- What do you Think?? REFLECT: Perhaps you have a name or you can recall a classmate with a difficult name to pronounce. Predictably, year after year, teachers butcher the same name. What was the outcome? Was it awkward, long-lasting, humiliating? What was the impact??
I had a fairly simple last name, but few pronounced it correctly. It was Traynor (emphasis on the "or), but everyone said "trainer". That didn't bother me so much, but the nicknames sometimes did (physical trainer, potty trainer etc...). I also have a fairly simple first name, but many teachers insisted on calling me Caroline or Carolyn, although it is just Carol on my birth certificate. Knowing this I try to take my time to learn my students names, their
actual names, and ask for preferred nicknames if they have them. My friend, Apostole, was first generation Greek American and people had been calling him "Uh-Bust-uh-luh" ( busty, for short) for so long that I remember being surprised when I first saw the spelling of his name and heard his mom say "Ah-post-o-lay". It stuck with him though grade school and only really got corrected when he moved onto college. He was a good sport about it, but when he pushed for the correct way later on he showed a lot of pride in his heritage versus embarrassment.
- Now What?? How might you become a “calibrator?” What steps will you take this school year to learn student names properly in your class? (avoid a side-show!)
I am happy to say that I already identified most with the calibrators while listening to the podcast. Although at the beginning of my career I sure was a fumbler bumbler. At the start of the year when I do roll and my seating chart I write phonetic spelling next to the names on my roster. I also explicitly tell my students that I want to say their name right, apologize in advance that it may take me time, and give them permission to butcher my name daily if I don't get it right. I may check out the website mentioned in the podcast that allows me to listen to pronunciations in private before I have a student repeat it too many times and save on a side show.
