Do adults at your school call each other "Mr. Name" or Mrs. Name"?

Discussion in 'General Education' started by Jerseygirlteach, Sep 17, 2012.

  1. Ima Teacher

    Ima Teacher Virtuoso

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    Sep 18, 2012

    I teach at the school I attended. I started working there 5 years after I graduated, so most of my former teachers were still there. I absolutely could not bring myself to ever call any of them by their first names. Ever. Now I work with mostly people who are my age or younger, so I don't have trouble calling them by their first names. My former principal was a teacher in the building when I was a student. I still remember her calling me one summer to ask a question, and she said, "Hi, this is FirstName." :eek: I still can't use her first name, and I've worked with her for 20 years.
     
  2. Peregrin5

    Peregrin5 Maven

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    Sep 18, 2012

    Nope. I'm talking about people that are in their early 50's asking me to not call them by their last name because it makes them feel old. And I've met people even older who have asked me the same.
     
  3. BumbleB

    BumbleB Habitué

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    Sep 18, 2012

    I only say Mr./Mrs./Ms. when I'm talking to a student. Otherwise, we call each other by our last names. Although, there are times where I use only the last names in front of the kids (i.e. "Hey, you're supposed to be with Smith this period, right?"). I don't think I've ever heard a student refer to us by strictly last names, though.
     
  4. HistTchr

    HistTchr Habitué

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    Sep 18, 2012

    There are a couple of former students who work at my school. One of them has called me by my first name since he started teaching there. The other one still calls me Mr. HistTchr, despite my many requests for him to call me by my first name. He said that he just can't bring himself to use my first name when he has always known me the other way. The funny thing is that I'm only maybe 6 years older than him since I had him my first year as a teacher!
     
  5. Peregrin5

    Peregrin5 Maven

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    Sep 18, 2012

    I'm fine with blunt, but I really don't like the trend of people trying to be over-familiar with random strangers by asking them to call them by their first name or attempting to seem young. Age is nothing to be ashamed of, and people should stop being afraid of it.

    Also, these are people I work with, and I prefer to know them mostly only on a professional basis. They can ask me all they want to call them by their first name, but chances are, I will do it in that instance, and then return to addressing them properly.

    And I don't actually point out to them that they are old. I meant it generally (to you guys).
     
  6. ecteach

    ecteach Groupie

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    Sep 18, 2012

    This is funny, because we call each other Mrs. even when we are out drinking cocktails. :cool: I guess it's a habit.
     
  7. JustMe

    JustMe Virtuoso

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    Sep 18, 2012

    I'm no spring chicken, but I still think I'm younger than I am...so I feel it's respectful for me to address the teachers, who are mostly older than I am, with Mr. and Mrs. Some of them were my teachers when I was in school, so I really feel the need to call them by their "teacher name". :)

    At my old school I grew to be more casual.

    I prefer for adults to just address me using the shortened version of my first name, but it doesn't really matter. A teacher called me Mrs. FirstName in front of the students this week, which I guess I thought was a little odd...but again, I really don't care.
     
  8. teresateaches

    teresateaches Companion

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    Sep 18, 2012

    At my old school, it was all Mr and Mrs. I didn't even know some people's first names after 5 years.

    At my new school, everyone is on a first name basis all the time. Even the principal uses his first to end emails. It is so strange to me. I don't know how to call people by their first names and certainly not the P.
     
  9. dgpiaffeteach

    dgpiaffeteach Aficionado

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    Sep 18, 2012

    Our P signs his e-mails with his initials. I sign mine with varying signatures depending on who it's going to. If it's a good friend of mine I just put "D". Usually with most of the staff I put first and last just so they know who it is. With parents I use the full signature:
    Ms. dgpiaffeteach
    English Teacher
    XYZ School District
    E-mail
     
  10. iteachbx

    iteachbx Enthusiast

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    Sep 18, 2012

    Depends. In front of the kids I always try to remember call teachers by their last name. I never, ever call my AP or P by their first name. But there are two other APs who commonly go by their first names. Sometimes we just tend to refer to certain people by their last names anyway.
     
  11. pwhatley

    pwhatley Maven

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    Sep 18, 2012

    We don't use Mr/Mrs/Ms out of stiffness or formality. I can joke around with a co-worker and still call her Ms. Smithjones. Our students are required to use the title/last name, so that's how we address each other at school. I have been elsewhere with coworkers, and we occasionally use 1st names, but it's just an ingrained habit. I sign my letters to parents Mrs P Whatley (using 1st name along with last), but I address my student's parents by title/last name, and they reciprocate.
     
  12. Brendan

    Brendan Fanatic

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    Sep 25, 2012

    I ask all my teachers to call me by my first name unless students are present. I sign emails to parents/students as Brendan Last Name, PhD and all emails to staff as just my first name. Anytime I am addressing just students it's Dr. Lastname.
     

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