Do you call teachers by first name or last name?

[Eavesdrop]

Do you call your kids' teachers by their first name or by their last name?

[grumpybear]

by last name.

[whatsnextmom]

Depends. To my children, it's always last name. If I don't know them very well, certainly last name. However, there have been teachers I've worked closely with and when the kids aren't around, we call each other by first names quite comfortably.

[TiredX2]

Originally Posted by whatsnextmom 

Depends. To my children, it's always last name. If I don't know them very well, certainly last name. However, there have been teachers I've worked closely with and when the kids aren't around, we call each other by first names quite comfortably.

Exactly this.  When volunteering in the class with kids around--- Ms.Last Name.  When referring to the teacher for my kids, same thing.  If the teacher has said, "Call me First Name" at a conference, or when the kids are out of the class or signs emails using first name only I use first name if there are no kids around

[beanma]

Same thing as your post about nicknames—whatever the person requests. If the teacher requests a first name then I do that, but unless they request it I do the Mrs. Soandso and Mr. Whatshisname thing, both around the kids and when they're not around. If the teachers were to say to me, "Oh, you can call me Jessica" or whatever then I would do it, but they haven't so I don't. Probably I should mention to the teachers that they can call me "bean" instead of Mrs Beanma, but I haven't yet. That would be more likely to elicit a "call me Jessica" if it's ever going to come.

Last year my kids went to a school where the kids and everyone else called the teachers and all school personnel by their first names. I loved it, but that's not the culture at the school they go to this year. 

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by beanma 

Last year my kids went to a school where the kids and everyone else called the teachers and all school personnel by their first names. I loved it, but that's not the culture at the school they go to this year. 

yep. My kids currently go to a school where the adults are all called by their first names by students.

when my kids attended a school with a different culture, I called the teachers by the L. names unless I knew them in a different context. The ones I bumped into all the time at the Y, I was on a first names basis with.
Edited by Linda on the move - 10/1/11 at 5:17pm

[Polliwog]

Originally Posted by beanma 

Same thing as your post about nicknames—whatever the person requests. If the teacher requests a first name then I do that, but unless they request it I do the Mrs. Soandso and Mr. Whatshisname thing, both around the kids and when they're not around. If the teachers were to say to me, "Oh, you can call me Jessica" or whatever then I would do it, but they haven't so I don't. Probably I should mention to the teachers that they can call me "bean" instead of Mrs Beanma, but I haven't yet. That would be more likely to elicit a "call me Jessica" if it's ever going to come.

Last year my kids went to a school where the kids and everyone else called the teachers and all school personnel by their first names. I loved it, but that's not the culture at the school they go to this year. 

Was that CP? If so. my son's sister goes there and loves it.

I call teachers whatever they prefer to be called. Mostly first names right now for his regular teachers but not for any of the specialists.

[beanma]

Polliwog, not CP -- not sure I can place that one. They were at CIS.

[zinemama]

My kids go to a public school where teachers are called by first names. So that's what I call them, too. I don't even know the last names of most of the teachers there.

[Polliwog]

Originally Posted by beanma 

Polliwog, not CP -- not sure I can place that one. They were at CIS.

I think I was confusing you with someone else. I looked at CIS but wasn't able to send my kids there. I'm sad that they shut down.

[pianojazzgirl]

Depends on the teacher.  Some at dd's school want to be referred to by their first name, and others by "Madame last-name" (it's a French school).  I guess it's up to personal preference.

A friend used to work at a school here where they made him call himself "Mr. first-name".  :shrug.

[MJB]

This year, first name, since that is how my kids' teachers have signed emails and such to me. Last year, I called one of my kid's teachers by first name and the other kid's by her last name for the same reason. 

[moominmamma]

My kids go to a public school where some of the teachers prefer to be called by their first names, and others by their last names. Two of the last-name-types are also friends/mentors outside of school and there my kids call them by their first names. One is a homeschool liaison teacher as well, in which context he uses his first name. My kids who are part-time homeschoolers see him in both contexts and switch almost unconsciously between the two different forms. Sometimes the context is not clearly one or the other, say, in the hallway of the public school, with reference to a homeschool issue, and they stumble between "Scott" and "Mr. K." We all find it rather amusing.

Miranda

[meemee]

in general the culture here is title and last name unless you get to know them well. so when i volunteered or got to know the teacher and their family it quickly turned into first name basis.

one of the things i DONT like at my dd's school (seems like its true for our district) is that the teachers and the principal are called by their title and last name like Mrs Smith... however all other staff is called by title and first name. 

i am not sure why that is so.

[34me]

Originally Posted by zinemama 

My kids go to a public school where teachers are called by first names. So that's what I call them, too. I don't even know the last names of most of the teachers there.

This for my youngest. Mr/Ms Lastname for my highschoolers. Gosh I love my youngests school.

[Tigerchild]

I am on first-name basis with all the teachers that my kids have (or will have) at their elementary school;  also on a first name basis with many of the other teachers, all the administrators, ect.  But when I'm volunteering with children, I call them by whatever the children call them.

It's really no sweat to me either way--I don't see that it makes a good or bad culture either way.  Doesn't seem to confuse the kids either.

I ask the kids to call me by my first name, and have always introduced myself by first name to staff/teachers, so that's what they all call me.

ETA:  my kids go to an alternative education (parent co-op) program in a public school.

[Amylcd]

Usually last name.

[purslaine]

Mr.Ms.Mrs last name.

They do likewise to me.

I would actually prefer first names, but whatever.  I will go with the flow!  I know I could ask to be called by my first name, but I do not want them calling me Kathy if I am still using Mrs. Smith.  It would seem too..unequal?....to me.

[nd_deadhead]

For me it's all about how well I know them. Some of my kids's teachers never did make it to first name; others get there quickly. My son's high school guidance counselor is first name, as is his asst. principal, but I have worked closely with both of them.

I always sign emails with my first name, and that's how I prefer to be called.

[FarmerBeth]

I call them by whatever name they introduce themselves as, which is usually first name.  In front of a group of kids I address them by last name.  When I sub as a TA, I go by the particular school culture (and actually, it's some of the most rural schools with the Ms Firstname method in this area, so I am often Ms Bethany in the country).  Some of the high school teachers, especially, just go by first name with the kids.  Also (and I am very much a beginner with this) we have areas here with core Gaelic language in place of French and a couple of homeroom teachers that mostly speak in Gaelic to the kids during home room.  If modelling the language correctly, the naming system is different so it's way easier for me as a beginner to just model given name (I sub with two kids in such a class the most frequently, so I've been in a crash course of Gaelic).