Schools where pupils call teachers by their first names.

[LynetteScavo]

I've heard it's usual in Finland...does it happen in any other countries?

Did you go/do your DC to a school where children call teachers by their first name?

What do you think about it?

I always thought respect came from personality and what you could do- i.e. am I a good teacher?

cory well yes, precisely :-)

DD's primary is Firstname for Teaching Assistants, Mr/
Miss Surname for some of the teachers, & Mr/Miss Firstname for some of the others with no particular pattern.

Quite a few of the teachers have unusual or ambiguous first / surnames so I usually try not to call them anything as I don't want to be rude & call someone by their surname and would feel a bit silly calling another adult Miss Firstname.

DD just calls the teachers whatever they want to be called without knowing or caring if its a first or surname.

I'd feel really uncomfortable with TAs being addressed first names and teachers by something else. It would wind me up and I'd take great pleasure in addressing the TAs in the same way as the teachers.

My associations with this are not good but are the product of my experience.
went to ordinary primary and loved it. Moved to secondary where the policy was no uniform, 'call me simon' teaching staff and a policy of encouarging the children to work and negotiating rules.
I spent the whole three years learning fuck all because the children in my class pissed about, beat each other up and the work I handed in didn't get marked or corrected in case it damaged my confidence or stifled my artistic impulses.

Wankers

I am sure that it not the norm but 'call me Simon' still sends a chill through me.
I like my sons school. They call the teachers Sir
( all of them )

Bedales uses first names, but it's a bit awkward when parents turn up, as the teachers seem to sidestep calling them anything, or "xx's parents". It felt very odd calling a head 'Keith'.

But not as odd as when I went back to my own secondary school to do a bit of teaching and everyone started saying "Oh, you're back, that's great, do call me Dawn" and so on. That just felt Plain Wrong. As did sitting inside the staff room as opposed to waiting outside whilst in trouble. And wearing my own clothes.

DS1 calls me 'Ma'am' from time to time as that's what he calls his female teachers. I rather like that degree of respect. Not that I ever sound like a teacher at home, of course.

CarmelitaMiggs -- which boarding school did you attend? If you don't mind saying.

I went to an alternative type school for 2 years where we used 1st names. Attendance at classes was optional, so no behaviour problems anyway! But I think I prefer using titles at DC's current primary school. It keeps everything more professional, imo.

I absolutely respected all of my teachers - they commanded a lot of respect from all the pupils and were all known by their first names. No uniform either which did bug me - i wasn't one of the rich kids with 'cool' clothes and designer labels.

MDS I am in East Angular, as Jade would have put it.

More to the point, as a parent or parent helper in school, do you call the teacher by their first name or "Mrs X"?!

At DD's school the children and parents can call the staff whatever we feel comfortable with. All the children were told that they could call the staff by their first name if they want to, and the Head insists that we use his first name. The funny thing is that even though DD's class can call the staff by their first name, at registration this morning, the vast majority called back "Good morning Miss ", one called back "Good Morning Miss " and two called back "Good Morning ". There is no lack of respect either - it is the person that is respected; not their name.

When I talk to DD's teachers it depends on the situation as to what I call them - when in front of the kids I usually use the more formal Miss/Mrs, but when 1-1, I usually use first names.

The school my nephews attend in East London has no uniform and the teachers/TAs are all called by their first name. It got either good or outstanding at its latest ofsted inspection (can't remember which).

No lack of respect at all.

Crikey-I'm just coming to terms with the kids being called by their first names! When i was at school the boys were always called by their surname.