Henry Kissinger said of academic faculties: "The battles are so intense because the stakes are so small." 
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Anonymous
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I'm really curious about what these folks saying the professors are unreasonable DO for a living.
From their imperious tones, I'm assuming something high prestige, but those are exactly the jobs where you learn these lessons early and well. In my federal clerkship, I never called the judge anything but Judge Soandso, or just Judge. Not once, in two years of working cheek to jowl. Not even once I left and joined the storied Judge Soandso Alumni clique. So...what are these jobs that folks are apparently successfully holding down that never required deference? |
Anonymous
OK then your kids can skip college. |
Anonymous
?? The OP clearly said most of the faculty preferred to be called by their first names. Judges are not like that; obviously you have to call them judge or "your honor." That's just understood as part of the profession. |
Anonymous
Huh? |
Anonymous
OP’s post revealed her daughter’s poor judgement. Good judgment, especially in social contexts, is what I’m looking for when I interview someone, bc my work involves client contact. |
Anonymous
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My Lord, you sound like an egotistical hack.
Anonymous
| As a former professor, I can tell you why it annoys me when students called me by my first name. The same students invariably call my husband “Professor.” It was just another way women are given less respect than their male peers. |