Why are teachers still referred to as Mr/Mrs/Miss X?

[ChimaeraEgg]

Idle musing of the day but why do children still have to address teachers using their surnames? I assume that originally this was a respect thing and due to the fact that it was normal to address people at work or other adults as Mr/Mrs X? But I'm 32 and never in my adult life have I addressed another adult using their surname. School is the only place I have done it.

@incrediblytired my gp surgery has a big screen that goes across and mrs x y z is on it when its your appt telling you which room to go ton, so I don't think its data protection and my gp has never called me by my first name either .

I think it's good for professional boundaries.
Regarding general life, I suppose it depends on the person. I have lived in France for a few years and in my experience, they tended to be more formal so it was always M/Mme/Mlle X. This was in shops, banks at work etc... even with neighbours until they got to know me. I quite liked it in the end as it meant something when you got to first-name terms. In France and other countries, this level of formality is possibly built into the language like the use of 'vous' and 'tu'. Maybe I am old-fashioned but I like it, overall.

My kids schools, from primary to secondary to College don’t do this. The primary and secondary also have no staff room and everyone cooks and eats, goes on holiday etc together. There is definitely no lack of respect, quite the opposite. The kids are expected to help with keeping the school in order, general DIY, dish washing, cooking and tidying for a bit at the end of each day.
The schools are private, so I guess people buy into the sort of culture they want to create, and for me it was finding a place where people, either young people or older, were valued and respected for who they were, and nobody felt the need for ‘distance’ or ‘authority’ created through artificial boundaries. Of course, I’m aware not everyone would either like to work like this or choose to have there kids educated like this, but it works for these schools. They are lovely places to be, and the students are massively proud of and invested in their schools.

My DD teaches ballet part time, all the dance teachers are known as MIss Anna ( of whatever their first name is), even the married ones are called this way.
I think its quite sweet.

In the old days we never knew our teacher’s name.

Yes!

@speakout

My DD teaches ballet part time, all the dance teachers are known as MIss Anna ( of whatever their first name is), even the married ones are called this way. I think its quite sweet.

It's the one thing I absolutely refused to do!

But I came from a drama background where teachers were first names. I called all dd's ballet teachers Miss or Mrs surname. It was my one act of rebellion (didn't stop her getting to vocational school!)

I'm quite old so there are very few of my friends' parents still living. Two who are though still send me Christmas cards signed MrsSurname, I could never have called them by their first names although I've known them for most of my life.

Gosh I'm old too and parents' friends were always first name.

MIL had a neighbour (MIL is 84) who was about 20 years older than her and a deputy head. MIL also became a deputy head. Neighbour was Miss Jones and always called MIL Jenny . I think even as a 25 year old married teacher, I'd have been less deferential in 1961 - I know my mother would but would have remained unfailingly polite.