Double barrelled surname - teacher's opinions please

[stickygotstuck]

I'd appreciate some perspective on this, because both DH and I are getting quite annoyed about this now.

My DD has a double-barrelled surname. It's long. That's one of the reasons she doesn't have a middle name and her first name is very short. Let's call her Sticky Got-Stuck.

She started school in September. On her school books her surname was misspelled (say Sticky Gott-Stuck). We corrected that. It keeps cropping up misspelled. We don't want to be a nuisance so haven't pointed it out again, but felt we'd have to at some point soon. Then last week she brought a new book where the order was reversed to Sticky Stuck-Got. (Just why? ).

I spoke to her teacher on Friday, and when I politely pointed out that it has been spelled in many different ways, could we please stick to the one version, she asked me "How would you like it, just 'Got' then?". I replied "No, just spelled correctly". I started to explain that DD is learning to spell her name properly and she is getting confused with so many versions. And she cut me off saying "well, yes, it's very long isn't it?".

I came away feeling patronised and with the distinctive feeling that it inconveniences her.

So any teachers with any strong opinions/extensive experience out there? Does it really make your life difficult?

I will just point out that one of her classmates also has a double-barrelled surname (athough much shorter) and this has never been an issue for them.

[juniper44]

My daughter's surname is not hyphenated. My surname comes after DP's, but I refused the hyphen because I didn't want my name to be a tag-on to his.

I'm obviously shit at this inverted snobbery I've been moulded and selected for. But at least it's something to add to the old CV...

[clam]

And what proportion of the 600,000 or so teachers in the UK are you speaking for then, abbiefield?

[abbiefield]

Different providers also recruit very different types of students (lots are rejected by one but selected by another)

That in my experience has never been the case. ITT providers tend to look for similar charateristics generally.

But when you come down to school level, the teacher type is very clear in the staffroom. Whilst different schools may look for some differences, on the whole teachers are a "muchness" in my experience.

If I have found any disparity it has been generational. What was considered good characteristics for teachers in the past is not so now. But some things never seem to change.

[abbiefield]

Clam, then I think we will have to agree to disagree.

It is my experience and through that, my opinion. Just because you do not agree it is not invalidated.

[clam]

abbiefield None of that has anything to do with the ridiculous claim made up-thread that teachers dislike double-barrelled names because they 'don't like posh' and are inverted snobs.

[mummytime]

Different providers also recruit very different types of students (lots are rejected by one but selected by another).
Also in some subjects anyone who isn't "obviously unsuitable" tends to be recruited.

[mrz]

People come to teaching for all kinds of reasons and to believe that everyone is the same and have the same ideas and traits is frankly bonkers

[abbiefield]

Teachers are not a disparate group?!


Of course not.
Firstly, they self select because of the choice of occupation. The occupation requires certain triats which , lets face it, if you do not have them, you wouldnt consider teaching.

Secondly, ITT providers select their students. They tend to select individuals with similar traits to each other as they recognise these traits as being " successful" in teaching.

Thirdly, school select teachers according to profiles which also rely on similar traits.

Fourthly, with training and experience teachers tend to develop certain ideas, culture and traits (because they know this makes them "successful").

so overall they become very homogeneous as a group. Not disparate at all.

[clam]

As someone else has said, the only even slight issue (and it's not something that ruins my day) is that I have to use a smaller font when writing class names on lists, or go onto the next line or maybe make the table column wider.

Teachers are not a disparate group?!

[mrz]

No abbiefield it doesn't refer to what you did.

The OP said "My own surname is also double, in two parts like 'Hannah', no hyphen." which I would have assumed (obviously wrongly) was not a double barrelled name.

[abbiefield]

If this refers to what I did, then I have to explain. I removed the hyphen from my DB name and put it together as one word - forming one surname. It was possible in my case to do that without it looking
"odd".

Generally as mrz suggests, if you remove the hyphen then it will lok like two names and the first partof the DB will become a middle name ( and as such not used).

Having said that I found mostof my teachers were dropping the first part of the DB anyway and just giving me the last part ( lets say for example it was Cooper - Smith. I was being called just Smith - teachers were dropping the Cooper , I dropped the hyphen put the names together and used Coopersmith as one word).

[mrz]

I wouldn't consider it a double barrelled name without a hyphen. In my family it's traditional to have mothers maiden name as a middle name.

[mrz]

So no teachers have double barrelled surnames? and double barrelled names are the sole domain of the middle classes? I teach in an area of high deprivation and many pupils have double barrelled surnames

A name is a name and we try to get them right regardless of how many hyphens. It isn't acceptable to choose to change a child's name.

[KingscoteStaff]

Double-barrelled surnames in our school bear no relation to how 'posh' the children are. In nearly every case they are created by unmarried parents giving their children both surnames. I have one child with 3 syllables in each 'barrell' - think 'Robinson-Scudamore' - but the only problem that made was a decision whether to go with a bigger sticker on his books or to reduce him to an 8 point font on the normal sized ones!

[abbiefield]

Mainly because teachers are not a disparate group in my experience.

[clam]

"I know it is not PC to say this"

I don't know about 'not PC,' but it's certainly bollocks! How on earth can you band the political leanings of an entire profession of disparate human beings like that?

[abbiefield]

BTW, no one has said this but I will. I have found that some teachers are funny about D -B names because they see them as "posh" and they dont like that. Its a form of inverted snobbery. It still goes on I think.

It was certainly at the bottom of why I was never accordedmy proper name and I think the " middle classness" of my DH's/DC's name is also causing the same problems now.

I know it is not PC to say this but I will.

[abbiefield]

I know this problem. All my life and especially in school I had it. My D -B name was my parents. However, one part of it was a " common" name ( as in Smith or Jones etc) hence my parents D -B'd it. I had endless trouble with the school shortening it to just "Smith"

I also had a "common" first name ( thanks mum!). It felt like half my class sharedmy first name. In reality therewere four in the class with that name. However, one also had my last name ( that is the " Smith" part). I was constantly confused with this girl and no teacher ever made an apology for it or in many instances got anything about me right.

In the end ( when I was 16 and changed schools) I took the hyphen out and made the B spell it in full and pronounce it in full. ( lets day for example my name was Gold - Smith - I made it Goldsmith) It wasnt exactly a difficult name.

A childs name is important. It defines them . Being defined or mispelled or whatever is not just rude , it lowers self esteem. I should know, I have been there.

When I married I got shot of my D-B name and took my DH's name. However, his name is an old English one and sounds "foreign" Its often mis spelled and mis pronounced . BUT I am on the case with the school for my DC and they dare not make a mistake. I have had the argument and made them realise it is not on. OK, hard feelings all round ( and I may well be moving my DC out shortly as a result , but they got the message)

Tell them. It is important.

[GoblinLittleOwl]

Yes you should complain and keep pointing it out, because frequently names are mis-spelt on records emanating from the Office, and carry on being so throughout the school, and can lead to a child's records being wrongly filed
ps: barrelled, Fuzzymum.

[jamdonut]

I'm a TA. Of course names should be spelled correctly,but,can I just say sometimes long names (first and/or last names) can be an absolute pain for things like drawer labels and coat pegs,even book labels! Some children we do abbreviate,but only if we know parents don't mind. Usually they don't ! Official things ,though,like certificates,etc will have the correct form on it.

Sometimes,when you are in a hurry,the correct spellings of names don't always come to mind...I'm thinking names like Tegan,Teagan,Kaden,Kayden,Kayleigh,Kailee,Selina,Selena,Elizabeth,Elisabeth,Connor,Conor,Konnor, Zac,Zak,Destiny,Destinee,Trinity,Triniti Emily,Emillie Emma-Leigh,Tyler,Tyla,Tiler,Ellie....which one?..there are dozens,just like Joshua!...Nicole. One set of parents likes "NiCOAL", another likes "NiCOLL". Tallulah or Talullah? My default is the first one - blame Bugsy Malone.

I only point this out because it is a minefield and sometimes mistakes occur...it doesn't necessarily mean disrespect to your choices!

My own surname often gets mispelled,especially on official documents. Its short and phonetically easy to spell,but apparently many databases can't distinguish between ck and cK in the middle of my surname, so I often get the latter,and it is not changeable!! Infuriating!!!

[spanish11]

My dd has two names and three surnames.

[HeyN0nny]

This thread's a few months old now...

[manchestermummy]

For some reason DD1's teachers this year and last year spelled her name wrong by adding extra letters (say the name's Kate but the teachers changed it to Katie) until at similar points each year (November in both cases!) the teachers said "We've been getting your name wrong, haven't we!". DD1 has been too polite up til now to correct them before! It is annoying her now though, as it absolutely should: there is only one of her in a year group of 66.

[KingscoteStaff]

Agree that once a mis-spelled or mis-ordered name is in the system it is very hard to eradicate it.

Not to mention the year I had an Ali Hassan and a Hassan Ali in my class.

BUT it is only courteous to get it right.