to think that teachers really shouldn't make a judgement of a child on their name alone?

[Coochicoo]

I was speaking with a teacher at a mother and baby group recently and we got to talking about names. When I told her my daughter's name she said 'ooh, every little girl I've taught with that name is lovely', and when she heard my son's name she pulled a face and sucked the air in through her teeth and said 'they're all buggers in my experience'.

I've heard similar things before about boys with the same name as my son, and it upsets me a little that he may be judged by his teachers before he even gets to class. And if he does do something a bit naughty, as all children do, he'll be living up, or rather down, to the low expectations of him.

I don't expect teachers to pass judgement on any name, whether it be a positive or negative judgement. Surely they should see the children as individuals?

joshuas are always naughty

Ditto all ropey names like that

and Natalies etc

all made up names

You are soooooo going to get a battering now MrKrabs....

arf
its so true.
I liek natalie tbh but they are always hard as nails.

Haven't read whole thread but we DO judge people on their names, simple as that.

But Joshua for me- I'm an ex-teacher - reminds me of lovely boys! There was a Josh who was a bit of a cheeky one but hey!

So many names I love I can't have as 'Sam' picked his nose and ate it, 'Bob' was a bit ugly, 'Stan' was very difficult etc

Awful , I know, but I can't help the connotations after spending so much time with these children.

I would never had said to a parent though: 'Oh cripes not another XXX' or said anything like that.

She was prob V V Very tired and not thinking straight!

You taught a kid called BOB

was this in the 1950s?

there's only about 5 boys names i actually like.

Daniels are always a bit mean looking.

NO! Only 3 ish years ago you cheeky bugger. I called him Bobby D.

He was also known as Robbo which I didn't like and refused to use.

Recentl met a chirpy little chappy called 'Kray'.

I leave you to make your own assumptions about the origins of his name.

I teach a girl called Chynna - pronounced China. Poor kid and yes she is a handful

SIL had a reception child called Pocahontas (about 10 years ago).

I know a Ghost, Spirit, Hero, L'oreal and Ikea!

I kid you not!

Heh....I know a Frodo and a Merlin.
But hey....I still love the name Tostig, so who am I to snigger?

i knew a Nimrod but he was murdered.

On a slightly different tangent, but re teachers judging kids before knowing them, my mum (psychologist) pnce told me about a very famous study where they took class lists and randomly wrote observations (trouble maker, good student, etc) by the names before a school year. They then gave the new teachers these lists.

Many of the children lived up to the 'expectations' simply because the teachers treated them in that particular fashion (treated, for example, a potential trouble-maker as a touble-maker and the child then behaved in that fashion as it was expected of them).

Might not being judged by a new teacher with basis on your name work in the same fashion? Food for thought...

loads of typos...

Teachers shouldn't judge but it is true that some names seem to have a disproportionately high number of naughty children.

Isn't it funny how almost all the children called Paul, David, Mark, John, Steve, Jason, Kevin, Wayne, Sharon, Tracey, Sarah, Joanne, Julie, Jane and Lisa are middle-aged now?

That pretty much covers my whole class at primary school...!

They are all going to be such "old person names" in 25 years' time, like Mavis and Eric and Edna are now...

I do know one Paul, who's 11, but that's the only one who's not, erm, my age.

glad my dd's name hasn't been mentioned i think her name is lovely but she is infact a little nightmare, any teachers here what would you think of a phoebe? just contemplating names for next one and luckily the ones i have chosen also not been mentioned so feel safe in the knowledge that i'm not giving them a chavvy or uneducated name ! i know 3 josh's 2 are handfuls and the other is a lovely boy !

Is his name Callum?

The local troublesome kids in my village are called Axel and Marley.

The two Callums I've known have been on the lively side.

I am always wary of unnecessary letter Ks. I have known a Kallum and a few Konnors.

Unnecessary Ks are like wanton hyphens.
Nasty....
(and even worse, the newly emerging random apostrophe....)

I had a Teejay and a La'Kye in one school I visited. And an Amani. Yes, Amani. Spelt like that.