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ArchivesRe: Name advice from a teacher
in reply to a message by elizabeth
You made a few good points, teacher, but I have to comment on this one:
"It's heartbreaking when a child receives an award or tropy and the name is spelled incorrectly."
Any adult with the responsibility of handing out an award or trophy to a child should make a concentrated effort to find out how to spell that child's name CORRECTLY. I'm not just talking about unusual first names here, but also surnames -- which quite often can be a heck of a lot more difficult to spell than first names.
It is not the fault of the parent (such as my own mom, who named me "Nanaea") if an adult who KNOWS a child well enough to give that child an award of some kind, can't be bothered to learn how to spell that child's name correctly.
NO CHILD should have his or her heart broken on account of an adult's carelessness.
Oh, and teacher? The word is spelled "trophy". :)
-- Nanaea
"It's heartbreaking when a child receives an award or tropy and the name is spelled incorrectly."
Any adult with the responsibility of handing out an award or trophy to a child should make a concentrated effort to find out how to spell that child's name CORRECTLY. I'm not just talking about unusual first names here, but also surnames -- which quite often can be a heck of a lot more difficult to spell than first names.
It is not the fault of the parent (such as my own mom, who named me "Nanaea") if an adult who KNOWS a child well enough to give that child an award of some kind, can't be bothered to learn how to spell that child's name correctly.
NO CHILD should have his or her heart broken on account of an adult's carelessness.
Oh, and teacher? The word is spelled "trophy". :)
-- Nanaea
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Replies
Nanaea
Amen to your "tirade". I have had the misfortune of having my name spelled incorrectly (both first and surname), and my brother has had even worse luck with misspellings (his name is Barry, but there are people who spell it Berry). AAARGH! :D We've received mail with the misspelled names (I've asked the post office to return the mail with Return To Sender, Addressee Unknown).
Phyllis
Amen to your "tirade". I have had the misfortune of having my name spelled incorrectly (both first and surname), and my brother has had even worse luck with misspellings (his name is Barry, but there are people who spell it Berry). AAARGH! :D We've received mail with the misspelled names (I've asked the post office to return the mail with Return To Sender, Addressee Unknown).
Phyllis
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I know how it is for someone not to spell your name right to. Most people want to and a "n" or change the last "a" to an "e". But Though my name is a little different. I never did come accross another Diana growing up. I was always the only one! I always wanted to meet another one in school, but it never happened. But I must say that I have grown to have a unique taste when it comes to names! I like some popular and some very strange names. My son is Caleb Paul... I would of choose a different middle name but it is my husbands so I let that one be. I am having a girl in the spring and plan on nameing her something different. But I agree that the reason people shange spelling and come up with different names is because they want there child to be unique. So dont put down those parents... they just want something different for there kids!
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Well said, Diana and Phyllis. Perhaps I was a bit harsh with our visitor... But then, anyone who comes into my general vicinity and identifies herself as an educator is going to be held to a higher standard by Yours Truly. I hope that our teacher has a sense of humor, to go with her sense of naming esthetics. :)
Teachers, most especially, should take great pains to see that they correctly spell the names of their students. Particularly in these modern days of multi-culturalism.
-- Nanaea
Teachers, most especially, should take great pains to see that they correctly spell the names of their students. Particularly in these modern days of multi-culturalism.
-- Nanaea
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Nanaea
I did my time as a TA, so I kinda know both sides of the coin. I wish that the *combat pay* I got was more (The *precious darlings* and the *official teachers* vs. me=%#.) One year at the elementary school I taught at, and the *official teacher* showed up only three times.
Phyllis
I did my time as a TA, so I kinda know both sides of the coin. I wish that the *combat pay* I got was more (The *precious darlings* and the *official teachers* vs. me=%#.) One year at the elementary school I taught at, and the *official teacher* showed up only three times.
Phyllis
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Ah, idealism! Afraid I have to side with Elizabeth on this one, Nan - at least to the extent that the world doesn't always work the way it should or the way we'd like it to.
All too often, awards and personal recognitions are given out by people who don't know the the child as well as we'd like; perhaps the school has 1,500 students instead of 500, or maybe as educators they've been forced to wallow so deeply in governmental and bureaucratic requirements that little time is left to really connect with the child.
Ask some young ex-teachers sometime why they left the profession; I've hired two in the past six months, and this is a big part of why they left after only two or three years in the classroom. (Incidentally, they adapt wonderfully to manufacturing administration, and we sure pay better!)
Elizabeth seems to be saying that in an increasingly impersonal world, having an unusual name or unusual spelling presents additional burdens for a child, and I'd have to agree with that. Not that it can't be overcome, and not that an unusual name doesn't have its own rewards: it does, eventually.
Elizabeth echoes a point I was trying to make the other day: awash in a sea of Brittanys and Briannas and Hunters, what ever happened to names like Mary, and Susan, and Barbara? Today for children they ARE unusual names. Maybe instead of opting for Klingon or trailer park spellings, many people could satisfy their urge for name novelty just by checking the class registers of 40 years ago. It's not a bad suggestion...
All too often, awards and personal recognitions are given out by people who don't know the the child as well as we'd like; perhaps the school has 1,500 students instead of 500, or maybe as educators they've been forced to wallow so deeply in governmental and bureaucratic requirements that little time is left to really connect with the child.
Ask some young ex-teachers sometime why they left the profession; I've hired two in the past six months, and this is a big part of why they left after only two or three years in the classroom. (Incidentally, they adapt wonderfully to manufacturing administration, and we sure pay better!)
Elizabeth seems to be saying that in an increasingly impersonal world, having an unusual name or unusual spelling presents additional burdens for a child, and I'd have to agree with that. Not that it can't be overcome, and not that an unusual name doesn't have its own rewards: it does, eventually.
Elizabeth echoes a point I was trying to make the other day: awash in a sea of Brittanys and Briannas and Hunters, what ever happened to names like Mary, and Susan, and Barbara? Today for children they ARE unusual names. Maybe instead of opting for Klingon or trailer park spellings, many people could satisfy their urge for name novelty just by checking the class registers of 40 years ago. It's not a bad suggestion...
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"Ah, idealism! Afraid I have to side with Elizabeth on this one, Nan - at least to the extent that the world doesn't always work the way it should or the way we'd like it to."
@@@@ I think you missed my point, Daividh. :) A teacher who easily misspells (or mistypes, I'm being charitable) a word like "trophy" makes me wonder if she might have other reasons for complaining about difficult name spellings among her students.
"All too often, awards and personal recognitions are given out by people who don't know the the child as well as we'd like; perhaps the school has 1,500 students instead of 500, or maybe as educators they've been forced to wallow so deeply in governmental and bureaucratic requirements that little time is left to really connect with the child."
@@@@ Getting a kid's name right, for cripe's sake, ain't that big a deal, Daividh. It's the very least one might expect from a school system.
"Ask some young ex-teachers sometime why they left the profession; I've hired two in the past six months, and this is a big part of why they left after only two or three years in the classroom. (Incidentally, they adapt wonderfully to manufacturing administration, and we sure pay better!)"
@@@@ Perhaps those teachers you've hired who left the education profession are better suited to manufacturing administration. That's cool for them, and that's cool for the kids. As for the pay, the average elementary school teacher's salary here on Long Island is $70,000 -- with summers off, winter breaks and spring breaks.
"Elizabeth seems to be saying that in an increasingly impersonal world, having an unusual name or unusual spelling presents additional burdens for a child, and I'd have to agree with that. Not that it can't be overcome, and not that an unusual name doesn't have its own rewards: it does, eventually."
@@@@ Well, I suppose kids named "Dick", "Jane", or "Spot" may have an easier time of it in school. One might at least expect the teachers to be familiar with those names. :)
@@@@ I think you missed my point, Daividh. :) A teacher who easily misspells (or mistypes, I'm being charitable) a word like "trophy" makes me wonder if she might have other reasons for complaining about difficult name spellings among her students.
"All too often, awards and personal recognitions are given out by people who don't know the the child as well as we'd like; perhaps the school has 1,500 students instead of 500, or maybe as educators they've been forced to wallow so deeply in governmental and bureaucratic requirements that little time is left to really connect with the child."
@@@@ Getting a kid's name right, for cripe's sake, ain't that big a deal, Daividh. It's the very least one might expect from a school system.
"Ask some young ex-teachers sometime why they left the profession; I've hired two in the past six months, and this is a big part of why they left after only two or three years in the classroom. (Incidentally, they adapt wonderfully to manufacturing administration, and we sure pay better!)"
@@@@ Perhaps those teachers you've hired who left the education profession are better suited to manufacturing administration. That's cool for them, and that's cool for the kids. As for the pay, the average elementary school teacher's salary here on Long Island is $70,000 -- with summers off, winter breaks and spring breaks.
"Elizabeth seems to be saying that in an increasingly impersonal world, having an unusual name or unusual spelling presents additional burdens for a child, and I'd have to agree with that. Not that it can't be overcome, and not that an unusual name doesn't have its own rewards: it does, eventually."
@@@@ Well, I suppose kids named "Dick", "Jane", or "Spot" may have an easier time of it in school. One might at least expect the teachers to be familiar with those names. :)
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"...the average elementary school teacher's salary here on Long Island is $70,000 -- with summers off, winter breaks and spring breaks"
I'm moving to LI!
I'm moving to LI!
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I enjoyed reading the responses to my opinion on both unusual and trendy names. First, in defense of my spelling error, I'm usually online with my twin 3 year olds one on my lap and one behind me standing-and they like to touch the "wetters"-(we alternate from mom's sites to nickjr.com) and I edit best I can before sending. So, being a grammarian(not that I was ever a true philologist-- my specialty is learning disabilities)online went out the door a long time ago. Second, in my experience(at a much lower salary than LI by the way)it isn't the teachers who make the errors with these more difficult names, it is the other children(in valentines, etc.) and school administrative personnel who do not interact with these students daily, and (again,just my opinion)are not as concerned with the child's self-esteem(always my main concern when I was in the classroom). Finally, I find it very funny that my simple(let's stress that word due to my apparent ignorance in spelling)opinion which was meant to genuinely alert people to the hurt these children experience was taken as a "tirade"-There is obviously a lot of anger out there about teachers. A lot of anger in general- brings me back to my original point-might be a good idea to simplfy life-make things easier, pick a pretty name we haven't seen for a while, lighten up a little! (Now that's a tirade!)
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...not to mention at least 73 Jewish holidays!
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To be fair, the cost of living here is probably among the highest in the nation, as well.
Don't pack your carpetbags as quickly as Hillary Clinton did, P.L. :)
-- Nanaea
Don't pack your carpetbags as quickly as Hillary Clinton did, P.L. :)
-- Nanaea
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All too true. A dozen years ago, we owned a fairly big brick house on a large wooded lot in cheap western Kintuckie. Oh course, I was mortgaged to the hilt (have more sense - and smaller house - now).
My bro-in-law from Setauket, LI was visiting and we were discussing living costs. He said "I'll bet you a six-pack I pay more in property taxes a month than you do in house payment". I thought about his rambling ex-farmhouse with a view of the Sound, but still laughed and said "easiest beer I ever scored!"
We compared numbers, and I bought the beer. How does ANYONE afford to live there, Nan?! :(
My bro-in-law from Setauket, LI was visiting and we were discussing living costs. He said "I'll bet you a six-pack I pay more in property taxes a month than you do in house payment". I thought about his rambling ex-farmhouse with a view of the Sound, but still laughed and said "easiest beer I ever scored!"
We compared numbers, and I bought the beer. How does ANYONE afford to live there, Nan?! :(
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How does anyone afford to live on Long Island? Expensively, Daividh, expensively. Here, it really *is* a necessity for the moms to have jobs outside the home -- being a full-time, stay-at-home mom is a luxury. Not that I'm a mom, myself -- and I realize I'm fortunate to have an adminstrative job that not only pays well but that I enjoy immensely.
But then, here on Long Island we enjoy an extremely high standard of living, too, with many services and recreational facilities that are missed by folks who retire and move to places like Florida and the Carolinas. In *Places Rated Almanac*, in fact, Long Island has consistently scored in the #1 position for public library service offered to its residents.
So, the bottom line is that age-old adage: "You get what you pay for." And nobody who enjoys all the perks of living here on Long Island really has any biznizz complaining about what it also costs to live here. :)
-- Nanaea
But then, here on Long Island we enjoy an extremely high standard of living, too, with many services and recreational facilities that are missed by folks who retire and move to places like Florida and the Carolinas. In *Places Rated Almanac*, in fact, Long Island has consistently scored in the #1 position for public library service offered to its residents.
So, the bottom line is that age-old adage: "You get what you pay for." And nobody who enjoys all the perks of living here on Long Island really has any biznizz complaining about what it also costs to live here. :)
-- Nanaea
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"...class registers of 40 years ago..." would yield a certain Daividh somewhere, hehe. Your folks must have been really avant-garde fellows. But seriously, did your name's spelling ever cause any scars to your psychic world?
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Not a bit. The Golden Years before YOU were born (perhaps that's why they were the Golden Years!) were the height of comformity and convention. No one would have openly used Nan's spellings Dorathy and Danel, and certainly my canny mother would not have openly saddled me with "Daividh" as a registered school name.
I was carried on the school rolls as "David" all through school, called Dave or Davey at my insistence, and only in the late 60's, when times had changed and I knew people with weirder names like "Sunshine", did I own up to my name birthright. So no worries on the playground, mate!
Incidentally, I once said that my name was the result of a misspelling by my ggrandmother. Not so, says my aunt in Edinburgh, who claims she has run across 3 or 4 unrelated chaps with the same spelling in her lifetime. It's nice to be legit...
I was carried on the school rolls as "David" all through school, called Dave or Davey at my insistence, and only in the late 60's, when times had changed and I knew people with weirder names like "Sunshine", did I own up to my name birthright. So no worries on the playground, mate!
Incidentally, I once said that my name was the result of a misspelling by my ggrandmother. Not so, says my aunt in Edinburgh, who claims she has run across 3 or 4 unrelated chaps with the same spelling in her lifetime. It's nice to be legit...
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"No one would have openly used Nan's spellings Dorathy and Danel..."
Well, I just chose those particular examples off the top of my head. However, if you'll check out the Office of the Chief Actuary's name lists at:
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/NOTES/note139/note139.html
You will see that both "Dorthy" and "Danial" made it to the Top 1,000 Names of the 1950s list. :)
-- Nanaea
Well, I just chose those particular examples off the top of my head. However, if you'll check out the Office of the Chief Actuary's name lists at:
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/NOTES/note139/note139.html
You will see that both "Dorthy" and "Danial" made it to the Top 1,000 Names of the 1950s list. :)
-- Nanaea
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Maybe in some places. Where I lived as a yard-ape in the late 50's was right outa Leave It To Beaver (downscale version). No divorces, no working moms, no laid-off dads , no second cars, no air conditioning. Stiflingly conventional, but we didn't realize it then. And then came the mid-60's...
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I'm tempted to ask when you first got color teevee.
-- Nanaea
-- Nanaea
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B&W TV (1951) - first on the block! Color (1966).
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The first kin on the block to watch new episodes of "I Love Lucy" :)
By the way, when watching US 50s movies and TV shows, it seems to me that American english back then had a strikingly more constipated intonation and accent. Didi people actually talk like that back then?
By the way, when watching US 50s movies and TV shows, it seems to me that American english back then had a strikingly more constipated intonation and accent. Didi people actually talk like that back then?
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Exactly, misspelled names never scared a kid. It drove me insane but I got over it. Plus if I had such a terriable experience why would I want to name my kids different names? The majority of people see a name thst is different they are impressed and like the new spelling or new name!
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