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?

[MrsDallowaySaid]

I say doofus mostly, I think. The kids call each other far far far worse things that they definitely didn't hear from a school teacher so I think the hand wringing is slightly unnecessary. When you've heard what Y11 boys say about each other's mums, all the daft names on his thread pale into nothing...

[TheApprentice]

I got into trouble once for calling a child a plonker. It was done in a friendly, jokey way but the child told his sister who told him it means wanker. I had no idea! What with Del boy, "Rodney, you plonker" etc. My headteacher told me to eliminate that word from my vocabulary!

[SusanAndBinkyRideForth]

I use banana. The yr 11s find it hilarious

[SusanAndBinkyRideForth]

Incidentally my toddler at home gets most indignant if I forget and call her a banana though!

[TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross]

I think this is something most teachers get and (clearly) lots of non-teachers don't. It all depends on the relationship you've built up with a group and how that relationship works, but with a lot of kids, they understand that sort of humour and joshing as the affection it is. The most beloved teacher in our school is one who refuses to treat the kids as special snowflakes: if they do something daft, they know about it. But he is endlessly caring and patient with the ones who are genuinely struggling or troubled. The kids get this!

[SoupDragon]

If my children came home and told me their teacher had called them a numpty, I would ask them if the teacher was right.

[Mirandawest]

I'm starting to think I'm living in a different world. Someone doing A level maths who says that eg 1x1 = 2 is being a doofus. Or a wally or any other equivalent. Calling them that isn't suggesting anything untoward - it's a silly error that is just that. Silly. I can't see anything wrong with calling them a gentle name (and as my DP would say, I am very firmly against unnecessary insults).

[PurpleDaisies]

If my children came home and told me their teacher had called them a numpty, I would ask them if the teacher was right.

Don't you mean you would tell them their teacher was probably right?

[MooPointCowsOpinion]

My teacher used to call me a complete spoon if I did that kind of mistake.

I called my year 11 lads muppets yesterday, affectionately.

[katemiddletonsnudeheels]

I'm a teacher.

I still don't like it.

I don't think for a moment there's any ill intent - it just doesn't sit comfortably with me at all.

[Ffion3107]

I take a Y6 boy out of class for an hour a day, I tend to use Mr(his surname) when he gets tired/loses concentration just to perk him up a bit! Always works!

[FuzzyWizard]

When one of my brightest kids made a silly mistake in her mock exam this year I told her that she was being thrown out of the class and that I was referring her case on to a special tribunal and would be pressing for the death penalty. Hope her mum and dad aren't on here

[katemiddletonsnudeheels]

Fuzzy, I don't mind that, so much as it's clearly about the mistake, whereas when you call a child a name, it's aimed at the person.

No, I don't think there are any traumatised year 12s because their teacher called them a muppet but I still think it sounds both unpleasant and childish.

[Kennington]

Silly billy?

[PurpleDaisies]

I don't mind that, so much as it's clearly about the mistake, whereas when you call a child a name, it's aimed at the person.

The last person I called a silly sausage was a year 13 boy who will probably get A*s in all his A levels (maths, further maths and chemistry). He was more than capable of realising that I was teasing him about his silly mistake (380 degrees in a circle ??!!?) not insulting him as a person. I have been doing this long enough to know who to have a bit of a joke with and who not to.

[FuzzyWizard]

Actually Kate I can sort of see what you mean. I don't personally tend to call them names but I also wouldn't be too shocked by someone calling a secondary age pupil something mild like "wally" if it was clearly friendly. I think making a joke of mistakes is often the way to go in the high-pressure exam system nowadays. A lot of kids get really worked up over making mistakes and are really stressed about schoolwork.

[Fourarmsv2]

I called one of my super bright should get an A* Y13s a dimwit when I wasn't thinking carefully enough.

I apologised profusely to them but it haunts me.

That was wrong wasn't it?

(Generally v.good relationship with class, was probably the brightest most natural student in the class. He was fond of a joke too. I would never ever have made such a mistake with my more vulnerable students.)

[PurpleDaisies]

I think making a joke of mistakes is often the way to go in the high-pressure exam system nowadays.

Absolutely. Some students are so intimidated by the big expanse of paper underneath the question that they're afraid to try in case they get it wrong. Having a culture where you try your best, have a bit of a laugh at anything you get wrong and go back and correct it works really well in my experience.

[VioletBam]

I don't like it either. My SIL has a habit of saying things like "No! You wally!" or "No not that one you numbskull!" and the like.

I think it just sounds idiotic and there's no call for it either!

[katemiddletonsnudeheels]

I don't think I'd be shocked either, Fuzzy, I'm sure I've done it myself :) but as an instinctive bit of 'banter' as the kids would say rather than having a mental list of acceptable names to use to insult students. I don't want to come across as po faced as I'm honestly not like that at all, but I honestly would be a bit taken aback to hear muppet and numpty aimed at someone in the classroom.

[NaughtToThreeSadOnions]

Please please please don't use muppet or numpty with teenagers. I have read the thread and realised that some one else has pointed out that numpty was offensive but as soon as I saw it on the first page I amazed it was being suggested! It is actually quite offensive it's words people use to isolate, numpty means stupid like can't learn any thing. " As in no point talking to her she's a numpty"

Muppet is also used in a simpliar way, although it can be used between mates as a bit if a joke which is why I think it's being suggested here.

I wouldn't really like being called an Ejitt by a teacher either, and I come from an Irish family.

If you must laugh AT, because this is what your doing, stick to the very silly names like silly Billy, nana, satsuma. Maybe you got a withering look because the year 9 thought as a teacher you shouldn't name calling.

I get what your saying about having a laugh with your pupils and having a bit of banter in the class room. But name calling and humiliation is not the way to go!

[FlemCandango]

Speaking as the mother of an incredibly sensitive y7 with suspected ASD, a friendly name calling might back fire. Calling a more emotionally robust 11 yo a numpty might be friendly banter to the teacher but could equally seem like rubbing a Childs nose into their mistake. It needs a relationship of equals to be banter otherwise it is too easy to slip into bullying territory no matter how kindly meant. Save friendly name calling for your colleagues.

[stealthsquiggle]

Non teacher here, slightly taken aback by how many parents don't get this. I can tell which teachers my DC really like/respect, because they are the ones that are allowed to tease them without DC taking offence.

[PurpleDaisies]

Calling a more emotionally robust 11 yo a numpty might be friendly banter to the teacher but could equally seem like rubbing a Childs nose into their mistake.

It totally depends on how it is done. Standing at the front of the class, stern face shouting "you utter wally, Jones-how could you possibly think that women are pregnant for six months?" is completely different from a quiet giggle at the same mistake with the obvious implication being I know you know this isn't right so we're going to laugh at it. Then I'll tell you about the time I had a temper tantrum at 3am and almost dropped out of my degree course because I couldn't get my calculations to work and it was because I had done 1 - (-1) and made 1.

[FlemCandango]

Of course I was at school in the 80s when corporal punishment still ocurred. When my head teacher walked around the dinner hall smacking your wrist if you weren't balancing your peas on the back of your fork!

I didn't have a bantering jokey relationship with teachers till I was doing GCSEs and we were as big as the teachers...

It I different at school now but teachers are still in authority, or should be, so jokey names are risky and can be undermining to teacher and pupil relationships.imo.