To expect my sons teacher to get his name right?

[ohmyohmy123]

My son has had the same teacher for 2 consecutive years - and she still spells his name wrong. It's not just spelt incorrectly - it's a different name. He gets quite upset about it. I have pointed out the mistake multiple times but had his school report and it's typed wrong again on it.

It's not a hard name either.

He's only got another few weeks of her, should I just let it go or do I send her another email?

I would speak to her one to one about it.

My first name, which is quite ordinary but has three alternative spellings, is often spelled incorrectly, even by people who've known me for years. I've given up on that but it was never wrong on my school reports or on any letters sent to my parents about events in my year. It is sheer carelessness to do that, especially as it has been brought to the teacher's attention.

When my DD was in year 7 4 different teachers referred to her as he in her end of year report, she was also streamed into the boys PE class instead of the girls one when she first started.
She has an unusual name but it’s not unisex and definitely a girls name.
I emailed the head of year and the head of each department to ask for the correct report as we had accidentally been sent the wrong one, I got an apology email from the head teacher and her report was reissued.
DS1 is in year 7 and I’ve just had his report and 1 teacher has referred to him as her I’ve emailed again and I’m waiting for their reply.

He does have a boys name but it’s short form is unisex so maybe more understandable but still bloody annoying! (Think Samuel and Samantha both being Sam for example)

Is it wrong on the register?

DS name was once wrong on the register and the teacher didnt notice until the kids where all like 'whos Aidrian? we only have an Aiden in this class'.

When I was in school with had an Indian Maths teacher who always pronounced Ross as Rose... it really upset Ross but no matter how many time it was pointed out he still got called Rose for 3 years straight.

It's wrong on the electronic student record. This record will be uploaded to the high school so it needs to be corrected. Speak to the school admin team/office, not the teacher.

What name does she call him to his face, and when she reads out the register? Because if she says it wrong I would advise your son to correct her every single time!

I might be totally off the wall here, but is it a foreign name? This happened to me all the time and it was the teacher doing her bloody stupid "oh it's so hard to pronounce these foreign names hahaha". She was just fucking racist. Name was very simple and easy to say but she would add it extra syllables to make it sounds stereotypically like a name from where I'm from. It was racism, plain as day.

@Yubaba

When my DD was in year 7 4 different teachers referred to her as he in her end of year report, she was also streamed into the boys PE class instead of the girls one when she first started. She has an unusual name but it’s not unisex and definitely a girls name. I emailed the head of year and the head of each department to ask for the correct report as we had accidentally been sent the wrong one, I got an apology email from the head teacher and her report was reissued. DS1 is in year 7 and I’ve just had his report and 1 teacher has referred to him as her I’ve emailed again and I’m waiting for their reply. He does have a boys name but it’s short form is unisex so maybe more understandable but still bloody annoying! (Think Samuel and Samantha both being Sam for example)

That is a poor show!

I’m a head of department and have to proof read all of my department’s reports. It’s a long task but it ensures things like this don’t happen. I read each one twice. The first time I make sure the name matches the name of the pupil and the pronouns are correct. The second time I check overall accuracy.

It does take time, but it means I don’t have to then get reports reprinted and phone parents to apologise.

Send it. Remind the teacher how many times you have asked for it to be spelt correctly. Spell their name wrong.

I returned DS's one year as it called him she instead of he and referred to him in part by the wrong name.

They sent out a corrected version eventually.

@ohmyohmy123

Actually....I guess it's like Robert and Rupert.

I know exactly how irritating this is! I am a veteran of having this happen to me. All through school. I won't say my real name but it's slightly unusual. But I get all different things said and always have. Names that aren't my name, my name pronounced horribly.... I even answer to the wrong name at the doctors because I know exactly what that garbled bullshit means. It's like if my name was Elode, and people called me Melody, E-load, Ellie, Eh-lod, Ella etc.

It's fucking infuriating that a teacher is doing this to him either out of spite or sheer laziness. Neither is appealing in someone who is meant to teach children

I work in a school and usually I'd say it's a mistake on the system or whatever but if she's had him in her class for two years AND you've spoken to her about it then that's outrageous!!!!
I'd have taken it further before now to be honest.

What's her character like? My approach would depend if I thought she was doubling down because she was annoyed at being pulled up on it, scatty and forgetful, or generally lovely but having a brain fart on this one issue.

@ohmyohmy123

I thought about sending an end of term gift with the wrong name.

I.e. Mrs Summers instead of mrs Somerset for example but that's just petty haha

And that gift should be a plaque inscribed

HIS NAME IS

A friend of mines parents went through something similar when we were 10/11.

Teacher kept saying/spelling name wrong to the point where friend got into trouble for getting upset and correcting her in class one day. (Parents had written letters, been for a meeting with headmaster and teacher in question but problem continued).
Long story short, parents were called in as friend had 'been disruptive' over correcting teacher. Ended up in a heated arguement between teacher and parents and teacher told friends parents they were the ones who had been pronouncing and spelling their dd name wrong...
As you can imagine it didn't go down well at all.
Teacher was off for a couple weeks after that and when she came back she said and spelt it correctly. We only had her for another 8 weeks and then went to secondary school.
She still teaches in same school that my ds is starting in September and he has a name that can be spelt differently and pronounced different... so we shall see what happens there...

I'd write to school and let them know, it's not only for your sons benefit but for other children too. Who's to say it doesn't happen to another child down the line. Teacher needs to be more aware.

Oh and friend had a name like Elle and was being called Ellie.

Or a mug with ‘Mrs Somerset from Robert not Rupert’ printed on it.

Oh and friend had a name like Elle and was being called Ellie.

I've worked with 2 people who spell their name Elle but pronounce it Ellie, it always confuses.me as i n my head it's wrong but I consciously say it correctly because it would b e rude not to!

I wouldn't get her an end of term gift. Instead I'd have your son write her a card with his name spelt correctly, and then I'd add a note about how you let him decide whether to get a gift and due to her failure to know his actual name he decided no because she obviously didn't care about him.

I would send the email, especially after 2yrs!!

A lot of people at my work spell my name on email with an 'ie' at the end even though in my email signature is my name spelt with a 'y' .. once can be a mistake but repeatedly I think shows a lack of care.

Make an official complaint. That is horrifyingly sloppy. And uncaring.

@Maireas

Weird. It can't be wrong on the report because it's generated by the registration system. (including image of said child) No-one "types it in"? anymore. Unless it's a small private school that's a bit behind with IT?

Do they? What the heck did I do then? I wish I knew I didn’t need to do it in my state school.

Yeah, @EastWestWhosBest - it was clarified upthread. Obviously my Academy Trust and the neighbouring ones are unusual in that the assessment sheets are pre-populated with student names. It's a good time saver, teachers waste hours on pointless administrative tasks. Commented in good faith.

@Maireas

Weird. It can't be wrong on the report because it's generated by the registration system. (including image of said child) No-one "types it in"? anymore. Unless it's a small private school that's a bit behind with IT?

Not necessarily- I type the names on my reports and work in a big Academy chain which is very up to date with IT.

@longsigh - it's worth asking your data manager to do this - honestly it saves hours! It also reduces errors, as this problem highlights.

[quote Maireas]@longsigh - it's worth asking your data manager to do this - honestly it saves hours! It also reduces errors, as this problem highlights.[/quote]
Hilarious and unlikely- do you even work in school? We have to print our own reports as the office staff don't have time to, I don't think that asking them to type the names would go down well.

I do work in a school. A state secondary.
Click on Sims/bromcom, whatever your system, click your group code, the list comes up with all the names on
Enter data and comments. Just done it for yr7. Not hilarious at all.