Teachers: It’s mid-March. Please spell my child’s name correctly already!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So mistakes are now micro aggressions? Jesus.

After you’ve been politely corrected for 6 months, it’s either a micro aggression or the person is an idiot.

My last name is French. Everyone is always pronouncing it wrong and in all different ways. They often spell it wrong too. Should I be telling the kids’ parents that they’re commuting a micro aggressions and are like totally probably racist and ignorant because they can’t pronounce my French last name correctly, nor can they spell it right? Lol!!! There are SO many names in this world and unless one is super common than it’s not uncommon to say them wrong or spell them wrong.

Get it over. I’ve been over it my whole life.

Yeah, this is really very minor.

Any name that is different will be pronounced wrong and spelled wrong. I have a not very common English surname and I answer to all the ways it is pronounced and misspelled.

If you have a name that is not John Jones, Mary Smith, or something super simple, it's going to be mangled. It's best to learn to live with it early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love teachers, and I know it’s been a long, hard year so far. I know my kid’s “foreign” name is not one you’re used to. But it’s mid-March! Can you spell the name correctly already?!? It means a lot to my child and when you get it wrong, they think you don’t care enough to try to get it right, no matter how much I try to reassure them.

Thanks for listening and maybe being a tiny bit more careful.

Depends. Is this a high school class where I'm seeing 6 classes of 30 kids? Or is this my primary elementary class? How "foreign" is the name?

I have had students who had very difficult (for me) names. I did learn to spell them - but sometimes pronunciation was still an issue. I taught at a school with many native American (south western/ northern Mexican) students. One of my students was named Xochitl. This was a common name in that community. I learned to say it, but I'm told I never said it quite right. My significant other has an Indian (from the country we call India) name. Again, I try but I know I don't pronounce it quite correctly. The spelling of his name is horrendous and nothing like the way it sounds. If he was my student I would have had a terrible time.

Teaching high school there are many students who I fear I may not have learned their names quite right. This year I have two "Rebecca"s in the same class. I don't know if they're "Rebekah" or "Rebecca" or "Rebeca"... or whatever other creative spelling people come up with. But with so many students - I hope they're happy I at least call them the right name.

[Anonymous]

The teachers on this thread are defending either stupidity or laziness. Not a good look either way. You have 130 students. Ok, make flash cards. The student’s picture on one side, their name on the other. It shouldn’t take longer than an hour to memorize. Take some pride in your work.

[Anonymous]

My child got tired of it and now calls himself Tom. It's taken care of it but now he has to explain what Tom has to do with his legal name. But it has stuck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love teachers, and I know it’s been a long, hard year so far. I know my kid’s “foreign” name is not one you’re used to. But it’s mid-March! Can you spell the name correctly already?!? It means a lot to my child and when you get it wrong, they think you don’t care enough to try to get it right, no matter how much I try to reassure them.

Thanks for listening and maybe being a tiny bit more careful.

How many teachers does your child have? How many teachers are doing this? Is it distance learning? If so, that's weird since each students' name appears at the bottom of their Zoom, etc. square. How old is your child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love teachers, and I know it’s been a long, hard year so far. I know my kid’s “foreign” name is not one you’re used to. But it’s mid-March! Can you spell the name correctly already?!? It means a lot to my child and when you get it wrong, they think you don’t care enough to try to get it right, no matter how much I try to reassure them.

Thanks for listening and maybe being a tiny bit more careful.

Aw. I was that kid/am that person with the unusual name. Not only is it misspelled, it is mispronounced. I remember feeling humiliated as a child when that happened. I love my name, but it is tough being different in that way.

This is my kid but not a hard name to pronounce. Worst is when they change it to a nickname that we don’t use or like. I told my child not to answer if it’s not his name. Few teacher get mad but oh well. Thanks to all the teachers who try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not when I have 130+ students. I try my best but it's a lot. I've got a Kelsy, two Kelssys, two Keysis, three Kellsys, a Kayse and a Kelsee. That's just one example.

Ugh. I really don't understand why people burden their children with cre8tiv spellings? It's not just teachers, your kid is going to have to deal with people misspelling and mispronouncing his/her name for their entire life.

[Anonymous]

Wlodzimierz?

[Anonymous]

If this is your only issue with the teacher, then you need to just move on. I have a very “normal” for this part of the country name and it gets misspelled or mispronounced regularly. This isn’t offensive.

Why does this bother you so much? Are there other issues with this teacher?

[Anonymous]

It is not a minor thing

It tells the child -- this teacher doesn't know you at all. This teacher doesn't care about you in the lease.There is else a teacher could do.

It means everything to a child

Even taking the emotion out of it. It tells the child- the teacher is lazy. The teacher is disorganized. Children look up to teachers as role models, and lazy and disorganized is not what they should see.

[Anonymous]

A name is identity. Would you be okay with deadnaming a trans kid because it is "minor?"

Maybe it isn't important to YOU, and for you it's a minor thing, but for some people it absolutely isn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is not a minor thing

It tells the child -- this teacher doesn't know you at all. This teacher doesn't care about you in the lease.There is else a teacher could do.

It means everything to a child

Even taking the emotion out of it. It tells the child- the teacher is lazy. The teacher is disorganized. Children look up to teachers as role models, and lazy and disorganized is not what they should see.

Well, the parent should have thought that through if there kid was going to be devastated and unable to get through life if someone messes up the spelling or pronunciation of their name.

My entire life I have had to correct the pronunciation or spelling of my name - it’s a K and people think it’s a C. Somehow I’ve managed to make it to the age of 51 and not be in tears over this each day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teachers on this thread are defending either stupidity or laziness. Not a good look either way. You have 130 students. Ok, make flash cards. The student’s picture on one side, their name on the other. It shouldn’t take longer than an hour to memorize. Take some pride in your work.

I’m 14:28 and a teacher. I have not defended this. You seem prejudiced though assuming that all teachers share the same attitude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love teachers, and I know it’s been a long, hard year so far. I know my kid’s “foreign” name is not one you’re used to. But it’s mid-March! Can you spell the name correctly already?!? It means a lot to my child and when you get it wrong, they think you don’t care enough to try to get it right, no matter how much I try to reassure them.

Thanks for listening and maybe being a tiny bit more careful.

I have a very basic name not complicated at all and people misspell it all the time! This is from family members as well as strangers. Misspelling a name does not mean your teachers don't care. Try to be less sensitive and let it roll off their backs. This is such small potatoes.

It is NOT SMALL POTATOES a persons name is their identity.

Agree! I'm a first grade teacher and it is SO important to get a kids' name right. When I first meet my students I always ask if they have a nickname the like, or what they want to be called. A name is part of someone's identity. Spell it right. Say it right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A name is identity. Would you be okay with deadnaming a trans kid because it is "minor?"

Maybe it isn't important to YOU, and for you it's a minor thing, but for some people it absolutely isn't.

+1