Today in class a student asked why they can’t call teachers by their first name? I know In Denmark they use teachers first names. I always hated being called Mrs. I have been teaching for 22 years and I still hate it. Wondering what other people thought.

likehelpful
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We are teaching the youth to be upstanding adults in society.
So we create a sense of role between teachers and students, and prepare them for future life with Sir, Your Honor, Your Majesty, Mr. President, General, and other kinds of formalities befitting each person and circumstance. Just my opinion!

likehelpful

I think it’s a great way to show someone respect. I will call my coworkers many times mr or Mrs and honestly do that many times to my kids. So many times kids complain that teachers don’t respect kids and this is a very easy way to show kids respect.

likehelpful

Completely agree! At my first school, we addressed coworkers by our honorifics. Shows consistency with students (and as a young teacher my coworkers easily could have been my teachers, so also out of respect for seniority). But I will use the same with kids as a way to show respect—the street goes both ways!

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We allowed our elementary students to call our support staff Ms./ Miss/Mrs./Mr. and their first name. It became to familiar and they did not show the respect to the support staff. Things have improved the past 3 years when we had them begin calling them each adult in the building Ms./Miss/ Mrs./Mr. and their last name.

likehelpful

I love hearing from everyone. It’s interesting. I’m not going to let my students call me by my first name. I tell them when they graduate from high school they can but not until then. I think it is interesting that Denmark and Sweden use first names and I’ve had students and teachers stay with me from Denmark and I feel they do have respect for one another but it’s a different culture. I still hate being called Mrs. 😆

likehelpful

I would actually tell them in ANY situation they should take their cue from how a person is introduced or introduced themselves.
I tell kids "My name is Ms. -." They could run into that in "the real world" so a good life skill is to pick up on that.

Students should address teachers formally to show respect and to keep an established distinction between those you seek for adult help and supervision. We are not buddies, we are teachers. That doesn't mean we are not friendly, but I am 50 years old.... I am not "friends" with a 12 year old, and those distinctions are important for maintaining appropriate educational practices.

likesmart

I agree. I tell mine they can call me by my first name if they add a Ms. in front of it. I teach elementary. I don't think I would do it in high school because there need to be solid boundaries there imo.

likehelpful

Just to show some respect at least for teachers in degraded society. It’s a way to preserve the authoritative figure.

likehelpful

One of our teachers is called by her first name because her last name is hard to say, and the kids respect her completely. Another teacher only goes by their last name with no honorific because they're non-binary and our kids are very respectful of that. Obviously in our school it's not a rule. Nearly all of my students use my honorific and last name, but I have a few students who are long time family friends and they call me by my first name, and of course my kids called me Mom, lol. I think it's possible to maintain professionalism and use whatever name the teacher is comfortable with. I could ask my friends' kids to call me by my formal name and they would, but I'm not bothered by the first name thing.

likesmart

Maintain professional distance with students and employees at all times.

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I tell my Seniors that I call my principal Dr…, I refer to other teachers as Mr… and Mrs…. Or Ms…. . Also refer to my seniors as Mr… and Ms…. They want to be grown so bad so I honor that in each of them. They love it! It eliminates the desire to call me by my first name. I had to think outside the box on that one. It seems to help. I hope that helps

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RESPECT! That is what I always say. I won't tolerate being called by my 1st name

There are a lotvof professional situations where, in our culture, we use a title to acknowledge a difference in roles and recognize a person's expertise.
I csll my doctor "Doctor" and not "Deb" or "Ralph".

Using first names denotes a PEER relationship. Teacher - Student is not a peer relationship. Boundaries are there for a reason.

I don't want my students to call me by my first name, unless they grew up as family friends and then not in class. My son's friends are in school and call me Ms. F..... even when they come to visit. Their parents do the same.
I do not mind if they just call me by my last name, but that doesn't happen after I changed my last name when I got divorced. When I was married the kids called me just B---- or B. Now they all say Ms. (or Mrs.) F------. I think it has to do with the name. Our current principal was really strict about making sure they used Mr./Mrs./Ms. her first year here, but has relaxed. We don't have a specific rule, but I don't know any of my coworkers who let students call them by their first name.

A wise teacher told me that when they graduate then they have earned the right to call me by my first name… gives them something to reach for

Great perspectives. Though I do feel that respect comes from more than a title or name.

Definitely, but it is a part of it

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