The first day of 6th grade (circa 1972), the teacher called roll and pronounced my name "ah-lawn-ah". I respectfully corrected her (as I had been taught to do) by saying "it's 'ee-lay-na'. To wit, she said "Yes, but it looks like it should be 'ah-lawn-ah'". And around and around we went until she loudly grunted and said "Ok Miss Fremont" - a proud distinction, had it not been said with a sarcastic tone. So, for the rest of the school year, in a class of Marks, Toms, Susie's & Debbie's, I was the only one called by my surname with a sarcastic tone. I didn't much care for that woman. Not just because of my name, but because of all the other slights to the rules of inter-personal relationships. And to this day, after all these years, it's still a clear memory of how she made me feel. I think we should all feel valued in our learning space, our work space & all spaces in between. My friend Sarah shared this article and I think it speaks volumes about this very topic: "A Teacher Mispronouncing A Student's Name Can Have A Lasting Impact" (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/a-teacher-mispronouncing-a-students-name-can-have-a-lasting-impact/#.V4wlLzSXcU4.facebook)And, by the way, I still believe that that teacher was the one that lost out. My Science Teacher, Mrs. Chalke, got the distinction for being my favorite that year!
