What's Your REAL Name?
You would not believe how often I get this question. It's not like Kirkman isn't my real name, but the students always want to know my FIRST name, they just don't know how to ask it, so it is considered my REAL name. Kinda funny right. A student will ask me what my name is, and I reply, Mr. Kirkman, and then they get a bit frustrated and say NO, what's your REAL name. I got such a kick out of that response at first and would say, it really is my name, just my last name. Then, inevitably, they would ask for my first name. Eventually, I just gave up on the correction of whats my REAL name and just would offer my first name after that question was asked. Most often it is older students, like this afternoon when I was in a fourth grade and a few asked my REAL name. But not always is it the older students, a few weeks ago I was in the bathroom (Don't worry, been in there since too- just not a part of the story) at a school and while I was in a stall, a younger student comes into the restroom area, and starts talking with me, even though I have not even seen him. Who's in here?? he asks, At first I just play like I have not heard him, hoping that he will get the etiquette that people don't normally talk through stalls unless they know who is in the next one and its a friend or whatnot, but NO, he keeps asking, Who's that? So I say, Mr. Kirkman. Then the question comes, No, Whats your REAL name. SO I give it.
Now, I don't know if it is a bad or good thing to give out my first name. I know that the respect thing needs to happen at schools and so I have to ask students I know outside of school, (as in church or whatever) to call me Mr. Kirkman when they are in the school and they see me, but is it alright to let the students know my first name when they ask? I think so, it is just a sign of respect back to them. I can remember many instances in my educational career where a teacher might put their full name when modeling what a paper should look like or whatever. What do you think? Is it alright that I hand my first name out to those who ask? Let me know your thoughts. What's your REAL Name?
1 comment:
I would think that it was okay, I always called my teachers by their last names even when I knew thier first. Though there was one teacher who would not tell us his first name, his nick name was Buck, but we never did get his first name out of him. I even went so far as to ask the office but they wouldn't tell me either!
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