Friendly names to call kids who make a stupid mistake

[noblegiraffe]

You know, the ones you have a good relationship with, not talking about berating some sensitive y7.

What, in mock exasperation, would you call a pupil who had e.g got a fiendishly difficult differential equation question wrong and you'd just spotted it was because they'd written 1x1=2?

I've taught my 6th formers for 7 years. I reckon I would know by now if they were upset by the way I sometimes speak to some of them. It's all about context and relationships. Comments like "you are so irritating" (followed by "stop being so disgustingly talented") are always met with smiles and laughter.

Yesterday, though, when one very clever boy told me he thinks he's cocked up his AS English exam because he blanked and couldn't remember what adversity meant, I did nothing but sympathise.

Some posters need to give us a bit of slack here. Most teachers, IME, know what they're doing.

Teacher it's a very cute phrase, don't get me wrong, and a lovely way to do it. But I just wanted to point that out for any non-teacher on here reading and thinking "sure they should all do that"!

Interesting thread - it's made me realise that I have a thing about being called any kind of name, no matter how light-hearted or affectionate the context I don't like it. Our family just don't do it at all - lots of sarcasm and 'that was daft, wasn't it', but never 'you xxxx'.

And I actually do remember being in floods of tears (at home) at being called a silly sausage by a primary teacher. I never forgave her!

Completely agree with teacherW2K
Names - just nooooooo.
Friends, partners etc fine, they know you.
But unprofessional to label a child because of a mistake.
Incredible that anyone, let alone a teacher, would think that ok.

I use Silly Sausage when children in my Y5 class make a silly mistake. I call them Awesome Sauce when they do something amazingly well! I've heard them call each other Silly Sausage and Awesome Sauce in the right context. Makes me smile!

My maths teacher at secondary school used to call us a scatterbrain if we forgot to bring our books in. I had a lot of respect for her. No, she wouldn't call us anything if we made silly mistakes or got things wrong.

I call my year 2s doughnuts and have a laugh with them. I also call myself a doughnut when I make a mistake. Kids don't like having their mistakes pointed out to them but it is our jobs as teachers to do so and doing in a fun way is better than nagging. Can't believe anyone would have an issue with that!

I suppose 'chump' is out-dated: but don't use plonker or twat as these are rude.

Just a thoughtful essay from a teacher on how the little things can affect children and how hard it is for teachers to get it right all the time because they are human too. For me, it's a good reason not to assume that you are always reading individual children and situations accurately. Err on the side of caution with name calling.

www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/06/how-i-became-an-unfair-teacher/371908/?utm_source=atlfb

Should teachers err on the side of caution with every interaction with students? Not rebuke anyone for talking when you are talking in case you get the wrong kid, or Emily was talking too and you never told her off? Those things may well rankle. Berate a kid for forgetting their homework again when actually they were looking after their sick brother etc etc. Give a kid a detention for not doing any work when actually they were feeling ill.

All our actions in the classroom may have unintended consequences. But on the other hand, the kid who was talking may shut up and listen, the kid who forgot their homework may have needed that kick up the backside to become more organised, the kid who hadn't done any work may have just been a lazy arse who now realises he can't get away with it in your lesson.
And the kid who was called a silly sausage may have been helped to laugh off their mistake and not take it to heart.

Naught - I don't think you are laughing at all. You sound frothy and hysterical and was OTT.

And you know what when people think it's acceptable to use language like that it's no wonder people think it's alright to call kids names you sound like a judgemental idiot!

Doughnut!

I've been thinking some more about this thread.

I think that, for all teachers, there are some 'everyday' techniques that we use - the ones we do automatically, the ones we know are fine to use with every class, the ones we know that whoever is in the room at the time (in many primaries, it is quite normal to have a static or shifting population of other adults in / passing through / popping into your classroom) could not possibly object to, the ones where the children's reaction to them is pretty predictable and uniform.

And then we have the 'specialist' techniques - the ones we use with specific classes, or on specific occasions, or decide to consciously deploy on very selected occasions (I shout, very VERY occasionally. When I do so, I make a clear and conscious decision to do so, and I have weighed the pros and cons) or with particular individuals.

I do think that the 'use a teasing name to a child' is one of the latter - as other posters have said, for their specific children it has worked very well to get over e.g. a specific difficulty in responding in a proportionate and appropriate manner to a mistake. However, for a mainstream teacher teaching a mainstream classroom subject, I don't think it's an 'everyday' technique, if that makes sense?

Yes, exactly

Agree. It makes perfect sense to me too