Job Discussion Forums

[arioch36]

Hi, I'm Chris. But my students call me Mr. or Sir. i've had two colleges take my name "Christopher", and had someone shorten it to "Christ", which was given to all the students. I was not amused. Of course in China, you would never call a teacher by their first name, but their title. In all my years od study, I had one teacher who had us call her by her given name. It was a small post grad class.

But many laowai seem to feel that using their first name in the classroom makes the classroom environment friendlier, making a more conducive setting for the students to speak up.

Other laowai have told me that they are tired of the students always butchering their family name.

Where do you sit (besides on the fence)

[Shan-Shan]

On the first day of class, I tell the students my given name. From then on, I am referred to as "Teacher" or "Sir". My professionalism, I hope, is what causes students to refer to me as teacher.

[Lorean]

In my home country, Canada, it is bizarre to address a teacher as "Sir" or "Professor".

Half of my professors asked to be addressed by their first name. The other half we addressed as Mr. or Mrs.

Regardless, my last name is impossible to pronounce.

[arioch36]

[eslstudies]

In China,I was happy with my personal name, Andrew. More formal students turned this into "Mr. Andrew". For many though, both in China and in Australia, it becomes "teacher" or even "laoshi". Very few Chinese students will call me Mr. [family name], as my non-Chinese students do. They can't say it, let alone remember it!
You can take the kid out of China, but you can't take etc.

[Girl Scout]

When I started teaching in Asian it was with pre-schoolers. They called me Teacher (first name). I actually got use to it. When I moved on to university students I continued the trend.

[kev7161]

My students and those in the nearby vicinity call me Mr. Kevin (again, the whole complex family name thingie). Kids that don't know me have always addressed me as "teacher" - - "Hello, teacher", "Good morning, teacher".

I always call my Chinese colleagues (in front of my students) Mr. or Miss whatever and the foreign teachers (unless they specifically request me to use their family name) in the same way. If I were teaching college, I guess I wouldn't have a problem with them only using my first name but again, that puts you on a level that is different than their other Chinese teachers (the whole respect or lack thereof thing). Yes, in western societies it is not uncommon for some college professors to ask you to just call them by their first name, but most students are smart enough to know that doesn't automatically make them your "friend" and you can now slack off the rest of the term because your "friend" won't mind at all!

[jeffinflorida]

My first day of class I said Hello, I am your new teacher Mr. Manson, just call me Charlie...

[Lobster]

Since both my first and last names cannot be pronounced by humans, I am simply called Mr. D.

RED

[voodikon]

good question. in the states we always addressed our professors as "dr. so and so," unless it was one of those grad students teaching the general ed courses, in which case we usually didn't talk to them since the classes were huge. i had one professor, a middle-aged lady from tenessee, who gave us a very stern lecture on the first day of class on the need to address her as "dr. ___" or "professor ____" and to never, EVER address her by her first name. (she pointed out male students seemed to have more of a tendency to do that, esp. those who were around her age.)

at my first teaching job, at a korean-run training school in the states, i was addressed by "miss [first name]"; at my next teaching job, a taiwanese-run school in the states, i was addressed by the kids as "ms. [last name]" or simply "teacher" by those who didn't know me. the kids i taught were 12 to 14 years old at the time, and i was 20 (then 21 and 22), so the age difference wasn't that great. i still keep in touch with them--about four years have passed, and though i've told them to just call me by my first name now that they're young adults and i'm no longer their teacher, they said it was weird and they can't get used to it.

here i've always just been addressed by my first name, but my students have almost always been my age or older, with the exception of one year--that year they either called me by my first name or simply "teacher"--but i noticed they also addressed all their chinese english teachers by their given english names as well. so, whatever.

[jwbhomer]

My introductory lesson always included a topic on the difference between Chinese and English naming systems, in which I told my dear students that "Mr. John" is incorrect. I would conclude by saying "You can call me 'John' or 'Mr. Unpronounceable' or 'Professor' or 'Teacher', but not 'Mr. John' or 'Unpronounceable'."

After that about 70% called me 'John', 10% 'Mr. Unpronounceable', 5% 'Professor', 5% 'Teacher'...and 10% 'Mr. John'.

[therock]

In the class I get called laowai.

[drakis]

I've been at the same school almost two years, and at first everyone was introducing me by my first name while introducing Chinese people as Mr. So andso. This was very annoying. I've finally gotten almost everyone to call me by my Chinese name and title - Duboshi - meaning Dr. or Professor Du. People were still calling me by different combinations for some time, but now when they're my students they get a smack on the head. Mr. + first name seems to be very popular, but then people were also still calling me by Dr. + first name, Mr. + Chinese name, etc. The people whom I work with who do call me by my first name have that privilege removed once they introduce me to someone else by my first name. I've explained to my students and everyone else that what they're doing is proper neither in my culture nor in their own.

[TreKidation]

Anyone who believes that wearing a suit and tie versus well-kept jeans and shirt and tie or believes that being addressed by my first name or Mr. or Dr. makes any difference in professionalism or teaching ability, or students ability to learn is delusional.

[fitzgud]

After three years at this school I am considering changing my name to, chip a dong laowai.