Year 2 teacher had to be corrected on pronunciation of Pepys

[CheshireSplat]

Interested to hear opinions on this.

DD's class are doing the great fire of London and their teacher was talking about the diary of Samuel "Peppis". DD's friend told him it was Peeps in the inimitable style of a 6 year old.

Should I be worried. New teacher to the school. I don't tend to interfere but I would've thought that was pretty general knowledge.

Then when he gave them times tables he did 2 x 1, 2 x 2, 2 x 3 etc which is the wrong way round.....

Happy to be told to wind my neck in!

I have a general principle never to look down on someone who can't pronounce a word or a name - it means they've learned about it by reading it rather than hearing it talked about. Often the sign of a self-motivated person from a less educated background.

I'm surprised that he hadn't heard it said aloud in his training but I'm not a teacher so I don't know.

It's written like it's pronounced Peppis and there is nothing wrong with those times tables. I don't get what you're upset over

Times tables can't be the wrong way around, it's a mathematical principal that they are the same either way!

My dc's grammar school year 8 history teacher also pronounced it peppis so I feel your pain, times tables, not a thing though.

DS2 prefers to recite his tables the "wrong" way round. I leave him to it if he is getting them correct.

Pepys is "Peeps", afaic. Hopefully teacher has checked the 6 yrs info on google, and gets it correct for the rest of the topic.

I'd raise an eyebrow, and listen carefully for anything else slightly odd that comes home from school.

It is odd to write times tables that way around. You should ask the teacher about this.
Keep the mispronunciation in mind. See if there are more instances. However over an uncommon name, like Pepys, I wouldn't be too worried.

I've actually just googled it, Peeps is the generally accepted pronunciation - however, other branches of the same family used Peppis.

However, I don't really see why it matters. Also not sure what the point is about the times tables, is there a right and wrong way?

Pepys = peeps and not to know do is startling ignorance.

Times tables are, where I live, 2x1, 2x2, 2x3...

I've known intelligent, well-educated people pronounce words completely wrong. It just means they haven't heard it said aloud.
If the teacher hasn't studied history since GCSE, and hasn't seen/heard any documetaries about Pepys, they may never have actually heard it said, only seen it written. It is a very misleading spelling, to be fair.

In fact, the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that I did times tables the way your son is taught, and that was thirty years ago!

If they said Peppis, I'd think they were an idiot and I would do my best not to let my child know I thought this. I would consider complaining to the Head. Great Fire of London is a standard topic every year and a stupid mistake like this matters.
Times table thing? It would depend on how other tables were taught and I probably wouldn't mind.

It is ‘wrong’ but accepted to do 2x1 but you’re right. We teach it the other way because if we were doing it presented by arrays it should be 1x2 e.g 1 two times 2 two times. The other way is 2 one time iyswim.

The peyps things is a bit 🤷‍♀️ I don’t know half the ways to pronounce biblical name places but I still teach RE. Also pretty crap at french....

If you're learning your two times table then logically it's

1 x 2
2 x 2
3 x 2

Otherwise you're learning all all the tables mixed in together.

Yes the sum is the same but for children learning, this way is more logical. They used to be recited out loud. One two is two. Two twos are four etc.

Two ones are two, two threes are six, to fours are eight etc isn't your two times table.

I taught a class on supply who
corrected my pronunciation of Persephone because Miss X says 'Percy phone'
We were taught times tables 1x2=2, 2x2=4,3x2=6.

Two times one is two
Two times two is four
Two times three is six
Two times four is eight

It is somewhat concerning that he’d pronounce the name that way. How did he take being corrected?

As for 2x1,2x2, 2x3...it’s ‘backwards’ to me too and I think it makes it harder to learn them. However, it’s not actually wrong, so there’s really not much you can say about it. We carried on learning them the other way, DC got them correct inntests and if she was asked to recite them in class did them our way 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think it just depends on how you are explaining it!
Eg.
One times two is two
As in one lot of two

But equally
Two multiplied by one
is often said by small children as
Two 'timesed' by one

So I believe it's fine to say it either way!

During my teacher training we were told it was fine either way around and we were told to encourage children to say it both ways. I'm dyscalculic and personally didn't recognise mathematical principles without them being explained to me, and it would have helped me immensely to be taught maths with a little more flexibility.

It's written like it's pronounced Peppis

Pepys is pronounded Peeps, RoboJesus...

The times tables is surely backwards?

Should be

1 x 2
2 x 2
3 x 2
4 x 2

2 x 3 is the 3 times table surely?

Times tables in simple terminology is grouping things into 'lots of' so 3 x 2 is 3 lots of/groups of 2 things, counting in 2's

2 x 3 is 2 lots of 3 things, 3 tines table, counting in 3's

I’d be more worried about the times tables thing as I think it’s harder for kids to learn them the way the teacher is teaching.

I wouldn’t be worried about the mispronounciation of Pepys. A bit suprised but it happens.

I’d be more interested to know a) how he took being corrected? And b) has he continued to mispronounce it?

If he insists that he’s right then I’d be worried. Otherwise it’s just a mistake and not an important one IMO

Both pronunciations are correct. It can be either.

Peppis seems to be how the it's said in modern times.

Papes or Pips is probably how it used to be pronounced at end of C17.

Peeps seems to be how the surname is said for Samuel in connection with the fire.

I'm impressed with that 6 year old!

Not impressed with muddling times tables. 2 x 3 followed by 2 x 4 is not the 2 times table...as umizoomi says

I think learning the tables different ways is supposed to help with understanding rather than just memorising them.

They do the time tables the way I did it at school (scotland). It's not wrong, just different