Part 2: Pronouncing Names... Kind of a Big Deal

I never had a teacher who gave nicknames to avoid pronouncing real names, but I also went to a small-town rural school with extremely limited diversity. I have also never been the teacher to give nicknames. Considering the Hollywood story, though, I can see how that would be extremely offensive, especially in the face of an award or accomplishment. Using nicknames is a tricky game because you never know how the person will respond to it. I suppose the biggest factor is why the nickname came to be. Is it to commemorate a positive trait or memory surrounding that person, something they could be proud of, or is it out of laziness in learning their name, something that casts shame?

What would be a great opportunity to grow would be to take the time to learn about the predominant cultures of students who live in the district, including key beliefs, traditions, common words or phrases. For names specifically, learning how certain syllables are typically pronounced, to be able to identify patterns. 

1. What do you Think??  REFLECT: Do you recall a student who had a “nickname” given because others’ couldn’t pronounce it?  What was the effect?  What are your thoughts about the Hollywood story provided?

I had a family friend growing up whose name was Olutope Ayorinde. His family was from Nigeria, and his name meant "A gift from God" "Happiness comes home." Teachers would often try to shorten his name to "Olu" and didn't understand why that upset him. Olu means God, and he didn't like being called that because as a Christian he found it offensive. Growing up, he would allow people to mispronounce his name because he didn't want to seem disrespectful, but I think now he's confident enough to put the onus to pronounce his name correctly on others. 

The Hollywood story isn't surprising. There are so many stereotypes about Black Americans naming their children things that aren't words or don't make sense. These stereotypes rely on a sense of ignorance or a general lack of education, and people don't think about the fact that naming hasn't always been afforded to Black Americans because of our nation's history with slavery. Particularly in the 70s, Black Americans began trying to find names that connected to their West African ancestry, changing the spelling and pronunciation to better fit in with English. Regardless of whether or not people are trying to connect names to heritage or just think something sounds nice, everyone deserves the respect of correct pronunciation.

2. Now What??  OPPORTUNITY TO GROW: What steps can you take in your class or school that will show respect and honor toward one or more of your students?

I can encourage students to learn one another's names and correct pronunciations so we can have a community where people respectfully correct one another and hold each other accountable. 

1. What do you Think??  REFLECT: Do you recall a student who had a “nickname” given because others’ couldn’t pronounce it?  What was the effect?  What are your thoughts about the Hollywood story provided?

I do recall a student who had a nickname, and I was part of calling this student by their nickname. I think I just assumed that they wanted to go by this, and I really didn't ask them. I know now that I should be more conscientious and put in work to call others by their desired names/pronunciations. 
The Hollywood story was very eye opening, it really made me think about how important it is for people's names to be pronounced right. I think that if someone doesn't know how to pronounce a name correctly, they should put in the work to learn to pronounce the name correctly, as I think that pronouncing a name correctly or putting effort into doing it correctly shows a sign or respect to the person. 

1. Now What??  OPPORTUNITY TO GROW: What steps can you take in your class or school that will show respect and honor toward one or more of your students?

One of the most important things to me in the speech room is rapport and my relationship with my students. I am a firm believer that the better my relationship is with them, the more willing and engaged they will be in tasks. I think that the first component to building a strong relationship with these students is pronouncing their desired name correctly. I think that putting in effort to pronounce their name correctly would help build trust between us! I will continue to work to pronounce all students names correctly!

I do recall students that have nicknames given and it was similar to the Hollywood story of a shortened version. I was usually into the shortened name because it was obviously much easier to say. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I also think it depends on the kid. Seemed like very often, they were good with it, but I do respect the actual full student names. I like the tools she suggests or being humble & ask and to write it down phonetically next to the actual name to practice. 

I do recall instances when a student was given a nickname because their full name was hard to pronounce. In the past (before knowing better), I may have been grateful that it was easier on me to learn. But, now I know more about how much value is in someone's full name. It can tell you about their family, their heritage, and it represents their place in the world. The Hollywood story about the young actress is a good example of a chance for all of us to grow. Even though many people might be offended at first about calling it a "micro-aggression," I do think it is one. In my own classroom, I will continue to be a "calibrator" as much as possible. I will continue to check in with my students to make sure that I am pronouncing their family names correctly. I will use any tools available to me to remember the correct pronunciation, and I will help others (such as Special Area teachers) learn the names correctly as well. 

We have many students who use a name other than the one they were given at birth. This is for so many reasons that I rarely ask why they go by a different name. I always ask the student what they wish to be called because I think that is extremely important. They should have ownership of their name.  When checking out books, our system requires me to type in the name of record. This can cause confusion and/or embarrassment.  When this occurs with a child whose records show a non-traditional name, I always tell them I think their name is beautiful. If their face lights up I know this is really their preferred name but that over the years, it has been discouraged. I always offer to learn and call the student by this name. The choice is always theirs to make. Our ENL teachers always encourage students to use their given name not the one that was assigned to them when they were little. I love this practice and am happy to be a part of the change.

I have had students that preferred to be called a different name.  I always respect their request and make a note of it.  I wish there is a spot in powerschool where we could put a spot for 'Preferred Name'.  This would help so the student would not have to go through it every first day or for a substitute teacher.  When we honor and remember students' names, they feel seen, heard and respected.  It helps all students to feel safe and accepted while in your classroom. The Hollywood story was really unfortunate; renaming someone is never okay.  To show kids you respect them, do whatever you need to, to get their name correct. Say it, write it down, practice it, check in to make sure you said it correct... 

I always ask students what they want to be called; whether their name is Ava, Mohammed, etc. If a student chooses a nickname over their given name, I will ask the student to pronounce their name if I am unsure how to say it correctly. I will then ask them if they would rather me call them by that name. Occasionally they will say yes, but they are always happy someone is taking the time to learn how to say their name. Again it goes back to respect. When  I listened to the clip about Ryan Seacrest, I see it as a self-centered, disrespectful action. He just looked at her as a child not worth the time to learn her name. He was too important to worry about respecting her. He couldn't see past himself in order to make her feel comfortable. Instead he embarrassed her and tried to make light of it.

Relationship building is the key to a successful classroom and taking the time to learn how to pronounce kids' names correctly is the very first thing we need to do to establish trust and respect.

The Hollywood (Ryan Seacrest) story was interesting. Where the "white" harder to pronounce names had a higher priority compared to the "black" harder to pronounce names in Hollywood and on the red carpet. It definitely can show the dichotomy and hypocrisy between different races, genders, religions, cultures, etc. Again, just like the Part 1 questions, it shows the importance of correctly pronouncing student's names in our classrooms. And being brave, bold, and confident enough in one's self to get their name right and to not settle for a simpler nickname, etc. Like I said previously, I've done that with two students this year. In the future, I want to hold myself more accountable in regards to getting their name correct and calling them by that name for the entire year, no matter what they say/tell me to do. It's all about respect, relationship building, and getting someone's name right! =)