Do you mind being 'Miss'? Is there an workable alternative?

[PinguDance]

I'll be working in a school as of September for the first time in a while - I remarked to a friend that I was looking forward to being 'Miss' again and he wondered if it bothered me to be called 'Miss', especially given that male teachers are often referred to as 'Sir', so there's quite a status discrepancy!
As it is it doesn't bother me at all, even though outside school I am firmly 'Ms'; mainly as Ms or Mrs, or Mr for men is quite hard to say by itself (relatively). Also it's just such a part of school life that it seems futile to think about it.
But it did make me wonder if other teachers are annoyed by it or if other schools have found an alternative. What could you be instead?

My current school uses Mr/Mrs/Miss name- I think the children have always used a surname. I caused a little stir by using Ms, but they have got more used to it now. Pupils tend to call me Miss/Ms/Mrs Poopsnagle and I answer to all, they are quite young to get the idea but I always refer to myself as Ms Poopsnagle! Other schools I've worked in have had Miss/Sir, plus another used first names.

One of the teachers uses Miss/Ma'am (pronounced Marm). I feel like I'm an extra in Juliet Bravo when he does it.

I get Mrs abbreviation of my surname. I don't point out that in my personal life I don't respond to Mrs, despite being married for 30 years! Definitely never just Miss. Quite often mum or mummy. It's just a label so I don't worry about it at all. It's my teaching persona, not me.

Euphemia - that's really interesting that you only came "Miss" in a Catholic school up here - that has also been my experience!
I found it really odd - all other schools I've been in are Mrs/Mr/Miss surname.
I have had the odd pupil from England who use "Miss" but they generally fall out of the habit over time.

When I was picking dd up from school during the day for a flute exam there were a boy and a girl sixth former and a teacher in the school car park. The teacher was telling them something they were doing was wonderful (I don't know what) and the boy said "Thanks Miss" as they say Sir/Miss at dd's school and I thought it sounded charming/polite.

We're ma'am or Mrs / Miss / Ms / Mr Lastname.

The students at my school call every female teacher Ms and every male teacher Mr. Irks the ones with PhDs! (Not me). But they don't seem capable of remembering who's Mrs/Ms/Miss. I'd rather they used our first names, to be honest.

I would agree with Euphemia that it's more of an English thing. We had a couple of kids from England who used to do it, but soon stopped when they realised none of the other did.

In my very olden days at school, every time the headmaster came into the room, we all had to stand up and chorus "Good morning Mr Whatever" and the boys saluted and the girls bobbed a curtsey!

A friend of mine moved from our comprehensive to private and got gently reminded by theur tutor that miss and Sir isn't how students should address staff in their new school.

I won't answer to miiiiiissssss. But Miss/Sir is perfectly ok to me. Most kids work out when Mr/Mrs/Miss surname is appropriate and when Miss/sir is OK.

What I don't like is when students refer to staff by their last name (e.g. who do we have after break? We have Squiggleberry). I'm a stickler on that and jump in, you mean you have MRS/MR/DR Squiggleberry.

DM is retired now but when we see old pupils they still shout, 'Miss! Miss!' across the supermarket or whatever it is and it makes me smile every time. I think it's nice.

I got grandad once 🤔 (20 something at the time!)

I don't really mind miss. Hate 'teacher' though, which I get in nursery.

Even the staff where I am all refer to each other as 'Miss' in some circumstances. So, walking down the corridor during school hours and I hold a door open for a colleague I get "Thank you miss" just as I would from a pupil. A pupil being told to come and see me would be told "go and see Mrs BuggerOff in the office". In the staff room or with no pupils in its, obviously, all first names and I have been called Mum on many occasions 😎 I don't mind being called "Miss" but I don't like it with my surname although I realise that especially the little ones may struggle with remembering if I'm Miss BuggerOff or Mrs BuggerOff.

Miss at a comp. And they say "yes miss" to the register as well.

The only time I don't like it is when I'm out at the shops or in town and I hear "hi miss!"
One time it was a real terror at the supermarket who said that and then was chatting away to me at the checkout. He disappeared off and the checkout woman commented on what a lovely young man he was. Didn't like to mention he was a nightmare who required a weekly bollocking to keep him in line. Luckily he was the sort that doesn't hold a grudge! I always cringe a bit in shops.

And in a big London pub a few months ago I got a big "hi miss!!" from a boy I had taught who was now 25. Sweet but cringe.

One the many things I like about teaching in Australia, is that students, without fail, call me Missecht, not Miss, e.g. "Hello, Missecht." So nice. Oh, they routinely thank me for the lesson as they leave. Amazing.

On the other hand, when the roll is called, they say "Yeah", not "Yes, Miss", which did my head for ages, though no disrespect is implied at all.

The acknowledgement outside of school seems to go, if they're in uniform, they'll say say hello, even if they're not students I know. If not in uniform, they must make the advance, and are invisible in my eyes until they do so.

I remember one of my male A level teachers saying he hated being called 'Sir' so we called him 'Miss' instead. We were hilarious.

My mother is a teacher and doesn't always respond to 'mum?' so me and my sister have been known to say 'Miss ' or 'Miss Urgle ' to get her attention.

I've never come across teachers being called Sir!
Ours were Mr/Ms surname in one school and Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms in another. There were some with PhDs who were very specific about being Dr Surname as well.

When using Sir would kids be expected to then use the first name (like in real life for actual knights/baronets) or the surname? "Sir Jones" sounds really weird to my ear!

No it's used on its own. If you've ever watched a Harry Potter film it's used like that.

When I was at secondary school make teachers were 'Sir' in direct conversation or referred to as Mr Surname; female teachers were Miss/Mrs or in one case Dr (physics teacher). BUT all male pupils were simply referred to by their surname and female pupils by their forenames, until sixth form when we all became Mr/Miss Surname or forenames if the teacher had known us a long time.

DD subsequently went to the same school, the same protocol followed for addressing teachers but all pupils were addressed by their forename.

Ahh Museum thanks that makes sense. So "hello Sir" directly and "Mr xxx is my physics teacher" when talking about them?
I had always thought that language was part of JK Rowling's world-building

Yes that's right.

I taught comp and indie. The indie was better; all teachers referred to as Sir or Mr X, or Madam or Mrs/Ms/Miss X, or indeed Dr X for those of us who use that title. The children were very good at remembering and being polite. The comp wasn't so good on that. Also used to bug me when another staff member came in and referred to me as 'miss'- always found it lazy not to remember someone's name. Found 'miiiiiiiiissss' quite whiny too!