How are kids supposed to address professors? Dr., Professor, first name? Daughter got rude reaction

[Anonymous]

I'm a female law professor who looks relatively young. I've been teaching for 10+ years and have never had anyone call me anything other than Professor or Ma'am (it's the former military students who do that, and I quickly correct them). However, the casual emails starting with "Hey," etc. are something that I get from a good number of students, so I do everything I can to correct that. The law is a very hierarchical profession, like it or not, so students need to learn the hierarchy. These posters who say students are the customers and should be able to call professors whatever they want are not doing their children any favors. Your kids are going to get fired from their first jobs. So, my advice to you is skip college and give your kids the money you would have spent for them to start a business. There's a whole movement going in this direction, and your family should join them.

[Anonymous]

Dr Bob will probably reply Yo patient Becky, looks like bad news! It’s cancer, it’s spread, but better you than me! Buh bye!

[Anonymous]

IME, whether the norm/default is Professor vs Doctor depends on University, but either is an appropriate way to address a faculty member until you’re told otherwise. And no one’s going to get bent out of shape if you inadvertently promote them. So err on the side of respect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a female law professor who looks relatively young. I've been teaching for 10+ years and have never had anyone call me anything other than Professor or Ma'am (it's the former military students who do that, and I quickly correct them). However, the casual emails starting with "Hey," etc. are something that I get from a good number of students, so I do everything I can to correct that. The law is a very hierarchical profession, like it or not, so students need to learn the hierarchy. These posters who say students are the customers and should be able to call professors whatever they want are not doing their children any favors. Your kids are going to get fired from their first jobs. So, my advice to you is skip college and give your kids the money you would have spent for them to start a business. There's a whole movement going in this direction, and your family should join them.

^ a bit of an overreaction, innit? I'm sure OP's daughter has been corrected now and understands that some faculty (but not all) want to be addressed by their titles.

[Anonymous]

Daughter claims basically all of her professors and faculty prefer first name basis. And that same majority are casual about emails, i.e. just say what you have to say, no need for the formal business format each email "Dear Dr. so and so, ... blah blah ... Best, kiddo."

But she casually called one professor by their first name and was sort of pulled to the side and chastised face to face. She did the same in an email response to an advisor and the advisor literally told her to meet her in the office later in the week. At the office she told her she needs to conduct herself with more professionalism. Calm down, Ms. Advisor.

Are the two outliers just obnoxious jerks or do they have a point?

Aunt Becky, is that you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is definitely a troll.

You haven’t been around very many college-age kids lately, have you?

Oh I have no doubt that it could have happened to the kid. It's OP's attitude. Of course OP knows what is appropriate. He or she wrote this to rile you all up.

It's possible OP wasn't trying to stir things up, and that she genuinely doesn't understand the issue. If she's the one who wrote the hostile responses to posters on the first page- and I think she might be - then this thread is new perspective for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a female law professor who looks relatively young. I've been teaching for 10+ years and have never had anyone call me anything other than Professor or Ma'am (it's the former military students who do that, and I quickly correct them). However, the casual emails starting with "Hey," etc. are something that I get from a good number of students, so I do everything I can to correct that. The law is a very hierarchical profession, like it or not, so students need to learn the hierarchy. These posters who say students are the customers and should be able to call professors whatever they want are not doing their children any favors. Your kids are going to get fired from their first jobs. So, my advice to you is skip college and give your kids the money you would have spent for them to start a business. There's a whole movement going in this direction, and your family should join them.

^ a bit of an overreaction, innit? I'm sure OP's daughter has been corrected now and understands that some faculty (but not all) want to be addressed by their titles.

I think pp was trying to convey a point.

- dp

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Calling by first name is just so rude.

Parents pay upwards of $70,000 a year and you want our kids to walk on eggshells and bow down like plebs to liberal arts hacks? Alter your freaking narcotic.

It’s showing proper respect jacka$$. You must think money buys everything.

It's literally their name. It's batsh*t insane any civilian would be triggered by...their name. This isn't Baghdad, it's not a plebe talking to a Marine General.

Would you advise your child to go to a job interview and address the interviewer by their first name?

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."

You're an idiot.

You probably think that a professor's main job is to teach your child.

[Anonymous]

well it's not clear to me if these are "professors" or just adjunct faculty or instructors, but humor me. What is the proper way to address an advisor (that's the person who seems to have gotten the most bent out of shape)? Dear Advisor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is definitely a troll.

You haven’t been around very many college-age kids lately, have you?

Oh I have no doubt that it could have happened to the kid. It's OP's attitude. Of course OP knows what is appropriate. He or she wrote this to rile you all up.

It's possible OP wasn't trying to stir things up, and that she genuinely doesn't understand the issue. If she's the one who wrote the hostile responses to posters on the first page- and I think she might be - then this thread is new perspective for her.

I don't think OP has gained a new perspective. She doesn't get it. She doesn't respect university professors because she doesn't understand that there is a lot more to their job than teaching a couple sections of undergrads. She thinks they are basically high school teachers, and she didn't respect those either.

I still doubt that OP went to college herself, though. I'm waiting for her to come back and tell us where she got her degree. I can safely guess where she didn't do this, but that's all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:well it's not clear to me if these are "professors" or just adjunct faculty or instructors, but humor me. What is the proper way to address an advisor (that's the person who seems to have gotten the most bent out of shape)? Dear Advisor?

If the person has a doctorate, use Dr. If you aren't sure, use Dr. and they will correct you.

Many adjuncts have doctorates, so they are Dr., by the way.

I doubt the advisor is an adjunct, though.

Use capital letters where appropriate, and correct punctuation. Strive to craft a grammatically message so that you appear respectful and intelligent.

You didn't go to college yourself, did you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:well it's not clear to me if these are "professors" or just adjunct faculty or instructors, but humor me. What is the proper way to address an advisor (that's the person who seems to have gotten the most bent out of shape)? Dear Advisor?

Dear Fake Professor would be best.

[Anonymous]

Professor here.

There is usually a pattern. Students who are very casual with profs and who write sloppy, casual emails are not the top students. They often struggle in the course as well.

Also I write a ton of reference letters for jobs, grad school, law school, med school etc. and I always look the students name up in me emails to see if they communicated with me and how. I am not going to write a reference letter for someone who can't even ask for it in a professional way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:well it's not clear to me if these are "professors" or just adjunct faculty or instructors, but humor me. What is the proper way to address an advisor (that's the person who seems to have gotten the most bent out of shape)? Dear Advisor?

Dear Fake Professor would be best.

Maybe we need to define "advisor." My kid's advisor at a top 10 LAC isn't a Dr. or even an academic at all.

[Anonymous]

So there aren't any schools where most/many faculty prefer to be called by their first names? You think OP's DD was just wrong about that?