Having a non-traditional name often means that people are going to mispronounce it. When this happens at a young age, especially with authority figures like teachers, it can seriously affect a child’s mental health, their self-confidence and their sense of identity. Not taking the time to pronounce students’ names correctly can also leave them feeling isolated, which hinders their learning abilities. 

Aware of these consequences, this parent stepped in to advocate for their daughter when they heard a teacher calling her by something entirely different. However, the pedagogue wasn’t exactly happy about being corrected and even got them in trouble with the school’s principal.

Scroll down to find the full story and a conversation with Dr. Jeannine Jannot, student and parent coach and author of The Disintegrating Student: Struggling But Smart, Falling Apart, and How to Turn It Around, who kindly agreed to talk with us more about the importance of correctly pronouncing students’ names.

Children with non-traditional names often have to listen to others mispronouncing them

Image credits: cottonbro studio/Pexels (not the actual photo)

But when it comes from teachers, it can have a serious impact, which is why this parent strongly advocated for their daughter’s name

Image credits: Freepik (not the actual photo)

Image credits: groveclover

“For students, having a teacher mispronounce their name can feel disrespectful, dismissive and, in some cases, hostile”

Image credits: RDNE Stock project/Pexels (not the actual photo)

Having teachers mispronounce a student’s name can not only be a frustrating experience but also one that hinders a child’s self-esteem and even their learning.

“Addressing someone correctly, whether with pronunciation or their given title, is one way individuals show respect for one another. While adults expect students (children) to be respectful, we often neglect to reciprocate it back to them. This can impact a student’s self-esteem and confidence as they are seeking validation and status as they navigate in their world of peers and adults,” explained Dr. Jeannine Jannot, student and parent coach.

“For students, having a teacher mispronounce their name can feel disrespectful, dismissive and, in some cases, hostile. Much will depend on the difficulty of their name and their history with its pronunciation. In any case, it’s ultimately hurtful and likely to negatively impact their relationship with the teacher and their performance in class.”

Research has found that the failure to pronounce a student’s name correctly impacts their world view and social emotional well-being, which is directly linked to learning. When teachers don’t get students’ names right, they often feel shame and embarrassment because their name appears to be a burden. Consequently, they begin to shy away from their language, culture, and families. 

Dr. Jannot says that ideally children should advocate for their name to be pronounced correctly. However, this can depend on a few factors. “First, the child’s personality—if they are more introverted, they are less likely to feel comfortable correcting the teacher,” she said.

“Second, how approachable the teacher is believed to be by the student. And finally, the extent to which the student finds it annoying or upsetting. If it causes enough frustration or aggravation each day in that class, a student would benefit from correcting the issue so they don’t lose productivity in the classroom because their brain is derailed with the stress associated with roll call.”

For those students who might feel apprehensive or shy to correct the teacher if they mispronounce their name, Dr. Jannot suggests sharing the correct pronunciation with them privately, either in person or via email (for an older student). “Parents’ role is not to step in on behalf of their child, but to help their child strategize ways they can handle the situation that will work best for them. They can role-play this at the beginning of each school year and anticipate ways to respond,” she advised.

“There’s no shame in not knowing how to pronounce a name, but how a teacher addresses it is what counts”

Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels (not the actual photo)

Of course, not all teachers mispronounce names on purpose or out of disrespect. “I believe most teachers are making inadvertent mistakes or lack familiarity with the name. There’s no shame in not knowing how to pronounce a name, but how a teacher addresses it is what counts. Ideally, a teacher would inquire if they have said the name correctly and get validation or corrective feedback. A teacher who shows humility in this case is demonstrating their respect for the student as an individual,” Dr. Jannot explained. 

Fortunately, awareness of this issue in schools has increased and many teachers try to do their best to pay special attention to the way students’ names are pronounced. They often do this by making use of Google and taking notes.

“When I taught and took a roll call from a roster at the beginning of a semester, I preemptively asked students to correct me if I said their name wrong. Then I would write the phonetic spelling of the student’s name next to their name on the roster until I learned to associate their name with their face,” shared Dr. Jannot. 

“Asking a student to correct them if they mispronounce it in the future also empowers a student to speak up and feel like they are valued and respected. Another strategy is to make note of what the name sounds like. For example, the father of ‘flow theory’ in psychology is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The way many remember how to pronounce it (the mnemonic) is ‘me hi chick sent me hi.'”

Some readers thought the parent was right to correct the teacher

While others thought the parent was wrong for giving such name to a child in the first place

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