My Name is Elana

The first day of 6th grade (circa 1972), the teacher called roll. When she got to my name, she pronounced it "ah-lawn-ah". I respectfully corrected her as my parents 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 her sarcastic tone. So, for the rest of the school year, in a class of Marks, Toms, Andreas & even Sylvias, 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. 

A friend shared this article from 2016 and I think it still speaks volumes about this very topic: "A Teacher Mispronouncing A Student's Name Can Have A Lasting Impact" - If we are to build relationships with the students in our classrooms, it should begin by properly pronouncing their name.

And, for the record, I still believe that that teacher was the one that lost out. My Science Teacher, Mrs. Chalke, got the distinction for being my favorite teacher that year and beyond!