HOW DO YOU SAY YOUR NAME?: Nationwide push promotes accurate name pronunciation
According to Education Week, pronouncing students’ names correctly has always been an issue for teachers in the classroom. As classrooms become more culturally diverse, the cases of mispronounced names are increasing. The National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) has created a social media campaign called “My Name, My Identity” to raise awareness about the importance of pronouncing students’ names correctly. One of the main objectives of the campaign is for schools to emphasize the importance of building a respectful and caring culture in the classroom environment. Some students with names that are difficult to say could feel offended if their teacher does not take the time to learn to pronounce their names correctly. English 3 teacher and varsity softball head coach Tim Hall knows taking the time to learn a student’s name correctly helps strengthen the relationship between students and teachers.
“For me, [pronouncing student names] is really important. While some kids might think it is not that big a deal and they will tell me as much, for a lot of kids it is a huge part of who they are and their identity,” Hall said. “I think it is a fair expectation to have teachers pronounce kids names correctly. It is a matter of respect.”
According to NABE, although not being able to correctly pronounce a student’s name may not seem like anything of importance to the teacher, it can make the student feel bad for creating an unnecessary problem. Doing something simple, like taking the time to learn the correct pronunciation of a name as soon as possible, can help both the student and the teacher to avoid uneasiness throughout the year.
Junior Aaron Lum, who witnessed a student’s name being pronounced incorrectly, says that mispronunciationcan make a student feel uncomfortable.
“It can just be really rude [for the teacher to not acknowledge the correct pronunciation of his or her name] and [the other students] make fun of them,” Lum said.
NABE hopes to make more teachers aware of the fact that taking the extra time to learn a students’ names correct pronunciation can make a difference in the relationship between students and teachers.
“It is so important for the teachers and substitutes to pronounce someone’s name correctly because oftentimes I find that it makes it hard to focus if someone pronounces your name wrong,” sophomore Armon Gorgani said. “I feel annoyed especially if they keep doing it over and over again after I correct them.”
Saying someone’s name correctly the first time a person is introduced to another can alleviate stress and anxiety
from the start of the relationship which creates a lasting zone of comfort from the very first meeting. Teachers,
who need to learn many new names each year, carry the responsibility of ensuring that they can pronounce each of their students’ names correctly. Some Peninsula teachers who have made an effort to perfect their students’ names at the beginning of the school year have found the rest of the year to be substantially more comfortable.
Chemistry and Physics teacher Jonathan Stamper makes a big effort before the first day of school topractice his students names. When he takes attendance, he can refer to how he practiced and make sure he gets the names correct. This has helped him to get his students’ names right.
“I once had three Hannahs in the same class. One of them pronounced it ‘Haw-nuh.’ ” Stamper said. “It is worth the time to do your research so that you pronounce [the student’s name right] on that first day and you automatically build a bridge instead of a wall.
