Ok, wow! Being born as Eva Kaloshis, I often used to wait during the attendance calling. The pause was me. Regardless that my older siblings also attended the small rural school district, my name was often mispronounced. I did pick up a few collaborators along the way, who really wanted to nail it, but I had just as many who wanted to nick-name or go with their own version of my name.
As a Sweet Home teacher, I get a lot of names in front of me. My plan, is first day, I give it a go and ask how the kid likes to hear their name. Many will give me an "English" version (I go by). Other's don't. For the others, I usually try to touch base with the person, on day one, and say "I'm going to learn your name. Please let me know if I'm not getting it right". This almost always brings on a smile. And, I do work on it. Eye contact and an affirming nod can go a long way!
Over the years, I find myself truly identifying my first name with an A sound vs an E. It is who I am. It is. how I introduce myself. When I hear the hard E, I'll say, "I pronounce it Ava". I used to say, which ever one you like is fine, until someone asked me what I call myself. I recognized that my internal person deserves to have external voices address me correctly. I will try to do the same for others. Thank you for this article.
As a Sweet Home teacher, I get a lot of names in front of me. My plan, is first day, I give it a go and ask how the kid likes to hear their name. Many will give me an "English" version (I go by). Other's don't. For the others, I usually try to touch base with the person, on day one, and say "I'm going to learn your name. Please let me know if I'm not getting it right". This almost always brings on a smile. And, I do work on it. Eye contact and an affirming nod can go a long way!
Over the years, I find myself truly identifying my first name with an A sound vs an E. It is who I am. It is. how I introduce myself. When I hear the hard E, I'll say, "I pronounce it Ava". I used to say, which ever one you like is fine, until someone asked me what I call myself. I recognized that my internal person deserves to have external voices address me correctly. I will try to do the same for others. Thank you for this article.