Teachers referring to themselves as "Mrs" in emails to parents

[Mynameismummy]

Does anyone else think it's a bit weird that a teacher would sign an email to you (parent) as "Mrs X"? Obviously, all the teachers are called "Miss X" or "Mrs X" by both children and parents and will refer to each other that way. All the older teachers do what I do - ie write to someone as "Dear Mrs whoever", but sign off "Firstname Lastname"...but all the younger ones sign themselves "Mrs X". Obviously not an earth shattering issue, but I just find it a bit disconcerting, as though they are treating you like one of the children!

[Viviennemary]

I think signinig yourself as Mrs Smith is incorrect. Fair enough to write Jane Smith (Mrs) or J Smith (Mrs) but not Mrs Smith. IMHO.

[AnneElliott]

I think it's fine to call themselves Mrs X as long as they address you as Mrs x too. I have picked people up on that who have expected me to call them Mr x but then addressed me as Anne!

[HumphreyCobblers]

I agree that you should use first name last name.

I would not mind if the kids called me by my first name either, can't see what difference it would make tbh.

[Moln]

Can't say it'd bother me one iota. I don't feel that how someone is addressed makes them superior or better in anyway. I do find wanting to be called Mrs Surname odd, mostly because I've never called myself, or been called that myself.

If you do feel that having someone refer to themselves as Mrs Surname means they want others to defer to them, or something similar, then it's going to rankle!!

[Phineyj]

I think the younger teachers are perhaps more worried about being discoverable on social media.

[Hulababy]

I never call parents by their first name - only ever as Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms (whatever is on their child's record)

[teacherwith2kids]

sign (type) Ms Mermaid at the end of letters but would do a written signature with my first initial

I do exactly the same. When I write a letter on paper, my signature is Initials Surname, but with Mrs Tw2K typed below. When i write an e-mail, I am Mrs Tw2K, because that is what I expect the parents to recognise me best as. When signing planners, I am Initials Surname scribble!

I have never addressed a parent by their first name. I very occasionally do 'X's mother' verbally, as in 'Hello X's mother, is that Mrs / Miss....?', because the surname we have on record may not be that parent's surname today, for a variety of reasons. I would equally not expect a parent to address me by my first name in a school context, though obviously the few I do meet in other contexts call me by my first name in those. I get the occasional 'Mrs Initial of surname'.

Very occasionally, parents or children deduce or discover that I am in fact Dr Tw2K, and address me as that for a while.

In school, we call each other by first names in the absence of children / parents, and as Miss / Mrs whatever in their presence. In a school firmly rooted in its community, it is useful to have a 'now i am in my work persona' signal.

[Lauren15]

I always address my dc's teachers as Mr/Miss but I've noticed a lot address me by my first name. That annoys me (especially the young ones!).

[BrendaandEddie]

when you have certain relationships, when the parents might sob in your office, you use first names

HONESTLY you lot

[DolphinsPlayground]

We had one step further..they would say mr x (class teacher), mrs x (Senco) as if I didn't know 1) their first names or 2) who my child's teacher was! Very very annoying! although I suspect it was arse covering for whoever was going to read the letters when it went to court as they would not know who mr and mrs were

[TwatByName]

I Really don't mind teachers addressing themselves as Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms X
It's what I expect. It's formal, I expect to be addressed by teachers as Mrs X, I would find it to personal for them to address me by my first name.
In all my emails to teachers I address them as Mr/Mrs etc even if they signed their email as first name last name.

[TwatByName]

Oh and I sign off my emails first name last name, unless I'm massively pissed off with them and am writing in complaint, then I sign off Yours Sincerely Mrs initial last name.

[BondGate]

So far, the teachers at DS1's school have been calling themselves Mrs Teacher, and calling me Mrs Gate. Which is fine with me.

Although it would bother me if they insisted on being Mrs Teacher while calling me FirstName.

[happystory]

Starlight first name last name might be better than 'Christian name'

[tethersend]

Agree with Brenda, it's weird.

I work for the LEA as an advisory teacher, and have to deal with a lot of schools/teachers. Most happily use first names and manage to retain their professionalism. Some have outright refused to give me their first name

[lljkk]

I far far FAR prefer it if we both go with Ms & Mr & so on. Give me formal titles for a formal relationship. I worked at the school for a spell & it did my head in to move to first names even briefly.

[lljkk]

However, that said, I notice Secondary teachers seem to mostly sign off emails with first name and somehow that makes sense. We've moved to a different type of relationship I suppose, yet HT would still be Ms. Smith which is best in my mind, too.

[MissBattleaxe]

Well I like it. I address teachers as Miss X or Mrs X and they address me as Miss Battleaxe. I think its nice and I don't really like staff at the bank ( for example) calling me by my first name. I like a bit of formality and old fashionedness and if it was up to me we'd all wear a nice brooch and say good morning to strangers like the olden days.

[SetPhasersTaeMalkie]

I call all DS's teachers Mrs/Miss/Mr. They call me Mrs Malkie. I don't want a bloody 'relationship' with them and happily they seem to feel the same way. I don't call my doctor by her first name either.

That kind of fake familiarity is not for me.

[happystory]

mrs battleaxe

[wonderpants]

I expect to call the teacher, Mrs Teacher. But I hate being called Mrs Pants, as I refer to myself as Wonder.
To Wonder from Mrs Teacher would not bother me in the slightest!
Nor does my GP ringing me and saying hello Wonder, it is Dr Doctor.
I choose to call myself by my first name, they use a professional name. No issue with me!

[CrotchetQuaverMinim]

I wouldn't care how they signed off.

I'd rather they used either FirstName, or Mrs X, because they at least I know what to call them when I reply.

If they do FirstName LastName, then I don't know whether they expect me to use their first name, or call them Mrs X.

it's not just teachers, but also other professionals that I'm in touch with by email (which is more and more these days) - solicitors, doctors, physios, lecturers etc, who all sign something or have websites with their first and last name, but it sounds odd to just assume I can say "Dear Michelle" or whatever when I am enquiring about a serious legal thing or whatever. Yet Mrs X, or Mr Y, or Dr M, sounds a bit wrong, too.

[Spidertracker]

I'm a TA and write daily to the parents of the child I support.
I always write first name last name as I believe this correct etiquette. However as I am not their personal friend when I telephone then I always ask for Mr or Mrs X and announce myself as Mrs Y at name of school.

[Florriesma]

I don't mind them calling themselves Mrs whatever. Its consistent. And let's face it mn population may be well mannered enough to remember to address teachers appropriately in front of dc but I'll guarantee a significant proportion of parents would omit to do this and not only address them by first name but probably shorten it to one syllable (well they would round here)

No what gets me (and the threads been don't to death on here) is me addressing them as Mrs /Mr and they address me as mum!! bad enough with hv but senior school teachers? Admin old enough to be my mother grr.

[wanderings]

In this day and age, when in many institutions all the staff are on first name terms, no matter how junior or senior, it's almost peculiar that schools still have this strict rule that pupils may never use teachers' first names.

(Cynical hat on) Perhaps this "convention" of teachers signing with both names is a very secret step towards pupils and teachers being on first name terms. When I was at school, pupils were barely even supposed to know teachers' first names, never mind use them! I would almost be surprised by teachers signing a letter with both names.

Maybe some meddling Education Secretary will decree that pupils may use teachers' first names from now on, all in the name of "reducing barriers between teachers and pupils", with the unintended consequence that there might be even less respect for teachers; I'm almost surprised Gove didn't make that happen with his many bright totally misguided ideas.