“Miss” and “Sir” in schools

[MyCleverGrayBear]

Been to lots of secondary school open days recently. At the state secondaries the children showing parents around etc called the teachers “Sir” and “Miss”. Is that normal? I haven’t heard this IRL ever.

(To be clear, “Miss, this parent wants to know about languages at school” vs “Mrs Jones, this parent would like to see the sports centre”. But also in a couple of classrooms there were children constantly saying “Miss, look at this, Miss, I’ve out the sign up, Miss, shall I stand here” etc and it was incredibly grating.)

And why are female teachers “Miss” and make teachers “Sir”? I felt like I was in a bad 80’s Grange Hill episode and Benny Hill was about to run in and chase me 🫣

They can, of course. But in many schools, they don’t call them anything. That’s fine too. Children can converse politely in a corridor with an adult without using ‘Sir’ and ‘Miss’.
You’re talking about the school you have experience of. I’m talking about the schools I have experience of. You’re talking as if there is only one way. I’m reminding you that schools are different!

Or they just say "please can I have a pen" .... "Please can you explain this to me..." Etc.

seems like the use of name /title is often superfluous tbh.

Yep, when a child puts up their hand to ask a question, I think they rarely use the teacher’s name. They tend to say ‘please may I go to the bathroom?’ No names required.

*AnnieAzul *

Since you don’t work in a school and are not a teacher and hundreds of actual teachers are telling you you are wrong why don’t you just mind your own business and worry about actual issues in schools rather than manufactured bullshit to be outraged about.

Where I’m from (NZ) the terms Miss and Sir are not considered equivalently respectful at school which is why it’s Sir and M’am, never Miss. I guess I will have to put this down to (yet another) cultural difference between Nz and Uk.

I’m not outraged but you seem too outraged to consider my view anything other than manufactured. my opinion was valid at 14 and is valid now, you don’t need to agree of course.

btw I do work in education.

I think plenty of people in the UK either agree with you (or would if they really thought about it)

The school next door to us have the pupils call the female teachers Ma'am which is quite nice. They bring this tradition with them for sixth form.

Completely normal at my secondary school over 40 years ago, also when my now 30-year old daughter was at secondary school and also for my daughter-in-law who is currently a teacher at a secondary school. All UK.

Sir if a commissioned officer of His Majesty or someone knighted by him.
A schoolteacher is Mr. Not earned right to be called Sir

I remember it being like that in one secondary school I went to, but in the other we usually used miss/ms/mrs last name and mr last name.

Its all first names in my children's schools, which I much prefer, except for when I'm trying to email a particular teacher and I have no idea what their last name is so its hard to find their email.

It was like this when I was a school in the 70s when my children were at school in the 90s teachers at their schools were called Mrs or Mr X they didn't like Miss or Sir.
Now things seem to have gone full circle

It seems to work fine in the rest of the world.

Another example of the misogny on this thread.
the stupid female teachers in the UK who all think it’s fine just haven’t thought about it. Far too dumb to do so.
seriously, what arrogance from another person who knows fuck all about state secondaries.

Maybe they will bring back women giving up work when they marry next, just to complete the circle

Please do explain to me how my comment is misogynistic? It's not a word to throw around lightly.

*WindsurfingDreams *

because you are repeatedly telling female teachers on this thread (hundreds of whom have said they are absolutely fine to be called Miss) that they are wrong and should be offended. It is suggesting these professionals are stupid and that you know better even though it is very clear that unlike them you are not a teacher in a UK state secondary.
if a man was doing it then it would be mansplaining as you are telling people that they know nothing about a subject that they clearly know far more about than you.

I have no idea whether any of the people on this thread are male or female, not whether or not they are teachers.
You have no idea whether or not I am a teacher

But you aren’t a secondary teacher in the state sector which is what this thread was about. And if you were you would be perfectly entitled to tell the kids they mustn’t call you Miss. Obviously and rightfully they would think you were an utter bellend if you did but you would totally be entitled to request it.

We can disagree though?

Do you react this way when a student disagrees with you?

If a female student said they thought the titles were old fashioned and unequal would you tell them they were wrong and accuse them of calling you stupid?

I can assure you it’s very obvious you are not, not in a state secondary anyway.

*AnnieAzul *

If you ever work in a state secondary then feel free to ask to be called whatever you want, until then me and the hundreds of other teachers on this thread will be as we are thanks.
yes I would tell them they were wrong and explain why.

It was normal at my school (mid/late nineties), at my son’s first secondary school it was ‘ma’am’ and sir. Second secondary school it was Miss and sir

Firstly I do work in the sector.

Secondly, the students I come into contact with would never think someone an ‘utterbellend’ for having a different view.

The students I come into contact with do think there’s an element of misogyny with the titles being unequal.

How so?