- 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 have had students with very long names who would go by a shortened version of their names. In that situation the student offered the shortened name and might even offer it before I attempted to pronounce the whole thing, showing that they have already had frustrating experiences that they want to bypass. In most cases it seemed to relieve the student in the moment and then just feel normal to use afterward. Sometimes I wonder if the students wanted to go the shortened name, because they felt their peers would find their name funny. Maybe we should normalize using the full names and appreciating them.
I remember Quvenzhane Wallis when Beast of the Southern Wild was in theaters, being the butt of jokes on late night TV , because of her name. When compared with older, white male peers with complicated last names, being unable to pronounce her name seems ridiculous. It brings to mind all the times "black" names are made fun of or made into caricatures. On the flip side, comedians Key and Peele turned the tables on that masterfully in their "Substitute" skit. Youtube it now if you haven't seen it!- 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 thing I try to do is address students by their name all the time. Hello, (name). What do you think your next steps are, (name)? You're on a roll today, (name). In the past if I was unsure of a pronunciation, I might avoid saying that student's name all together. That will be obvious after a while no matter how slick you try to be. They know YOU are uncomfortable and will probably get the very false message over time that something is wrong with them. One project that we start Studio Art with is a name design project. The students design fonts that express who they are as they draw the letters of their name. This helps them express who they are through their name and share their name with the whole class at the same time. I've also encouraged ENL students to feel free to make their designs in non-english characters to fully express the meaning of their name, instead of further "Americanizing" it.
