Nicknames for students

S

Sensubean

New Member
Is it ever appropriate to call students names like "buster" or "kiddo"? I'm not sure how many teachers would deem this to be suited in an academic environment.

To me, I see it as signals of familiarity and friendship to students, so by response, they'd see me not just as an instructor, but a friend to boot.

I'm excited to see opinions on this idea.
 
I have nicknames for some of my students, typically the boys. Not because I'm not fond of my girls, but only because for some reason I think girls may not like a male teacher calling them "slugger", or "Princess". :)

Girls often get a generic: "sweetie", "sweetheart", etc.

Boys sometimes get a generic: "bud", "buddy", "son" and some have specific nicknames: "Patch", "Cubby", etc.
 
I call girls: "dudette, girlfriend" Boys get "dude, man" And both get "sweetheart" when I'm telling them something mean but trying not to sound mean. Like "sweetheart, if you don't start doing your work you will fail my class" I have 4th-9th grades.
 
I don't love it, but at my school almost all teachers (and admin) call the kids "friends." I'm guilty, sometimes, because I hear it so much.

I also use Boo Boo and Chickadee. Typing this makes me sound weird, lol.
 
I don't have a nickname that I call my boys, but my girls get called 'sister' or 'sis' by me. It's hard for me to break the habit, in my family, and hometown, the word 'sister' is used by women to address any female younger than she is.
I find myself doing this with the girls in my class..I do it without realizing it, and I always know the first few times I've done it because of the look of confusion on their faces.
 
I personally do it with younger (primary) grades. Sometimes I'll call the boys "bud" or the girls "honey". I started doing it when I was supplying and simply didn't always know the kids name and it became a bit of a habit. But I only do it with the kindergarten - grade 2(ish) levels.
 
I am bad at this...any child that I deal with in the hallway is honey, sweetheart, darling, dude, or something else. I am bad at names, so it is my coping skill. I have pet names for almost all of my students and they giggle and love it. If I goof and call one of them a name I have called someone else, they correct me.
 
I don't have any, but my cooperating teacher in the afternoon has a whole stable of words for her Kindergartners - sweetpea, chick, sweetie, a whole slew of names
 
I think it's probably less about the choice of names and more about the tone used in saying them.

"Listen, buster, I'm the boss!" is an entirely different thing than "Hey, buster, how's your day going?"
 
I teach hs and the nicknames still come out at times. Not "buster" or "kiddo"- I don't think those would be well received. But I tend to say "dude" a lot and "sweetie" on occasion. I also tend to use things like "Yo, Lebron James, chill with the throwing please."
 
I don't sweat being called "Teacher" (I am one. I look at it like an honorary title.) although, it seems to bug my paras. I used "kiddo" "honey" and "sweetie", but, I teach K-2.

Oh, and I teach all boys. :D

They take it without comment, or they laugh about it. :)
 
When I sub and forget names, I use nicknames. I say "sweetie," "honey," "darlin'," etc. The kids never bat an eye about it because they know that it's my coping mechanism for not knowing their names. :haha:
 
mrachelle87 said:
I am bad at this...any child that I deal with in the hallway is honey, sweetheart, darling, dude, or something else. I am bad at names, so it is my coping skill. I have pet names for almost all of my students and they giggle and love it. If I goof and call one of them a name I have called someone else, they correct me.
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This.
2 schools - way too many kids I come in contact with - way too many similar names.

Ones I am having trouble with this year -
Atticus and Aramis
Delilah and Deliah
Lily, Lilian, Leilah, Leelah, and about 7 other variations!
5 sets of twins - help!

Funny story this week when I misnamed 1 of 2 girls who have similar names and look very alike. A 3 year old looked at me like I was crazy, shook her head, and told me didn't I know one had one ponytail and one had two? The look on her face was precious but it didn't help when they both wore their hair down yesterday. Even she was confused!

I use sweetie, honey, buddy, etc. a lot, but they are little and see it as a sign of affection - not the coping mechanism it really is.
 
I taught high school when I called my students 'kiddos' and 'hotrods'. They didn't seem to care. I also had a habit of calling my boys by their last names so they started calling me by just my last name, no Ms.
 
I try to use first names a lot in hopes that they will respond to them more consistently, but I think that's more an issue of them being two than not knowing their names. :p But I do occasionally use things like buddy/bud or sweetie. Most of my kiddos don't use my name, I usually get "papa/dada/daddy" or in the case of one "mama...daddy... HEY!"
 
Oh, I use them constantly. Honey, darling, sweetie, sweetheart, baby, baby doll, baby girl, big man, little dude, bambini, and Chicken Little are the usual rotation.
 
I use them all the time. One of my co-workers picked up on one of the nicknames for a student last year. He got his mom to write a note that she not call him that. I didn't get a note, but I talked to him to tell hike I would stop using it. He hugged me and said I was the only one who could call him that. He said when I said it he felt like I was giving him a high five, but it didn't feel that way when the co-worker said it. How you say it makes a difference.
 
Pisces_Fish said:
I don't love it, but at my school almost all teachers (and admin) call the kids "friends." I'm guilty, sometimes, because I hear it so much.

I also use Boo Boo and Chickadee. Typing this makes me sound weird, lol.
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At my school, my kiddos think "booboo" is a scatological term!!! LOL I use kiddo, sweetie, Mr or Ms Last Name, goofball, hey you (when my mouth isn't working, lol) - mostly their first name and sweetie.
 
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