I recently experienced the same issue a few weeks ago! A student pulled me aside as I was walking around the classroom and said, “Mrs. Utzig, you know you’ve been saying Daniyah’s name wrong all year!” I was absolutely mortified. I have always tried to make a point to know each student’s name 2-3 days into the school year and create a classroom environment where everyone feels welcome. I immediately apologized to the student and asked again for the correct pronunciation. When I asked Daniyah why she didn’t correct me, her response was, “I didn’t want to make you feel bad.”
The two lines from the podcast that resonated with me was “recognize a person for who they want to be seen as” and “make every student feel important.” I have had a few students approach me discussing LGBTQ and what pronouns & names they preferred to be called. These instances and discussions have reminded me of how essential it is as educators to be calibrators. It is ok to humble ourselves in front of students and to slow down our teaching pace to show students we care about them. Striving to be a calibrator will take effort and patience. However, getting a student’s name correct can make a huge difference and show the utmost respect.
The two lines from the podcast that resonated with me was “recognize a person for who they want to be seen as” and “make every student feel important.” I have had a few students approach me discussing LGBTQ and what pronouns & names they preferred to be called. These instances and discussions have reminded me of how essential it is as educators to be calibrators. It is ok to humble ourselves in front of students and to slow down our teaching pace to show students we care about them. Striving to be a calibrator will take effort and patience. However, getting a student’s name correct can make a huge difference and show the utmost respect.