There’s nothing more irritating than someone CONSISTENTLY saying (or spelling) your name wrong. It’s such a sign of disrespect that they couldn’t even care enough to learn it. But what if they’re technically getting your name absolutely correct…it’s just not what you want to be called?
This listener’s son is upset because the teacher won’t call him by his name – his NICKNAME, that is. She’s siding with her son…but her husband is siding with the teacher!
But first, this employee quit in the most epic way possible…
Here’s what our listener wrote about her son and his teacher:
Hi Bert Show!
I need your advice on a situation involving my son that has my family split. My son started 2nd grade a couple weeks ago and is already frustrated with his teacher. He was not a fan of her going into the school year, but we tried to tell him to give her a chance. After a few days he came home telling me that his teacher is “so rude.”
I asked him what he means by that, and he told me that his teacher refuses to call him Toby and instead uses his full name, Tobias. Everyone in his life (including us) calls him Toby so that is what he is used to and prefers. His teacher refuses to call any of the kids by their shortened name, so it is not just him.
I agree with my son and would hate to be called by my full name, and I would feel disrespected if I corrected a
boss/coworker to use my shortened name (which my son has a couple times), but they refused.I have not contacted the teacher to get her side of everything, but my husband thinks she is in the right to call
the kids by their given name in her classroom and doesn’t think it’s disrespectful to the kids.What are your thoughts about this, and should I reach out to the teacher? It’s only been a couple weeks of school, and I don’t want the frustration to build.
Thanks for any help you can provide!
Kim