Having a non-traditional name often means that people are going to mispronounce it. When this happens at a young age, especially with authority figures like teachers, it can seriously affect a child’s mental health, their self-confidence and their sense of identity. Not taking the time to pronounce students’ names correctly can also leave them feeling isolated, which hinders their learning abilities.
Aware of these consequences, this parent stepped in to advocate for their daughter when they heard a teacher calling her by something entirely different. However, the pedagogue wasn’t exactly happy about being corrected and even got them in trouble with the school’s principal.
Children with non-traditional names often have to listen to others mispronouncing them
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But when it comes from teachers, it can have a serious impact, which is why this parent strongly advocated for their daughter’s name
Image credits: Freepik (not the actual photo)
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“Mispronouncing a student’s name truly negates his or her identity”
Image credits: RDNE Stock project/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Having teachers mispronounce a student’s name can not only be a frustrating experience but also one that hinders a child’s self-esteem and even their learning. “Mispronouncing a student’s name truly negates his or her identity, which, in turn, can hinder academic progress,” said Yee Wan, director of multilingual education services at SCCOE.
Research has found that the failure to pronounce a student’s name correctly impacts their world view and social emotional well-being, which is directly linked to learning. When teachers don’t get students’ names right, they often feel shame and embarrassment because their name appears to be a burden. Consequently, they begin to shy away from their language, culture, and families.
It can be hard for children to correct teachers when they mispronounce their name due to power imbalances, as they don’t want to be troublesome to people who are higher than them in social status. This can also affect the relationship between students and school staff since they feel like they are being disrespected.
Of course, not all teachers mipronounce names on purpose or out of disrespect. Some people’s general view of the world can be monocultural, which makes it harder to branch outside their culture. That’s why some non-traditional names might sound unfamiliar and be outside of teachers’ comfort zone. Despite this, they still have to show respect for the name even if they don’t nail the pronunciation on the first try. It’s not possible to know every sound combination in the world from every different culture or language, but we can control how we respond or react to it.
“Ask them privately how to pronounce their name”
Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Fortunately, awareness of this issue in schools has increased and many teachers try to do their best to pay special attention to the way students’ names are pronounced. They often do this by making use of Google and taking notes. Some school staff believe that it shouldn’t be up to the students to gather their courage to correct their pedagogues, as they might worry that this may negatively affect their grades.
When a teacher is struggling with a student’s name, Dr. Hannah Deakin-Smith, a project researcher from NTU’s School of Social Sciences, said that it’s important not to avoid it or alter it to make it easier. “Ask them privately how to pronounce their name and make an audio recording so you will remember it. We could all normalise preferred pronunciations by including an audio-recording of our own name in our email signatures.”
“Just own it,” added Susan Balogh, an elementary school teacher at Baker School in Chestnut Hill. “Don’t get defensive. Ask for forgiveness and say, ‘Shoot, I’m sorry, let me try that again.’ Students generally appreciate it when you try to get it right.”
However, their patience shouldn’t be tested. The goal here is to get the pronunciation right as quickly as possible, which usually means practice practice practice. Some teachers have each student deliver a presentation about their name’s origin (yes, even those with easy-to-pronounce names—no one should be left behind).
“The end result is mutual respect. Once you gain respect, the learning can fall into place. Students will be more able to access where I want them to go with the curriculum,” Balogh said.
Some readers thought the parent was right to correct the teacher
While others thought the parent was wrong for giving such name to a child in the first place
The post Dad Repeatedly Asks Teacher To Pronounce Daughter’s Name Correct Way, She Blatantly Refuses first appeared on Bored Panda.
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