It’s ridiculous that teachers don’t know students’ names

[blondeness]

DD (15) was having a chat with me today with a couple of her friends who were over about school and then one of them mentioned that their chemistry, French, Latin, English and maths teacher doesn’t know DS’ name and those teachers teach him too.

DD and friends are known by almost all teachers, probably all by this point in year 10 as her friendship group is very loud and some members can behave arrogantly towards members of staff. So I don’t have any concern with her- well over this issue anyway!

It’s her twin brother, DS, who is quiet but does answer questions and gets the work done. However, he is not known as much as DD, nor is he as ‘popular’.

AIBU to think that these teachers who see him multiple times a week (especially core subject teachers) should know his name and not have to look at the list of students with their pictures to identify him and his equally meek friends?

I work part time and see approximately 180 different pupils throughout the week. I'm in a core subject but none of my classes are completely the same as the one that I started with in September. On a weekly basis I have pupils moving in and out of classes, new students joining, some leaving to go to different school. Since Christmas I have had multiple timetable changes, some where two sets have merged together, others where I've taken on a completely different group. This is due to staff leaving and us doing our best to keep the majority of pupils taught by a subject specialist rather than long term supply. Some classes I only see once a week. My most recent timetable change was after last half term, so I've only seen some of these kids for about 3 weeks now. Under these circumstances I wouldn't know all the names anyway but on top of that I'm heavily pregnant and baby brain is taking its toll. Maybe you don't know the full picture OP.

Is your daughter sure her friend had the right teachers? Or could she have asked "do you teach x's twin?" and they didn't make the connection? I also agree they might well remember his name in context but less well when put on the spot by another random student.

It's also worth remembering that his teachers may not have taught him for a whole year. There may be supply or switching of teachers or your son may have moved classes frequently.

I do think it's sad if someone who's taught him several times a week all year doesn't know his name by now.

Remembering all students' names must be a nightmare. At DD's parents' evening in February her art teacher had a sheet on his table with all the students' photographs next to their name. When I said her name he was blank, he only sees her once a week for 45 minutes. But the visual prompt of the photo was enough to remind him who she was.

DD has a name which sounds like another girl in her class - like Jill and Julie - and lots of teachers mix them up. Can;t say it bothers me, tbh.

I usually know the names of the loudest students by the end of the first class. That's actually not a good sign.

I also refuse to discuss other students, even down to whether or not I teach them, as it's none of their damned business.

Secondary school is different to primary. In primary you generally have your class of 30 and that is all you will teach for the whole academic year. Easy enough to remember really.

Secondary you will teach different classes of 30 throughout the day. You could end up with 120+ students a week. I wouldn’t remember all of those names either.

I teach in a college but my class sizes are smaller so I generally do remember everyone but it takes a concerted effort at first.

All our teachers at schools knew our names, so I just assumed it was norm.
I suppose more would struggle than others, so when writing reports do the need a photo of all the kids to know who they are writing about.

A lot of teachers get ds and his best friend mixed up. We nor best friends parents complain as we do too when they are together. Talk about separated at birth! Lol

You get to the bad ones first, think of this as a positive sign! Start worrying when your child's name is prefixed with 'that', as in 'that Joe Bloggs', apologies to any Bloggs by the way.

You get to know, is what I meant.

I wasn't making a comparison Hercule I was just making a statement of fact.

YABU. It would be unreasonable in a reception class of 30,it is not unreasonable in a secondary school where teachers can teach 400+ kids a week.

Your DD sounds like the one to focus your attention and parenting our of the pair.

If core subject teachers have taught him for the whole year they will know his name. Don’t believe everything you hear.

No they don't. At our son's school, there are teachers he's had 2 or 3 years who still don't know names and are still using the sheet of pictures at parents' evenings. I found it odd the first year parents' evening close to Easter, so after two terms, but gave them the benefit of the doubt, but when the same teachers did the same the following year, I couldn't quite believe it. Unfortunately, it seems that it's only those who stand out (for good or bad reasons) that get the attention from teachers.

YANBU in my opinion. I’m a secondary teacher and I would absolutely know the names and faces of my core KS4 classes by now. I really don’t see how you can’t k is it when you’re expected to enter data for them on a termly basis and to be closely monitoring their progress.

I do understand it’s harder when you are maybe seeing a year 7 class once or twice a fortnight, but still, by this point in the year? No excuse.

I do think parents evening is a bit different as out of context and not in uniform it can be really difficult to place people.

YANBU.

The number one top teacher technique I teach to trainee teachers is - know your students name.

It requires effort on the teachers part to a achieve but ‘your name is the sweetest word in the world to you’.

It is number one for making people feel included in a lesson, it is number one for making sure that people are addressed quickly and promotes feelings of safety and security which in turn allows for risk taking, greater challenge and potential academic stretch.

This is really interesting, and not something I’d given any thought to before (my kids are primary age). But a question for the teachers on the thread who are saying they can’t be expected to know all the kids names ... do you manage to get to know the kids at all? Surely you need to be able to identify which ones are struggling or may need some more help or identify any other needs they have?

You remember the names of the kids who are a pain in the arse because you are always saying their names, usually in the context of 'shut the fuck up' but said in a nicer manner. As said by most PPs, secondary teachers see hundreds of kids every week. I am hopeless with names but good with faces. I often find myself about to call DGD by DD2's name for example. The teacher will know who your son is and appreciate that he is well mannered and not 'behaving arrogantly' towards the teachers. I would be nipping that particular trait in the bud.

YABincrediblyU OP. I think that it is ridiculous that parents expect teachers to know by sight every student's name that they teach, all of the time. Even with core subjects.

Yes, we do manage to know the kids 'at all' in terms of tracking their data, have ways of writing down notes and feedback on them, know where they are in actual lessons, using a seating plan and can use that when calling out names etc. This is so we can carry out Parents Evenings and write reports, etc.
Sometimes mistakes can be made but in secondary, teachers are teaching between 200 and 300 different children every week plus another 32 or so as Form tutors. So it is understandable to get a name wrong here and there.

Heck, having just marked 286 end of year exams, most of them don't even know my name properly - the different spellings of a not difficult surname is prevalent and not uncommon. Do I berate the students for this? No.

Ex seconadary teacher here, in September I would probably have 6 groups so as many as 200 pupils, I usually knew them by October but in most classes there would be a couple I had problems distinguishing, I usually told them they were my Whatsit and Doodah . Seeing pupils on Parents' Evening could be a challenge when they were dressed up in their civvies with loads of slap.

I teach a non-core subject that rotates kids through different teachers/projects, so I meet nearly 400 across the academic year and I'm part time! I haven't got a hope in hell of remembering all of them. I do make an effort and if they're sat in their seating plan it's fine. At parents' evening I see them coming towards me and sometimes think 'have I even met you?', it's quite terrifying. I do not have a memory for faces or names. I'm otherwise a very good teacher. I do know the names of everyone in my tutor group and exam groups. I can't believe your son's core subject teachers don't know his name by now.

I used to teach 600 kids a week, and have a tutor group. I knew the tutor group, and I knew most of the kids, but I needed photos for report writing and parents evenings, especially as I taught three subjects (my main plus two others).

If he is 15 and in GCSE year then the excuse of "only see the class for 1 hour a week" surely doesnt stand. By year 10 they would be having at least 3 lessons of the subject per week otherwise they would never have time to cover the GCSE content.

By the end of year 10 the teacher should know a lot more about the student than just their name (I.e. target grades, mock exam results, strengths and weaknesses, students they do/dont work well with, SEN requirements, access arrangements and so on). If they dont even know the students name how are they going to teach them effectively?!

If he is 15 and in GCSE year then the excuse of "only see the class for 1 hour a week" surely doesnt stand. By year 10 they would be having at least 3 lessons of the subject per week otherwise they would never have time to cover the GCSE content

There are GCSE classes I teach 1 lesson a fortnight as they are shared between 2 staff.

I also teach 3 x yr8 once a fortnight, there are some that despite it being 3 weeks from breaking up I don't know their names straight away - it happens as we are human although going by the multiple teaching bashing threads recently we should be automated, mind reading robots

I'm a cover supervisor at a school with just short of 2000 kids. Am/pm form plus 5 lessons - I can see 210 kids a day, 1050 a week. Really really hard to get to know names!