I have lived both sides of this issue. People have always mispronounced my first and last name, Jayna (Jay-nah) Galley (Gal-ley), even though I think it's pretty straight forward. Now many people, including my students, mispronounce my married name, Pawlak. The good news is, I usually only have to correct them once, but it was still a frustrating experience. I'll never forget the track meet where my name was called for high jump (an event where you only have a limited time to show up and complete your jump before it's counted as a miss), but it was mispronounced and the official became angry with me when I finally realized it was me he was calling and stepped up to my mark. The mispronunciation became a running joke between me and my best friend's family, but in the moment it was a stressful situation.
Now, as a teacher, I sweat on the first day of school. I do not want to frustrate, offend, or cause confusion to any of my students. I don't want them to feel foreign in my classroom. Sometimes I look at a name and feel like I shouldn't even guess out of fear of butchering it and instead write it on the board. I don't do that, though. I want everyone to feel welcomed, so I do pride myself in being the teacher who asks students to repeat the pronunciation several times, as uncomfortable as it may feel. I also check in over the next several days to ensure I have memorized the correct way. I am very glad to have read about the resource Pronounce Names. I saved it to my bookmarks and double-checked a few names of the students I currently teach. I believe I have the best intentions, and now the resource to support me.
Now, as a teacher, I sweat on the first day of school. I do not want to frustrate, offend, or cause confusion to any of my students. I don't want them to feel foreign in my classroom. Sometimes I look at a name and feel like I shouldn't even guess out of fear of butchering it and instead write it on the board. I don't do that, though. I want everyone to feel welcomed, so I do pride myself in being the teacher who asks students to repeat the pronunciation several times, as uncomfortable as it may feel. I also check in over the next several days to ensure I have memorized the correct way. I am very glad to have read about the resource Pronounce Names. I saved it to my bookmarks and double-checked a few names of the students I currently teach. I believe I have the best intentions, and now the resource to support me.