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07.23.08, 15:09 PM Toddler
46 replies
anyone with a child in a school where teachers are called by their first names? I cannot get comfortable with this. [ Reply | Watch | Flag ]
Toddler 07.23.08, 03:09 PM Flag
 

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serioulsy?? my kids are. i went to a school like that. the oposite seems absurd and dated to me. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:10 PM Flag
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I sort of agree with you. What felt worse than the kids calling the teachers Mrs. So and so was that the parents all did it too. One teacher would send emails signed with first name only, but I had become accustomed to calling her Mrs X. Could not make the transition. was sort of infantilizing. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:29 PM Flag
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They are teachers and should be respected, do you call your doctor Lisa? [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 04:12 PM Flag
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i'm with you. it's about teaching your children to respect their teachers and elders. their teachers are their teachers, not their peers. personally, i would not send my children to such a schoo, but that may not be an option for you. if it's importatnt to you, make sure you teach your children some other way. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:13 PM Flag
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your boss is your boss and not your peer, but most people use first names in work environment. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:44 PM Flag
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Exactly. All the way up to the CEO. Has nothing to do with respect. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:56 PM Flag
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i'm not 7 years old either. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.24.08, 12:21 PM Flag
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I am a teacher who works in a school where the kids call me by my first time. While I agree it is dated to say Ms. Smith, I find it a little too causal when the kids are like 'hey Jane' - maybe at the younger age it is ok, but sometimes I walk the hallways of the older classrooms and to have a 12 yo saying to his teacher 'hey Mike, what's up' is just too causal to me. Granted I went to Catholic schools my whole life and to this day refer to most of my parents friends as Ms. Smith..... oh, and one other thing - parents who aren't comfortable with it at my school have their child call me Ms. Jane...... a bit odd, but I sort of like it.... and actually a few other kids started doing it as well. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:14 PM Flag
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can you tell I had a long camp day? :) i meant my first name... [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:16 PM Flag
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at Friends they even call the headmaster by his first name. (so I hear) I wouldn't even be comfortable with that as a parent! [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:26 PM Flag
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that is due to your uptight upbringing. luckily your dcs will have a more normal and casual experience. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:31 PM Flag
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I don't think I am uptight. I think it's important to teach kids to respect elders, esp teachers and headmasters/headmistresses. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:32 PM Flag
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np: ita with you. there is nothing wrong with calling attention to the fact that teachers are adults and authority figures. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:35 PM Flag
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I don't happen to think calling someone by their last name is a measure of respect. My dcs often respect most adults they are on a first name basis with. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:50 PM Flag
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If they're calling adults by their first names, they're not respecting them. Grow up. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 04:34 PM Flag
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not in my world. it is a new world, OK>? [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 04:44 PM Flag
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No. Respect is timeless. Calling someone by their first name is a familiarity ... always was, always will be. And that familiarity must be either earned or granted, never assumed. Honestly ... were you raised in a barn? [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 04:46 PM Flag
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as a matter of fact...lol! you need to pry that stick out! [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 05:27 PM Flag
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Nice. Is that the kind of talk you're teaching your kids? [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 05:27 PM Flag
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only if they call me by my first name, of course! [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 05:47 PM Flag
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That is ridiculous. There are entire schools who are on a first name basis. For you to say that every child who calls a teacher by his or her first name is disrespectful is absurd. Not everyone has to see things your way. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 06:31 PM Flag
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Entire schools can be wrong, you know. Hell, entire NATIONS can be wrong. I'm thinking Germany in the 1930s ... Saudi Arabia today ... etc. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 06:33 PM Flag
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Oh I see. Entire school, wrong. You, right. You really do sound like a freak. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 06:35 PM Flag
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^^ oh, and notice I ignored the inflammatory comparisons. No need to comment. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 06:36 PM Flag
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ITA! this lady is a nut. imagine there are people out there like this raising dcs! scary! [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 06:43 PM Flag
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Majority rule doesn't always translate into wrong or right. Again, I point to my two examples. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 06:37 PM Flag
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buh-bye [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 06:39 PM Flag
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In Germany they still show respect by calling teachers Mr. or Mrs. last name. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 08:18 PM Flag
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in our preschool, all teachers are Miss First Name until the preK years when they go by last names. All elem. schools where I live (not NYC) call teachers by their last names. This includes public and private. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:34 PM Flag
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dd's primary school was that way, but middle school is now Ms. and Mr. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:37 PM Flag
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DS goes to a summer camp @ a school like that--but his regular school is last names. I very much dislike the first name to address adults things. I don't like it if children call me by my first name and my kids are taught to call adults by their last name--or Sir or Ma'am. But I'm probably in the minority. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:42 PM Flag
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you sound like a freak! [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 03:52 PM Flag
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yeah, I just roll like that. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 08:10 PM Flag
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I did not apply to any schools like that. It think it is silly & find it disrespectful. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 04:12 PM Flag
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I went to a high school where we called our teachers by their first names. It took a while for me to adjust to it, but it's not like you think of the teachers any differently. They were very clearly the authority figures. It was a great school and was more challenging than college for me and I hope to send our son there. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 04:13 PM Flag
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So true. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 05:05 PM Flag
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I think the formal address is actually a good thing to get kids used to. My parents never taught me that and as a result I didn't know what to call older folks I'd meet - so I'd clam up. Imagine a scenario where your dc's brought a new girl/boyfriend to meet you and that person calls you and your husband by your first names because they weren't taught anything else. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 05:43 PM Flag
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lol, that scenario would not bother me one bit, if it does not happen I will suggest it immediately. Nobody calls me Mrs. X. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 06:35 PM Flag
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Huh? Of course her boyfriend can call me by my first name the first time I meet him. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.24.08, 02:32 PM Flag
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i teach at a school that uses only first names. when i was hired the dean gave me this reason-"the respect comes from the person, not from the title". this makes a lot of sense to me. i have worked at other traditional schools also and i do not think that titles=more respect. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 05:59 PM Flag
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ITDA, having worked at both. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 06:44 PM Flag
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I agree, especially if your last name is say "Sippy" just for an example. Our school they use first names - it's not a deal at all. In fact it seems to make the teachers more loved by the students. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.24.08, 12:30 PM Flag
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My dc's pre-school teachers are Miss "First Name". Miss Miriam, Miss Elaine, etc. I think it is a nice balance of respectful and casual. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 06:00 PM Flag
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my kid is, but they call them Ms. First Name, not just First Name. Doesn't bother me. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.23.08, 06:32 PM Flag
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I went to a school like that until highschool [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.24.08, 12:23 PM Flag
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yup. its no big deal. everybody goes by first names, even the principal, adn you get used to it real fast. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.24.08, 02:34 PM Flag
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