Calling all teachers!

[Dollydaydream99]

Please share your name stereotypes - the good, the bad & the ugly!!! ??

Re read my posts. Not once have I actually categorised any names under a heading. I've just added my experiences.

And Haiva, this isn't my thread. It's not for 'my amusement'. I'm grown up and intelligent enough to work out that just because I once taught a vile Emily or whatever, that the next one that walks through the door will be the same.

There's far too many people taking themselves waaaay too seriously here. Get down off your pedestals.

Nobody else is taking this in quite such a serious manner. Clearly I don't give a rats arse what you choose to call your child, that's your business. And I won't judge that child when he/she arrives at my door as I've taught enough kids to know stereotypes are just that.

Doesn't mean my experiences won't affect my viewpoint though; I loved the name George. It was top of my name list for a future son....then I taught a run if really naughty George's. It put me off choosing it for my child but it certainly doesn't mean I think all George's are naughty!

You think the plural of George is George's?

And you think "I've taught both delightful and vile of;" is a valid phrase and should end with a semicolon?

What sort of teaching do you do?

The George's thing was autocorrect. I didn't check it. Mea culpa.

The rest is me just be a tired mum of two small children with a business I'm running in my spare time too. I'm knackered & have a stinking cold. I made a typing error. Mea maxima culpa

I also have a first class degree from one of the country's best universities, an IQ of 135 and have been rated outstanding in every Ofsted I've been through.

I'm pretty new to MN, and wow, it's proving to be every bit as I was told it would be. Think I'll be rescinding my membership & heading back to forums where people are a little less judgemental of people with differing views to their own.

Not once have I actually passed judgement in any name. I've defended at every point the fact that whatever experience I have had, it doesn't affect my view of a child that comes to my classroom. Let me repeat in words of single syllables. I DO NOT JUDGE KIDS BY THEIR NAMES.

There always seems to be a race to claim the moral high ground by some elements. "Let he who is without sin....etc. etc. etc.."

Sometimes people are only saying what others are thinking, including sometimes the ones clambering onto the pedestals. If we were all perfect then it would not only be pretty quiet on here, it would also be mind numbingly boring.

I would absolutely hope that teachers didn't treat my child differently just because he happened to have a "naughty" name, but I really couldn't give a rats arse if they were judging me while doing it. I judge people all the time, I think we all do, it's human nature, it's then treating people differently because of your judgements that is wrong, there are no mind police as far as I know.

In view of the turn this thread has taken I feel I need to clarify what I said about Simons. Upthread I said I never taught a sane one. This doesn't mean I didn't like them, or that they were naughty, although some were.

Every Simon I have taught has been delightfully eccentric in his own way and brought a great deal of colour to the classroom.

Teachers do try not to judge children by their names but long experience can mean that your heart may sink a little when you see a particular name. You are always hoping that stereotypes will not apply but all too often they do.

Names do matter, not just in school but in the adult world. They shouldn't but they do and it would be foolish to pretend they don't. People can be very judgemental no matter how much we may wish they weren't and I see no indication of that changing.

everlong - it seems that you are the only one who has chucked in that particular stereotype!

What I was getting at is that people think these things all the time and then berate others who have said them. They are not berating them for saying it as such, but berating them for thinking such a thing when often they have their own prejudices that they have chosen (probably wisely) not to say/type.

In that case I don't think it is fair to claim the moral high ground other than to comment that it's not a nice thing to say. It comes across a bit "holier than thou" and sometimes dishonest imho.

Do people really believe that teachers cannot assess a child by getting to know the child? Even if a teacher had a preconception about a name, good or bad, don't you realise that it will be very quickly forgotten once they start actually teaching the child. When you have a classroom of kids to deal with, you haven't got time or energy to assess whether someone is living up or down to their name.

Those people banging on about teachers prejudging need to have a think about the level to which they are judging those teachers, and writing them off as petty and shallow.

I'm amused at some of the moral outrage on this thread. And why are people trying to make out it's a thread about 'chavvy' names? A lot of the names that have been used are far from 'chavvy' and there is no impression being given that teachers associate a certain 'type' of name with naughty children.
Seriously, calm down. I don't know why some people even come onto baby names threads, they get themselves worked up into such a state.

And by the way Sandfrog, your post is the nastiest one I've seen on here.

I tend to find meeting the parents tells me much of what I need to know about their offspring.

My particular bugbear that unfortunately many teachers DO have a habit of, is judging children by their siblings. It drives me crazy.

Just because X's big brother was an oik/super clever/sporty etc doesn't mean their siblings will be the same. I suffered for it as a child "oh you're a....(surname) so you'll be sporty". Well no, actually. I'm me. Not my brother/sister/cousins.

My particular bugbear that unfortunately many teachers DO have a habit of, is judging children by their siblings

I was lucky in that I had a common surname and my nearest brother had left High school the year I started.

My two are only 13 months amd one school year apart. I feel a bit for my younger son as he does get compared to his brother a lot, and also called his name by mistake frequently. On his first day in Art the teacher exclaimed "oh you are are X's brother, are you as good at art as him?" to which he had to honestly reply "no" that made him feel great in front of his new classmates :(

He also has a teacher who calls him the "roundabout boy" as he has the same name as a local roundabout - we didn't live here when he was named. He does however prefer that to being caled by his brothers name (who incidentally is also called after a different local roundabout!)

I don't think teaches are any more prejudiced about names than rest of us.

I once had a class with four Connors in it. They were quite sweet actually. I teach a couple of interesting children with interesting names, but they're pretty unique so I'm not going to put them on the internet. Being a teacher does make choosing names for your own children challenging.

Thanks to everyone for adding to an interesting discussion!

Everlong - I am astounded at the irony in your posts, it's hilarious! You actually bombard a thread with your moans and groans about how awful "stereotyping" is and then suggest "Lexi-Mae" is a name to be taken the pee out of - NOBODY has made ANY insinuations about this name except you - how very rude of you!! I hope all the mothers of little Lexi-Mae's out there come down on you like a ton of bricks for your outrageous stereotyping - talk about shooting yourself in the foot!!!!

my thoughts exactly Dolly.

Glad you agree slender - I agree with all of your input wholeheartedly :)

And mrst2007 - I totally understand where you're coming from but please stay and give MN a chance!! Don't be put off by the "bleating brigade" - they soon get disinterested when they find another thread where they can argue that the sky isn't blue!!

actually dolly, did you know the sky isn't actually blue? it's something to do with reflected light or something, my small child explained it to me once but it didn't sink in :o

tbf, i think sometimes the reaction can come from a bit of insecurity. I couldn't care less what people think about my kids names, how I look etc etc.

I know my children are beautiful (to me) and well behaved and their names have nothing to do with anything. I am actually trying to teach my son that there is more to life than getting a perfect report at the moment. He is devastated because he got only 20 6s out of a possible 21 and only got a 5 instead. He needs to learn to give himself a break. I'd be actually proud if he got told off in class for chatting :) I'd love him just the same and he knows it. That's what is important, whether some teacher thinks he has a common/naughty/chavvy name or not is entirely irrelevant to me and him.

Spot on.

All I care about is that my child (& those I teach) are well mannered, and do their best. Names etc are an irrelevance once you get to meet the kids.

Just as an anecdote I had a class with 3 Connors, 3 Georges, 3 Bradleys, 2 Hannahs & 3 Emilys a few years ago. That was a nightmare, once I'd learned which one was which, calling 'Bradley' to have 3 say "yes, miss?!" meant they ended up having to be referred to as Brad H etc. My brain was pickled the first few weeks I taught them!