What would a non binary teacher be addressed as?

[GemGEmGemster]

dd’s school expects all teachers to be addressed as ‘sir’ or ‘miss’. She’s just asked me what a non binary teacher would be called. Any ideas?

@ambushedbywine

[Insert despair for society emoji here]

Yup. We've come a long way...

@poorbuthappy upthread it says its pronounced as mux

Sounds like a cat coughing up a furball

Saying mx makes me sound like I have a speech impediment.

One of my favourite authors has a female detective who insists of being called sir instead of ma'am. I think I'd like to be called sir. Or lieutenant in the characters case. If she's called a bitch she corrects them to Lieutenant Bitch

Teacher or Teach

Whatever the teacher would like to be called.

DS has a NB teacher. Her name is Mx Smith* and she said she’s happy to be called Miss or Sir.

*Not her actual name.

Just ask them?

Mux as in mucks?

Maybe they should just drop the title - hey why not?

I used to work with quite a few ex army types ‘Kong!’

@cushioncovers

Same as in hospitals. If you're a nurse you get called nurse if you're a doctor you get called doctor. So the kids can call their teacher, teacher.

Actually usually if you are a woman you get called nurse and a man doctor so I don’t think that’s the most helpful example

I have huge respect for your daughter for even acknowledging that someone might have the need to be called something else and considering it. More of a human than many people on this thread

@Soontobe60

Pronouns - Miss, Mrs, Sir are based on a persons sex, and not gender.

Miss, Mr, Mrs, Sir aren't pronouns.

Pronouns are i/you/he/she/it/we/they etc.

And it makes no sense for 'he' or 'she' to be replaced with 'they' because that word already is in use and means a group of people being referred to. 'Preferred' pronouns really need to revert to 'it' or another word, as the person is still just one.

When I was teaching the kids called me "Miss" even though they also called me Mrs-Surname. They also called me Mum at least 10% of the time, and that was a secondary school 🤣

I can't see choosing what to be called working, simply because the kids will forget constantly.

Although I agree it would be great if all teacher were referred to as "Teacher" instead of Miss or Sir, which as others say aren't logically even equals. Mind you in Japan all teachers are called Teacher / Sensei and its incredibly unequal regardless - when I taught there female teachers were still expected (though technically not forced) to give up work if they married!

DH teaches in a school for neurodiverse students. They call the non-binary staff member Mx SupportStaff. All the students have EHCPs, no-one seems to struggle with the title. The he/she/they issue, I gather, is a bit more complex.

It’s Mx as other posters have said. Mx Jones, Miss Jones, Ms Jones, Mr Jones…Pronounced ‘mix’. Kids do it. They’re respectful. Job done. 😀

So far we have mix, mex and mux. Clear as mud!

@Stompythedinosaur
No, compelled speech is not ‘perfectly normal’.

I, nor any of my teacher colleagues, have had to tell our pupils ‘how’ we identify. They know my name, they know what the male teachers are called. They still call everyone Miss, regardless of our SEX. That’s the honesty of children for you.

If the teacher was female, I'd say 'Ms'. Male, idk, maybe they would give some guidance? Eg at start of term - teachers rarely tell students their first names. so you would be guided by them.

@AnnPerkins

DS has a NB teacher. Her name is Mx Smith* and she said she’s happy to be called Miss or Sir.

*Not her actual name.

But she’s clearly female - as you have pointed out 4 times in your post.

Sorry, @Sandynorm, you’re correct. I meant titles rather than pronouns.

Its not addressing the teachers by title-name that children struggle with (after all they have teachers with the title Dr. as well as Ms, Miss, Mrs and Mr) - its when they just say "Miss" or "Sir" without a surname, because they've forgotten the name or are just using the general term for "person in charge" (which is why they accidentally say Mum so often obviously).

Whatever they tell you to. They will have decided on pronouns and titles and the class would use them.

Mx. pronounced Mix is what our non binary staff member is called. But as a teacher for 20 years I am a Mrs and am called all sorts, Miss, Mrs, Sir, teacher, mum…along with the rude names. Lol in a school I taught at overseas I was Miss “first name” rather than surname. The kids are more relaxed about pronouns and titles than other adults

Why are they always teachers...

You don't say - "do you know who was sitting there, it's left it's coat?" Do you @sandynorm ?
You say "they've left their coat".

"Everyone loves their mother."
"Someone is humming, could they stop please".

Singular they has been in use for at least 600 years, don't pretend it's not a thing to suit you're own agenda.

Anyway, as others have said, generally they would use Mx. It's not hard to get your head round using non-gendered titles. I had a teacher called Dr Smith, we didn't call her Miss or Mrs, we called Dr Smith, because someone's title is their own choice. (Oh look, there's that pesky singular "their" again).