Watch how North Carolina teacher Barry White Jr. greets every student with their own special handshake each day as they enter the classroom.
How do you think this contributes to team-building? And to personalized learning? What else could contribute to it?
Do you think pronouncing our students’ names accurately and respectfully is a true welcome into classrooms by teachers?
As a teacher, I always ask students what they prefer to be called. Do you think this matters?
What do you think it means when your teacher changes your name?
Read these three articles:
The Death of My Mexican Name (By Edith Treviño)
Learn Their Names, Learn Their Story (By Aliza Werner)
The Names They Gave Me (By Tasbeeh Herwees)
What do you think? Comment on the stories you’ve read; you can summarize them, give your opinion…
[Thanks to Teach Thought for sharing the first video]
Reading those texts I discovered how important it’s to say your name how you want, how really they feel and the importance of the own names. Of course it will be great if all the people at least try to pronounce the names correctly and of course don’t be shy if they say your name incorrectly. Also we can see how racism or discrimination is still present in our society.
After having reads these texts I realize of the racism that exists in the world. Any professor can change your name. Your name is your identity. I think that because if your teacher tries to learn your name it makes you feel important. I understand that the teachers don’t remember all the name’s because they have many students during the school year. On the other hand we shouldn’t exaggerate if they don’t remember our names
In the first text, the teacher discriminates her student in front of the whole class and Maria Edith Espinosa Yepez was ashamed of her name during the rest of her life in the United States. She also lost her real name.
My opinion is that everybody should be respected regardless of where are they from.
My opinion in reference to the second text is that teachers should learn the names of their students and if one of them is difficult to pronunciate because the teacher has never heared it, he should find a solution like a nickname.
The last text explains us another similar story and I reaffirm my opinion: the history behind a name is unique and we mustn’t change it.
Reading these texts has made me aware of how easy it is to make someone feel bad and the racism that still exists. Your name is your personal identification, something special. It is difficult to remember all the names but it is no reason to change the names of someone who has a name difficult to pronounce in our language.
Thanks to these texts I have an idea about the importance that the names will have and how it can produce different effects in the persons about all on the emotional part. In my opinion not only the teachers also all persons should ask or think if the form how they are saying the name of someone it’s correct because it won’t be important for it or these person prefers to be calling different because maybe the name can describes him or his culture or he/she feels more comfortable. On the other hand it’s also responsability of the own person to say if he or she is agree or not with it.
After reading those texts, I’ve seen how people can change your identity with no respect to you and your culture with the only reasn that it’s difficult to pronunciate. Sometimes I have to correct the teachers about the pronunciation of my name too, the first letter of my name is an O but it pronunciates like an U and it’s frustrating when I correct him or her and they just ignore me.
After having read the texts I think that the name is an important part of your personality and all the people should try to pronounce it well. But the names and their pronuncatiton are different in each country, for this reason if your name is not of the country where you live you have to understand that can cost people pronounce of it, but this people shouldn’t change your name because they don’t know how to pronounce it.
After having read these texts I have realized the importance of our names and how a change of that can affect us because that aren’t only our names, are our identity, and sometimes our name means something as in the case of Tasbeeh. Now I know how feels a person who have a name difficult to pronounce because in the case of Aliza nobody pronounces good her name.
I’m so disgusted with this type of teachers! In my opinion, some of them should have another job, because embarrass the students isn’t one. There are some names that are difficult to pronounce, but the teachers have to ask and try to know how it pronounces for be fine with the pupil. If some student, like Tasbeeh, tells to the teacher that his name isn’t like that and wants to change it, the teacher has to respect that! Finally, I think that this racism, favouritism, etc., has to disappear because these things only hurt innocent people.
After reading these three testimonies I think there are people can feel hurt, discriminated or embarassed when teacher changes their names, as the majority there are persons from other country, that has another culture and a different religion.
To avoid this I think the teachers should ask before how do you pronounce or how they would like to be called.
So the teacher offers respect and the student can feel good and also it can be better their relation.
I think that the way teacher’s don’t even try at all to learn student’s names or the way they are correctly said is a total lack of respect for students. I cannot imagine what they must feel like.
When a teacher treats you like that, it makes you feel like you’re not important and that you mean nothing.
Don’t let nobody in the world say your name in a way it isn’t said. Rectify them as often as necessary because if you don’t, this people will keep saying your name that way.
Your name is your identity and there’s something in that that nobody can take away from you. Don’t let them do it.
I think that your name is very important because is a mark of your identitiy.
Some time the teacher change your name or don’t remember the name because they have a lot of studients and a lot of names that he have to learn, but i think that their can
try to learn all. But if teacher don’t remember your name don’t worry.
Since my point of view, I think that those articles are teaching us how important is to have an self-estim and don’t let anyone makes you feel uncomfortable or ashamed with your name or of the country, where you come from.
There are different types of teachers, but teachers are human just like us, which it allows them to commit fails, but there is the thing, nobody can’t demigrate us or don’t respect us. Teachers can’t call us how they want, because it’s unfair. Yes, it is. Try to call them how you want and you won’t come back to school. Well, there are difficult names, but teachers have to make an effort to pronounce it good, and not put a nickname because maybe this person didn’t give you the enough confidence, and you maybe believe that is funny or you will remember it better with this new name, but wether they are feeling awful, embarrassed or they have felt ridiculous since you called them like that? Just think about, it’s not a joke.
NO TO RACISM!
I think that teachers like that are those one who we always want in our lessons because they have always different ways to treat us and I think that at the time of teach the students, you create a previous confidence and security between the teacher and the student, who encourages good study and better results.
In my opinion, when a teacher don’t learn your name you shouldn’t get upset because teachers have a lot of students so it’s something normal, but when a teacher don’t want to learn your name it’s when there’s a problem because there’s a lack of respect, a sign that someone doesn’t need even to know your name when they are going to see you many times. Names are important because they are part of our identity but we will always find someone who don’t call us by our name.
While I was reading those articles I realized how disrespectful a person can be towards a foreign or unknown name. The fact that every teacher did not have the decency to even ask how to pronounce their names it shows how they do not have empathy. Doing that, the teachers, unconsciously, took away the student’s personal identities and cultural background of their own names and also made them feel ashamed of their names.
In addition, I felt somehow connected to those stories because I came from a country that is compulsory to have two names. Sometimes teachers or authorities would call me by my second name without even asking which name I would like to be called by.
Nevertheless, some teachers make the effort to ask the students how to say their names when they are not common or foreign. So at the end I think this would be a great thing to do: when you do not know something, ask!
I have noticed that in these 3 cases can see how people discriminate other people even by their own name. And I think that teachers have to try to say good and not change the name it to make it more easy for them.
Because in my opinion in this cases I see a bit of racism by the teachers, and the student’s feels inferior.
This cases they should not happen because the name is very important for a person’s personality and it should be prohibited to discriminate by name.
Reading the texts made me realize that there are people that don’t have any respect about names of another culture or country.
The teachers of this texts didn’t even ask how it’s pronunciated or where are from or whatever, they just gave a ‘new name’ to these girls that they didn’t want and that aren’t comfortable with.
In my opinion, teachers should take the time to memorize or even ask how to pronunciate a name that they never listened to. Doing that, students can be more comfortable in the class and with the relationship with the teacher.
The first story that I read about Maria Edith was the most inspiring. I can’t imagine her struggle being called by a name that she didn’t accept. I really admire how she wanted to protect her identity and how she fought for the Mexican culture.
In the second story, while reading about Aliza and her experience with her name pronunciation, I realized the importance of being called by the correct name.
Because of this experience, I think that every student deserves to be comfortable with the way a teacher calls him or her.
In last story, about Tasbeeh, I was a bit concerned reading that she didn’t like her name just because the teachers or students didn’t know how to pronounce it. On one hand, when she explains how she started loving her name again, I felt relieved and proud of her. On the other hand, I was mad at that teachers that didn’t have the decency to try to say her name well.
In conclusion, everyone have to respect and at least try to pronounce a name. I think that it isn’t a complicated thing, and I’m sure that the student will appreciate it.
When I was reading those articles I was thinking about how people can be so ignorant and and that not care about the feelings of others because of his words. Maybe some teachers are not aware that some students prefer one name or another. And then they should ask to make their students feel good because in this way, the teacher shows little interest in them.
Nevertheless, not all teachers are this form because there are some who spend their time for getting to know you.
After reading these text I realize that there are teachers who they do not have respect for other people, especially if they are from another country or culture.
I think that there are a lot of names that are very difficult to pronounce, but is not a reason to change the name of that person because probably they feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.
Moreover, these situations cause different problems with some classmates that they laugh because this person have a different name from another country and they use nicknames to make fun.
In my opinion, it is important to make people feel comfortable with their identities and their cultures, because it’s one of the most important part of you!
Currently, there are a lot of large names all around the world from many cultures.
While I was reading the case of Maria Edith Espinosa Yepez I found that the teacher has behaved in a despicable way to the girl. It can be unusual name, but all teachers have to try to pronounce good and learn to all names of their students. So, they do not feel uncomfortable.
In conclusion, from my pointy of view I think that they should let you choose how do you want to be called, because you will feel more comfortable.
After reading these three articles I think that some people can feel discriminated or embarassed when the teacher changes their names, because sometimes some teachers don’t have respect for other people, for example when people are from other countries, religions or even other cultures.
To avoid this situation, teachers could ask students how their names are pronunced, or want to be called.
In this way, I think that the relationship between teacher and student probably would be better.
Reading these text, I have come to realize the importance of names and good pronunciation of these. It is normal that people feel offended if teachers don’t try to pronounce his name well or change it by other totally different from his real name. Since it seems that the teacher does not show interest in the student and doesn’t care how you feel. In my opinion,the teachers would need to ask how you pronounce the name of the student if you have never heard it to make the student feel more comfortable in the class and the relationship between them is better.
After reading these text i notice that the names are so important for all of us. Are part of our identity and it´s normal to want the right pronuntiation of it and is inacceptable the bad pronuntation or the change for other more easy to say. I think that the teachers of these text are so insensible with the students feelings but they doesn´t have the intention of doing any damage at all it was a problem of missunderstanding with the child´s feelings. Anyway these text may can be helpfull to all of us and reminds us the importance of our personal name that was giving it to us in the right moment we born and follows us all our lives.
In my opinion, if a teacher doesn’t want to learn your name you have to find a solution, like explaining the situation to your parents or another teacher, because it’s a totally lack of respect.In the other hand, if a tacher doesn’t remember your name, you don’t have to be upset, because teachers have plenty of students and it’ia difficult task to remember all names. Also, I think that children have to choise the pronuntiation of their own names to make the situation more comfortable and to increase the personal relationship between the teacher and the student.