General Chat

I don't understand why it should be different for young people. :-S

As for the police, they could do with going back to school and learning a few manners themselves. In their reports they usually refer to somebody by their surname only ( no Mr/Mrs or first name). Admittedly the people referred to in those reports don't normally deserve much respect; but referring to people by their last name alone is a bad habit.

what Title adults use to each other is one thing, but children up to school leaving age should be respectful and use an appropriate title, unless agreed otherwise ..............can you imagine walking up to a policeman and saying "oi john, what's all this then?.


what I find offensive is the manner in which the term "sir" is used by the police(for example) depending on the inflection in the word/phrase............
Bob

When I was at school (many years ago) was the last time I ever called anybody Mr or Mrs (Surname). So it makes me wonder why we did so back then. I can talk to people now without using their surnames without coming across as being disrespectful.

Maggie, Summerhill is an interesting experiment and I'm sure it's the right thing for a few children but most children prefer some kind of structure. However, a little freedom within the structure is beneficial so we don't turn out automatons as Mr Gove would seem to prefer.

I've never had a problem with children calling me by my first name in the schools where it's the norm. It doesn't had a detrimental effect on discipline, in my experience, because it's what everyone is used to.

One of my friend's grandchildren does not call her by any name.. she hates it he calls his grandfather granddad but she does not warrant a name apparently. He said to his cousin also a grandson can you ask your grandmother for such and such.

However I am with DET on what is the done thing in schools etc.

When I was at school we had one Math's Mistress who called nearly all of us by our surnames (we hated it). I say nearly because she called one girl by her first name because she could not pronounce her surname and another girl who was known to all of us as Annette she called Anne and Annette did not like that at all. No one dared challenge that teacher. She was very much a disciplinarian, she would even tell you to clean your shoes etc as though you were in the military.

Do you belong to a Union? What would their reaction be? Some, if not all, of the qualified teachers will belong to a Union, so ask one of them to contact their area office etc.

What does the teacher's rep on the board of governors think about it? Can you ask them to raise it at the next meeting, or is that were the edict came from?

I've worked in a Secondary School in one capacity or another getting on for 20 years. Although some younger support staff wanted to be known by their first name, the majority of us oldies would be horrified if the students started to call us anything than Miss, or Mrs X.

To a certain respect, I can understand if a parent said 'Call me Jane' (or whatever) and expect to call you by your first name, but that should be an individual agreement, certainly not blanket permission for everyone to call staff members by their first name, children included.

Students do need to learn boundaries - they won't make a very good impression if they were call the MD at their first job by their forename without being invited to do so.

Gwynne, thank you for the link.
I think any school would do well with a 1:5 teacher/pupil ratio!!

I can't understand how just 1 parent requesting it would mean it became school policy.

Ask the same parent to insist all the TA and SNTA MMS and cleaners get a pay rise this year to make up for missing out last year......she seems to know how to get the school system working her way :-D

kitty thanks for that info. i wonder then if you were all told it was to become the rules to be called by your first name and you had no choice in the matter, how would you all feel?

I guess what's really eating me is that we were not asked if we minded but that a parent has insisted and therefore the powers that be have agreed to their request. Since when did it become ok for a parent to tell me what to do? And do i not have any rights anymore as an employee?

What if another parent disagrees and wants their child to address teachers by miss/Mrs etc.. what would happen then i wonder?

honestly, if we were just allowed to get on and do our jobs without interference and all these unecessary changes, then maybe our children might be able to get on with learning what they are supposed to!!

Florence
in the hebrides :-P

Recentish news about Summerhill

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/summerhill-alumni-what-we-learnt-at-the-school-for-scandal-2373066.html

My eldest said she found it very difficult, when after years of calling teachers Mr Mrs or Miss, she went to Uni and called the lecturers by their first names. She said it sounded strange and took a while to get used to it.
Even now if she sees her former teachers out she refers to them as Mr Mrs etc.

The youngest, who attends Comprehensive, refers to everyone who works there from MDAs to teachers by Mr Mrs or Miss. Its a bog standard school, no airs or graces, it just the way the school opperates.

I think there are circumstances where first names could be appropriate but for the majority it does set boundries.

Had a quick straw poll at work today..............all said no to first names being used.

That's why I'm intrigued about what they are now doing :-D

Children from progressive schools do usually work and are often very resourceful, something which is often lost in the need for conformity in the more pedagogic approach to learning.

They have the confidence to utilize their own creativity.

Primary school children learn from the onset that there are certain situaltions when an address is needed,.they carry that for almost all their lives,,,,,,,which is a good thing,but small infants wouldnt use a first name and concider a teacher thier mate.

My daughter, a teacher, wears her name tag and all her class use--------Please MIss, :-D.she posed the use of her name to the children and they said,,,they wont call her by name as shes,,,, Teacher,,.her TA is Miss/Mrs or Mr.


Most of us when down memory lane wil still refer to our past teachers as------Miss /Mrs /Mr and possibly the use of a nick name we had for lots of teachers

:-D.


I'm sure growing up some people were known to us as Mrs Smith/Jones or Brown.....yet the man down the road was known as old Jim or Jack from across the road......it was the thing.and if we refered to Mrs Smith/Brown/Jones by christian name we were soon put in our place.

Young teens at school perhaps will feel more on level with a teacher on first name terms...as long as its realised that on those terms,they are still a teacher and not a mate.


Perhaps schools should ask the parents if they agree that thier child call their teacher by their christian name,

Times change. Tends to get overlooked that the parents are the employers and children are customers. If you want respect then you gain it by your approach to life . That's a two way street of course and applies to children too. Reminds me of a recent report that emerged in connection with the Ukraine crisis. A British diplomat based at the British Embassy in Moscow was reprimanded by a Russian policeman for not respecting him. The diplomat replied "but I do respect you" to which the policeman looked puzzled and said "but how can you if you are not frightened of me".

I'd love to know what the Summerhill children are doing now - what sort of employment they go into when they leave etc.

I see it's 'academics' putting their noses in again!
What I found ironic, was, the 'academic' speaking about it on Radio 4 this morning, kept using the term 'Christian' name.
Not being Christened - I haven't got one of those, so they can call me Mrs :-D

Children will respect those who deserve to be respected regardless of what they are made to call them.

I can only remember having any degree of respect for a couple of my teachers and they would have been the ones who could tell the difference between that and fear.

I think it is a mark of respect to be called Mr, Mrs , Miss etc. Surely most children don't call their parents by their first names.

Two of my grandchildren are at a school where their aunt and uncle teach, at school they are Mr and Mrs ? at home they are auntie and uncle.

I didn't have children but I am pretty sure I would not have wanted them to call me anything other than Sharron and made it quite plain when I took on a job as dinner lady at the primary school next door that I would only stay until they found somebody else because I objected to bring called anything other than Sharron.

I didn't want all that bull!

Long live A S Neill!