Having a non-traditionalnameoften means that people are going to mispronounce it. When this happens at a young age, especially with authority figures like teachers, it can seriously affect a child’smental health, their self-confidence and their sense of identity. Not taking the time to pronounce students’ names correctly can also leave them feeling isolated, which hinders their learning abilities.

Scroll down to find the full story and a conversation with Dr.Jeannine Jannot, student and parent coach and author of The Disintegrating Student: Struggling But Smart, Falling Apart, and How to Turn It Around, who kindly agreed to talk with us more about the importance of correctly pronouncing students’ names.

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Children with non-traditional names often have to listen to others mispronouncing them

Child video chatting with a teacher on a laptop, discussing name pronunciation issues.

Image credits:cottonbro studio/Pexels (not the actual photo)

But when it comes from teachers, it can have a serious impact, which is why this parent strongly advocated for their daughter’s name

Text discussing a father’s effort to correct teacher on daughter’s name pronunciation.

Text image about a teacher mispronouncing the name Keeley as Kelly.

Text discussing a dad’s request for the correct pronunciation of his daughter’s name by a teacher.

Text excerpt about a teacher refusing to pronounce a daughter’s name correctly.

Text discussing a father’s effort to correct daughter’s name pronunciation by a teacher, who refuses to comply.

Text discussing a father’s request for correct pronunciation of his daughter’s name, emphasizing future impacts.

Father looks frustrated while thinking, related to daughter’s name pronunciation issue with teacher.

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Text highlighting a dad asking teacher to pronounce daughter’s name correctly.

Text excerpt about a dad asking a teacher to pronounce his daughter’s name correctly.

Text message from dad advocating correct pronunciation of daughter’s name, Keeley, to teacher.

Email text about a parent-teacher conference invitation with the vice principal.

Text about a dad asking a teacher to pronounce his daughter’s name correctly.

Text from a dad about being surprised by a meeting casting blame.

Text discussing a parent questioning if they should insist on correct pronunciation of their daughter’s name by her teacher.

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“For students, having a teacher mispronounce their name can feel disrespectful, dismissive and, in some cases, hostile”

Girl sitting at a desk in a classroom, looking at a book, symbolizing a teacher pronouncing names incorrectly.

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Havingteachersmispronounce a student’s name can not only be a frustrating experience but also one that hinders a child’s self-esteem and even their learning.

“Addressing someone correctly, whether with pronunciation or their given title, is one way individuals show respect for one another. While adults expect students (children) to be respectful, we often neglect to reciprocate it back to them. This can impact a student’s self-esteem and confidence as they are seeking validation and status as they navigate in their world of peers and adults,” explained Dr.Jeannine Jannot, student and parent coach.

“For students, having a teacher mispronounce their name can feel disrespectful, dismissive and, in some cases, hostile. Much will depend on the difficulty of their name and their history with its pronunciation. In any case, it’s ultimately hurtful and likely to negatively impact their relationship with the teacher and their performance in class.”

Research has found that the failure to pronounce a student’s name correctly impacts their world view and social emotional well-being, which is directly linked to learning. When teachers don’t get students’ names right, they often feel shame and embarrassment because their name appears to be a burden. Consequently, they begin to shy away from their language, culture, and families.

Dr. Jannot says that ideally children should advocate for their name to be pronounced correctly. However, this can depend on a few factors. “First, the child’s personality—if they are more introverted, they are less likely to feel comfortable correcting the teacher,” she said.

For those students who might feel apprehensive or shy to correct the teacher if they mispronounce their name, Dr. Jannot suggests sharing the correct pronunciation with them privately, either in person or via email (for an older student). “Parents’ role is not to step in on behalf of their child, but to help their child strategize ways they can handle the situation that will work best for them. They can role-play this at the beginning of each school year and anticipate ways to respond,” she advised.

“There’s no shame in not knowing how to pronounce a name, but how a teacher addresses it is what counts”

Teacher assisting a student in a classroom setting, focused on proper name pronunciation.

Image credits:Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels (not the actual photo)

Of course, not all teachers mispronouncenameson purpose or out of disrespect. “I believe most teachers are making inadvertent mistakes or lack familiarity with the name. There’s no shame in not knowing how to pronounce a name, but how a teacher addresses it is what counts. Ideally, a teacher would inquire if they have said the name correctly and get validation or corrective feedback. A teacher who shows humility in this case is demonstrating their respect for the student as an individual,” Dr. Jannot explained.

“When I taught and took a roll call from a roster at the beginning of a semester, I preemptively asked students to correct me if I said their name wrong. Then I would write the phonetic spelling of the student’s name next to their name on the roster until I learned to associate their name with their face,” shared Dr. Jannot.

“Asking a student to correct them if they mispronounce it inthe future also empowers a student to speak up and feel like they are valued and respected. Another strategy is to make note of what the name sounds like. For example, the father of ‘flow theory’ in psychology is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The way many remember how to pronounce it (the mnemonic) is ‘me hi chick sent me hi.'”

Some readers thought the parent was right to correct the teacher

User comments about a teacher mispronouncing a daughter’s name, leading to humorous exchanges.

Reddit comment supporting a dad correcting a teacher on daughter’s name pronunciation.

Reddit comment addressing a teacher’s refusal to pronounce a daughter’s name correctly.

Comment discussing the correct pronunciation of a name and the teacher’s refusal.

Text comment about a teacher refusing to pronounce a daughter’s name correctly.

Reddit comment discussing a teacher refusing to pronounce a student’s name correctly, calling it mental abuse.

Comment addressing teacher’s refusal to pronounce student’s name correctly.

Text exchange discussing teacher’s refusal to pronounce a student’s name correctly despite reminders.

Comment on teaching daughter to insist on correct name pronunciation.

Comment about a dad supporting his daughter in correcting her name pronunciation with a teacher.

While others thought the parent was wrong for giving such name to a child in the first place

Comment discussing name pronunciation and lifelong correction challenges, referencing dad’s request to teacher.

Comment criticizing unique name pronunciation in online forum discussion.

Comment criticizing a dad for being upset over mispronunciation of daughter’s name.

Text discussing teacher’s challenge with pronouncing daughter’s name correctly.

Comment criticizing a dad’s approach to daughter’s name pronunciation issue with teacher.

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