What do your children call their teachers?

[Posey]

When dd started school, all the teachers including the head were called by their first names.
After Easter we got a new head who has always been referred to as Mr.X. Unsurprisingly in our end of term letter today we were told that all teachers would now be called Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms...
I'm pleased about this and just wondered if ours was unusual before.

Oooh, I think yours was unusual before, Posey! Blimey! My kids didn't even know what their teachers' first names were, as a rule, all the teachers referred to each other as Miss/Mr/Mrs Thing in front of them - knowing their first names was almost like seeing them in their underwear! (Your previous head was some kind of hippy presumably?)

at dd's school it's also Mr/Mrs/Miss...

At her french nursery, it was first names (and now at her 'one day a week' french school, still first names). Doesn't bother her. I like the formality of Mr/Mrs.

At nursery school all teachers were known by christian names, at receiption its Mrs so and so.

In our school the teacher (there is only one) is called Mrs X. I am the classroom assistant and known as Mrs Y.

I think it is great - partly because it demonstrates to the children that the relationship between teacher and child is a unique one: calling a teacher by the first name could lull them into treating them the same as a friend's mother for eg (IMHO).

The other reason why I think it is good (for our school) is that both the teacher and myself teach our own children. Calling us Mrs X and Mrs Y helps them adjust to the different relationship we have in the classroom.

Incidentally, out of school the children all call us by our first names (apart from our own, of course!). This has never caused any confusion, to the surprise of outsiders!!

I've always thought it would be nicer for children to call teachers by their first name. It is very unusual in "real life" to refer to people you know by their surnames. I never introduce any adults (other than teachers) to my children as Mr Mrs or "aunty" or "uncle".

That first-name thing is very Islington, though, Posey. Tyndale and Hanover call teachers by their first names too.

At the Catholic schools they have no truck with any hippy nonsense like wanting to be friends with the kids, so it's Sir and Miss all round. Which is one thing as a form of address, but I do find that my children coming out with things like, "I gave it to Sir" or "Miss told me to do it" makes me grit my teeth a bit.

In our school all adults - teachers, parent helpers, dinner ladies, lollipop ladies are all Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss X, this is right through school from nursery (age 3)

In different school nursery (age 4-5) ds1's class called the teacher by her first name. I think it reflected the ethos of the nursery, and for ds1 it was not a good place.

Incidentally I have got very used to this. When we moved here 2 yrs ago I had hardly ever been called Mrs X by anybody. But now I almost feel offended if someone who doesn't know me personally calls me "Roisin" rather than Mrs X!

Frogs, I feel the same!

A girl started in our school last year and brought that habit with her. The teacher doesn't seem to mind but I HATE it and insist the kids call me Mrs Y. I think it is downright rude. It harks back to the days when women teachers were sad old spinsters (I paraphrase), and I find it disrespectful. As I tell the children, it is no better than me referring to them as "boy" or "girl".

I'm afraid I insist that my two dd's NEVER call Mrs X or myself "Miss" either to our faces or in reference.

Sorry folks, rant over!

I thought some of the other Islington schools might do it Frogs. There are several changes afoot, including introducing some sort of uniform.
You saying about Sir and Miss, my mum used to teach. She was there 20 or so years I reckon but has been retired 10+. She stil sees some of the ex-kids in town and they always call over "Hello Miss"!

In all schools I have taught in as a teacher or trainee, and before that the schools I attended teachers ahve generally been known as Mr/Mrs.... I have only known of colleges or unis using first names. Infact two schools I know of have used Sir and Madam for teachers!

Oh, but at nursery (private one) the staff are known by first names. Think this is a commonly done thing too.

Where I used to work Sixth form called staff by their first names - that was unusual. Personally i didn't have a problem with that and got quite used to it. Where I work not it is a big no no!

At the private nursery it's all first names but at Primary school it's Miss X. Not sure about the school nursery yet!

at my dd`s school she calls her teacher mrs w but the teaching assistants & helpers are all called by their first names.

I used to teach and I didn't object to being called Miss, even when I was married. I see it as a feminine version of sir which I like to hear from children. I think children should respect adults more (but also that adults need to be worthy of that respect first). Funnily enough, my children don't use Miss when referring to their teachers, but use their full name (ie Mrs X). I don't like the sound of schools encouraging children to call their teachers by their first name, although I didn't mind as a teacher if children knew my first name (some teachers guard their first name from the children as though it will undermine all their authority if a child knows it!) I think teachers should engender respect and a little professional distance between themselves and their charges.

At the nursery, they're called "Auntie xxxxx" etc, but at school, they call teachers "Mr XXXX, Miss XXXX, Mrs XXXX" - this also goes for Teaching Assistants and Parent Helpers.

I really hate Auntie X for nursery/playgroup staff. I discovered that happened at a local playgroup recently and suddenly had another reason to be glad that my children went to a different playgroup where the staff were known by their first names. I don't like the idea of my children calling anyone who is not a direct relation of mine or dh's, "auntie". What is the thinking behind that? TBH, my children don't even call their aunts "auntie X" just use their names.

Have to say that I don't like the auntie/uncle phrase for anyone outside of real auntie/uncles or close friends.

Doesn't bother me in the slightest - and it certainly wouldn't stop me putting the kids in this fabulous nursery because of it.

As it happens, most nurseries/playgroups locally have the same thing.

So what is the thinking behind it?

Haven't got a clue. As I said, it's never crossed my mind to be bothered about it but I can find out on Monday if you like.

At Montessori nursery it was all first names, then we spent 2 weeks in a state nursery. Mrs X (just taken over from maternity leave) had decided she wanted to be called by her first name, as IMO she quite rightly thought it wrong that her classroom assistant should be called by her first name, but her Mrs X.

In primary school, in reception and thereafter, they're all Mrs X (gosh - nearly typed Mrs sX!!) and I don't have a problem with that at all.

I suppose I just think Auntie X is a bit old fashioned. It is not as if most children aren't used to calling adults they are reasonably familiar with by their first name these days. Calling a non relation "auntie" is what children used to do years ago when it wasn't common for children to call adults by their first names.
Funnily enough ds1 has a new friend and the other day he (the friend) called me Mrs X, obviously because he doesn't know my first name yet, and it sounded rather strange ( but nice, all the same - it reminded me of my childhood when I never called a friend's parents anything but Mr X or Mrs X).

Me too janh! Ds calls his teacher Miss X. It was first names at pre-school.

Oh and I loathe the idea of calling anyone 'aunt' unless they really are aunts (and even then I wouldn't really, only when referring to them, not to them).