Hi, My Name Is...

The world has become a melting pot of people. Any where you go you can find someone from almost every corner of the world. Some born in America, some born millions of miles from the place they now call home. When working as an educator, you are expected to call people by name, but what if you can't pronounce their name? This is a more and more common problem as more and more people immigrate and also as people return to using more traditional names to embrace their cultures.

In our more casual aspects of society many times people will resort to generic nicknames, Darling, Sweetie, Sweetheart. In more professional situations using generics such as Sir or Ma'am. Sometimes we use a persons clothing or distinguishing physical characteristics to identify them to other people, “Oh you know, the guy with the spiky hair who wears the blue jacket.”. Or when talking to the person we try to make what we chose to call them sound endearing “How are you doin' Mr. Cool Guy?”. There's only so long you can call someone “Mr. Cool Guy” before they catch on you don't know their name.

If you happen to be a little bold and think you know how to pronounce their name but just aren't 100%, go ahead, give it a try. Worst that can happen really is you're wrong, they correct you, you both move on. When asked however, the overwhelming answer from both people with complex names and people trying to pronounce them is, just ask. If you are not sure how to say someones name, just ask them how it is supposed to be pronounced. Chances are you won't be the first person who has had to ask and it's much more appreciated then butchering a persons name trying to figure it out yourself. If it happens to be someone you will interact with regularly or who has a particularly difficult name you may want to jot it down phonetically in a way you will understand to reference back to until you have it down pat.

Or you can continue calling that student at the back of the room, “Mohawk Kid” and the science teacher down the hall, “Mrs. Smarty Pants” and see what happens. If you chose that option, let me know how it works out for you.

By Jodi Sonoda

Jodi has been blogging for over 3 years, and is excited to currently be blogging with Educationjobsite.com for Nexxt. She is attached to the internet at the hip and enjoys the constant connection. She spends most of her offline time playing dolls and reading picture books with her two year old.