Grrrr....Teacher Vent

[Mandychelle79]

When I named my Daughter Bradyn, I gave her a really girl girl middle name, Elizabeth, that way if she did not want to go by a typically boys name, she could go by her middle. Starting in preschool, she has been known in school as Brady-Beth.

 

[kelleigh1]

The teacher is on a POWER TRIP!

 

[gina2000]

It doesn't bother me one way or the other. My DH goes by two names.....both derivatives of his birth name. People who know him personally call him one name and business aquaintances call him another. He answers to both and never corrects anyone.

I know I had a girl that had a nickname in my class.....a derivative of her given first name. It took me weeks to place her. I did eventually figure it out but I was baffled for a long time. Who IS this girl? Why can't I identify her?

Maybe that's why the teacher is insisting on using your son's given first name.

 

[Ariel Mae]

Yes, he's in 9th grade but sometimes it takes a parent to push the teacher and make him/her understand that it is a big deal

It's the same in college, too. At least, in some instances.

 

[Praying Colonel]

She hasn't piddled around with the teacher, she has asked her son to try to deal with it. Since that didn't work, it is now here time to have a reasonable chat with the teacher. After that, it would be appropriate to speak wit the principal, not before.

As I suspected, this teacher isn't going to budge. Mom confirms it. I've dealt with this type before--Mom, save time and hassle and just go to the principal.

 

[mickeyboat]

I guess if it isn't that big of a deal, then it shouldn't be a big deal to call him what he goes by.

Denae

 

[declansdad]

It's the same in college, too. At least, in some instances.

Sorry but a parent should not be involved in classroom issues for a child in college.

 

[Michelle67]

A little OT, but having to do with teachers being jerks about names:

My sister has a very traditional name with a traditional spelling, but when she was born an Americanized version (substituting "sh" for "ch") was popular. She had a teacher in grade school who repeatedly made her cry by telling her that her name was spelled "wrong" and by purposely pronouncing it wrong---which of course implicitly gave the other students permission to tease my sister the same way. My dad was furious. After about a week of this, he went to the school and told the teacher that if he wanted to spell my sister's name "s**t" that was his business not hers, and she'd better get the pronunciation right and quit making fun of his child!

My dad was always such a reserved and proper guy, but a teacher behaving like the playground bully just sent him over the edge.

 

[kelleigh1]

Now I finished reading the whole thread, so I'm commenting even more. (Sometimes I like to talk just to hear my own voice.)

Maybe he should just tell the teacher that Alexander is pronounced Storm.

My name is far too often mispronounced. It drives me nuts. I spent most of my school years correcting teachers on how to pronounce it. It's actually Spanish, yet most people would use the English version. It would have irritated me to no end if someone insisted on calling me the English version simply because we're in America. What this teacher is doing to your son is almost as ridiculous as that would have been.

In my Dad's family, the older generations seemed to always call each other by their middle names. My grandfather was Henry Francis. His sisters always called him Franny. It drove us all nuts. And honestly, my grandfather went by Henry, but his sisters still never used his first name. We always thought it was strange. But this whole thing reminds me that we never really knew my grandmother's name as it was on her birth certificate. We don't know if she was Isabelle Elizabeth or Elizabeth Isabelle. She went by Isabelle, but my mother seems to think her first name was really Elizabeth. I guess we'll have to start researching the family tree if we want to find out for sure.

Anyway...I agree that he should be called Storm as that is the name he has always used. But be prepared, and make sure he's prepared, that this will probably not be the only battle with this teacher. He's going to peg him as a troublemaker (justified or not) at this point and it's going to be a long year.

 

[kbkids]

I guess if it isn't that big of a deal, then it shouldn't be a big deal to call him what he goes by.

Denae

That's what I was thinking. What a jerk!

 

[kbkids]

Anyway...I agree that he should be called Storm as that is the name he has always used. But be prepared, and make sure he's prepared, that this will probably not be the only battle with this teacher. He's going to peg him as a troublemaker (justified or not) at this point and it's going to be a long year.

And that's the second thing I was thinking. I told my DH - poor kid, this teacher is going to be a PITA the entire year with this kid.

 

[tiggger1]

When I named my Daughter Bradyn, I gave her a really girl girl middle name, Elizabeth, that way if she did not want to go by a typically boys name, she could go by her middle. Starting in preschool, she has been known in school as Brady-Beth.

I love that name.. I might have to borrow it....if we decided to have more kids...

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Sorry but a parent should not be involved in classroom issues for a child in college.

Agreed! The parent can offer the college student advice, give them suggestions and encouragement, perhaps even role play a situation with them, but the student must deal with a Professor directly in college.

 

[Briarmom]

I agree with all the posters who'd pick this battle. I, too, usually side with the teachers. My kids aren't perfect but this one would have me in the principal's office.

I'd also ask him how he feels about changing his name. I've wanted to change my name for over 10 years, I just can't find one that fits.

His name actually has nothing to do with the weather. It was about 2 weeks before he was due and DH and I couldn't come up with a name for him. My name is Jennifer and back when I was in school half of the girls in the class had that name. I always knew that I didn't want a common name for my kid(s). Problem was, DH and I couldn't agree on anything. It became a joke, let's see who can suggest the most obnoxious name. Hey hon, let's name him Ichabod Crane! No, I really like Peabody Mightymouse.

I was reading a western at the time called "Beyond the Stars," and there was a Native American character I liked. I jokingly said to DH, "Let's name him Far Away Storm." He thought for a second and said, "I really like the name Storm," and the rest is history.

The only problem was that I drove a little Geo Storm at the time and people thought we named our child after the car.

I totally relate.

~Jessica, which is just as bad as Jennifer, and who also has a children with unusual but not Kre8ive names.

 

[EthansMom]

Update!

The teacher's response today when Storm said, "I go by my middle name, Storm," was:

"It's not that big of a deal."

Well, now it will be!

I think it's totally inappropriate of the teacher to make this into a big deal. If it's important to you and/or your DS (as it sounds like it is), I would send in a polite note to the teacher with a copy of your son's birth certificate or passport, showing his middle name. If the teacher continued to make an issue out of it, I would consider going to the principal. I don't think it's unreasonable for a student to request being called by their legal middle name, nor even an inoffensive nickname that is used by his/her family.

My daughter's legal name is Amelia but we have always called her Molly. "Amelia" sounds better as a formal name with our last name and we considered that she might not wish to be called by a babyish nickname when she's older and working as a professional. But, other than some family members who said, "Why don't you just name her Molly?" we've never had any problems with using a nickname instead of a legal name. In all honesty, if she had a teacher in the 9th grade who wished to call her "Amelia" instead of "Molly", I don't think it would be worth disagreeing with, but I don't think she'd respond as quickly.

 

[dkdaisy]

OP - I totally agree with you. Talk to the teacher (in a note or in person) and if that doesn't work, go to the principal.

My sister has a commonly-mispronounced first name and her middle name is Elizabeth. Her first name is similar to the first name of one of my cousins. As I was only 16 months when she was born, my parents thought that I would confuse the two and referred to my sister as "Beth". She was Beth my entire life. In grade school, the first day the teachers would say "First name" and she'd say, "I go by Beth". No big deal.

In high school, it got more complicated. My high school used first names for everything - study hall printouts, etc, etc, etc, so she started going by her first name. It wasn't a big deal to her because she decided that at 13 she wanted to go by a more grown-up name (her perception).

However, I spent my entire freshman year referring to my sister as Beth to my friends, teachers, etc. So when she started school the next year as "first name", I had people ask me for months if I had two sisters!

Now, she goes by her first name to everyone she's met since her first day of high school (except of few of my friends who knew her as Beth first) and by Beth to all of her family adn the few friends she still talks to from grade school. My mom calls her a combination of the two.

not really relevant, but my fun name story. Gotta love those crazy parents. They named me a formal first name because they wanted a daughter named my nickname but didn't think it was an appropriate "real name" for a person. Silly parents!

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

She hasn't piddled around with the teacher, she has asked her son to try to deal with it. Since that didn't work, it is now here time to have a reasonable chat with the teacher. After that, it would be appropriate to speak wit the principal, not before.

Exactly.

As I suspected, this teacher isn't going to budge. Mom confirms it. I've dealt with this type before--Mom, save time and hassle and just go to the principal.

The teacher didn't budge after the child spoke to him. Next step...the parent speaks to him.

I guess if it isn't that big of a deal, then it shouldn't be a big deal to call him what he goes by.

Exactly.

Sorry but a parent should not be involved in classroom issues for a child in college.

Oh dear, no; I agree. My kid would be mortified if I did (which I wouldn't do). They're adults.

Maybe he should just tell the teacher that Alexander is pronounced Storm.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

I apologize but after all of these years here I have not mastered the art of multiple quotings or I'd answer so many individual things.

I called and left a message for the teacher and will probably hear back from him tomorrow. I don't want to jump straight to the principal and doubt I'll have to go that far after tomorrow I don't know what I'll say, but, "His name is Storm and I trust that he'll have no problem using that name in your class," should suffice.

This class is an elective (that he didn't choose) and the only easy class on his schedule. Even if the teacher hates him he should do just fine.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Just a little trivia...Richard Chamberlain's full name is George Richard Chamberlain. And I don't think he started using Richard when he became an actor...I think it was when he was very young.

Carry on.

 

[Minnie_me]

OOOH - I don't like the "It's not a big deal" response!

On my first day of college, Professor Finkelstein mispronounced my unusual name when calling roll. I sweetly corrected him, as I'd gotten used to doing my whole life. He said, "I don't get it -- - I've never heard that name before, but I have heard _______. So I'll just call you that."

I responded, "That's fine, Dr. Frankenstein."

He responded, "It's Finkelstein."

I said, "I know, but I've never heard that name before."

He apologized and asked me to remind him how to correctly pronounce my name, and he never mispronounced it again.