Sidwell, Maret and Georgetown Day-- Are all the families very liberal?

[Anonymous]

My children's school encourages its students to call their teachers by their first names. I also do quite a bit of substituting at the school. On one hand, there are some situations in which the students do not give teachers enough respect -- particularly substitutes. I don't know if the "first name" business has much to do with this, but it is difficult at times to let the children know who is in charge. On the other hand, my children are much more self-confident at this school than I was at mine. They engage in real dialogues with the teachers, and the teachers encourage the students to challenge ideas and question what they are taught. I think the "first name" business is more symbolic of a school's attempt to respect and value the students' ideas and independence, and to teach them that they are equally valued members of the school community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone think of a private school where the teachers are required to also address the children using honorifics? Master John and Miss Mary?

This is what we do at home and I don't want dcs attending a school where the illusion of respect only goes one way.

Am I the only one who finds this odd?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not an issue of who is in charge, Doris, Hillary, Billy Bob and everyone else who thinks it's OK for my pint-size people to call their teachers by their first names. It's a matter of respect, as well as a recognition of the fact that, no matter how PC and universal you want to pretend to be, 6 year olds and adults are not peers.

But that was my point -- a 6-year-old can call an adult by first name and yet not be under any illusion that they are peers -- as long as the adult makes it clear who is in charge.

Now if you're wondering whether people who allow themselves to be called by their first names are generally good at making it clear they're in charge, I'd say you would have to take that on a case by case basis. There are indeed too many people out there who are afraid to say "no" to kids but it doesn't necessarily correlate with going by first names. In my old neighborhood, the toughest parents were the moderate Republicans and then came us, the far left-wingers, then another set of moderate Republicans with the most lax family being the far-right conservatives (they yelled at the kids but never actually followed through with consequences).

[Anonymous]

Maret is quite liberal but you would be surprised by how many conservatives there are. 33/477 children voted (in a mock election) for McCain. If that in any way helps you put it into perspective...

[Anonymous]

7%? That's pretty low.

[Anonymous]

According to a post on the presidential poll thread, the results at Maret were:

93% Obama
4% McCain
3% Nader