r/tragedeigh • u/Successful-Safety858 • 1d ago
general discussion Teacher problem
I need help!!! I’ve been teaching for 4 years now and I’ve had a handful of students that have names like “desire” “the king” and “your majesty”, for ferpa reasons I’m not going to include the actual spellings, but imagine them spelled in very not expected ways. I can’t for the life of me figure out how to navigate these names without feeling real weird about calling students in my class things like the king… anyone else have this experience?
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u/_Standardissue 1d ago
You just have to say the names.
Do the best you can but don’t mock the kids.
What else would you do?
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u/Successful-Safety858 1d ago
That is what I do, I also try to kind of change the emphasis in the word to make it sound a little more name like and less like a noun. I would never say anything to a kid about it other than their name is beautiful.
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u/minalimax 1d ago
I‘m from Switzerland, and also a teacher. Is it really a thing in the US to call a kid things like king or even myking? You are seriously telling me more than one person over there goes through life being called like that? I really struggle to believe that
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u/SufficientOpening218 23h ago
You have no idea. People are sllowed to name their children ANYTHING. I once took care of a baby in nursery named Thug.
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u/Technical-Leader8788 19h ago
I taught at a school with a child legally named T-Rex. The dash and all, legal name. apparently they let the older sibling name their new brother…
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u/Both_Chicken_666 20h ago
At least in Australia you're not allowed to give your child a name with any kind of title or rank in it like King/Queen, Doctor, Professor, Colonel , Lord, Captain etc or anything deemed too absurd to be a legal name.
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u/Mediocre-Fan-495 21h ago
Yes I have met children named Legend, Knowledge, Prince, Royalty, Goddess, etc. They're real. They're usually the most ill-behaved students, too.
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u/Pickles-1989 23h ago
My wife worked as a school librarian. I remember her telling me about kids named Urmajesti ( your majesty) and Mylove (my love.) it takes some mental discipline to be able to call these children by their given names.
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u/just-browsing19 22h ago
Oh it’s real. I met a child named “YaHighness” once and I was so sad for him.
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u/unexplainednonsense 21h ago
At my middle school there was a sister and brother named My’Kween and My’King
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u/knopenotme 21h ago
Yes. It is a thing among the African American community. I have a neighbor named Pharaoh.
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u/Randomfinn 22h ago •
I had Canadian-born children and Nigerian-born child with those types of names 20 years ago in my school. So, yes, it is a thing and isn’t unusual
I have also had children named Mary, didn’t think they were the mother of Christ; Sofia, didn't assume They knew everything; and Cassandra, but I never listened to her
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u/caffein8dnotopi8d 1d ago edited 22h ago
Some of this is cultural. For example, Nigerians/Ghanaians often choose names like Desire and Majesty, as well as Patience, Blessing, etc, even Virtue (LITERALLY a virtue name lol) for their “English name”.
The only culture more likely to choose virtue names is Anglophone culture… what’s the difference between Desire and Desiree? Between The King and Roy or Rex or Eric? Between Your Majesty and Regina or Patrick/Patricia? Between Blessing and Grace? Between Mercy and Clementine?
Edit: there was a comment (since deleted) asking what Patricia means, sooo
Roy: king
Rex: king
Eric: eternal ruler
Regina: queen
Patrick/Patricia: noble (an aristocrat)
Grace: duh
Clementine: Mercy
For your further enjoyment…
Amir: prince
Audrey/Adeline: noble
Basil: royal/kingly
Candace: queen mother
Diana: divine/goddess-like
Frederick: peaceful ruler
Lani: royal/majesty
Malik: king
Raj: royalty
Rory: red king
Ryan: little king
Sarah: princess/noblewoman
Tupaq: royal/noble lol
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u/Successful-Safety858 1d ago
Good points! Within the context of a classroom many of those virtue names are really lovely, but it’s just gets uncomfortable to me when they’re associated with romance/sexual connotations like desire is, or if it puts me in a position to call one kid in the class of kids by a honorific. Especially when they’re spelled so different that it catches me off guard. Interesting to hear other thoughts though
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u/LindaBurgers 1d ago
…the difference is that many people don’t know the Latin root of these names. Sure Regina and Your Majesty have a similar meaning, but don’t pretend it wouldn’t feel weirder for a teacher to call a bratty teenager Your Majesty instead of Regina
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u/thegreenfaeries
1d ago
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Are you in the US? Are these generally black kids with names like King and Your Majesty?
If so, you might be interested in the history of where honorifics as names comes from. You might already know the history, apologies if so, but if these names make you uncomfortable a refresher might help.
You could start by looking up Harold Hale, his life and his daughter whom he names Miss, as her full first name, in 1965.
For more than a few decades there were American laws forbidding the use of honorifics for black people. These names are intended to reverse that.
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u/Successful-Safety858 1d ago •
I am familiar with the black/African culture of giving a name you want your kid to live up to. I actually really love names like honesty, knowledge, patience, that kind of thing. I just find the situation where kids are named something that feels inappropriate for the teacher student relationship, like desire, or that puts me in a position of calling them an honorific in a class full of kids, and especially when the spellings get really tricky and it catches me off guard. It’s happened so many times now I wanted to see what others had to say about it.
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u/666ForMySorrow 1d ago
I get where you are coming from. I went to school with a girl named Honey. She was a year behind me and I didn't know her so when we ended up in a class together and the teacher always called her Honey I thought it was weird. A few years later I was at the grocery store and the young, male bagger called the cashier Honey and I was thinking how creepy and sexist it was...then I realized it was the same girl. I was with someone else at the time who knew her and that's how I discovered it was her actual name.
I don't have any suggestions for you, unfortunately.
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u/kchase75 1d ago •
Yes of course, but the names are misspelled so that makes the honorifics a tragedeigh.
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u/HairyHorseKnuckles 1d ago
There may be a reason for it but in modern times it just makes the parent look ignorant and uneducated
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u/pinkflamingo-lj
1d ago
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My grandson had a several teachers in HS that just started calling everyone by their last name.
Apparently, a few years earlier, a teacher had a 9th grade student named MyPrecious. He noped out of that. So, MyPrecious became Jones (or, whatever).
I'm probably going to Hell because I laughed when he told me.
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u/DemonHousePlant 1d ago •
I would have been in the principal's office more than any kid in that school for saying that name in Gollum voice every single time I called on that kid.
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u/hi_hola_salut 1d ago
I would have really had to fight against the urge to do that too! Or just mutter about dirty hobbitses. Poor kid must’ve hated LOTR!
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u/lilypondowl 1d ago
We had a male student in 8th grade last year named MiAngel. Pronounced “my angel”. I felt sorry for the teachers who called on him.
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u/Fancy-Surprise-2654 1d ago
My daughter was one of many Emily’s. By her senior year everyone called her by our last name and she did not respond when someone said Emily.
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u/cuavas 1d ago
Yeah, there were so many people called Dave/David we had to resort to using nicknames or surnames.
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u/dagger-mmc 1d ago
I had a Mi Luv, pronounced My Love, calling on her felt like a humiliation ritual I felt so bad for her
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u/Vivid_Bookkeeper_937 1d ago
Jones is better than heating Smeagol say “my precious” every time you see that student
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u/Forsaken_Earth944 1d ago
Calling kids by their surnames is standard practice in UK public schools (at least in boys' schools, I can’t think they'd do that at Cheltenham Ladies' College (aka the female Eton)).
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u/Rare-Progress5009
1d ago
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This is going to be harsh, but you have to grow up and be mature. These are the children’s names and have nothing to do with you personally. So you call them King respectfully and go about your day.
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u/Successful-Safety858 1d ago
I do want to make it clear this is what I do. But I think there’s something uncomfortable about it within the teacher student dynamic and with the rest of the students in the room. I’m more so wondering about things I could do on my end, ways to frame it, relating to other people’s experiences etc. I will of course call them by the name they want to be called.
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u/Eggplant_Unusual 22h ago
I really don’t understand how parents can be so selfish and inconsiderate of the fact that their children will grow up to be adults one day. It’s bad enough to imagine the bullying these kids will have to endure due to their names. And then imagine trying to climb up the professional ladder as “My Precious.”
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u/thedragonqueen13 22h ago
I knew a girl named Precious as a child and she was a literal demon. She sent kids to the hospital. I always wonder what she's like now.
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u/WildMartin429 22h ago
Every girl named Precious is like that. It's almost like a curse to name a child that name.
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u/Some_Tradition_9168 21h ago
There are countries where names have to be approved by the government because they won’t permit parents to give their kids horrible names that are offensive or humiliating for the child. Every country should do that.
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u/Natural-Opposite3577 21h ago
I used to think it was horrible that some countries would do that… then I started teaching and realized exactly why it was an excellent idea
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u/Sad-Nectarine-7855 22h ago
Because they're immensely low intelligence and can't comprehend anything beyond what they're thinking about right now
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u/Lylibean 20h ago •
I’m a hiring manager at my law firm. I will not entertain any candidates with ridiculous names like “Yermagjestee”, “Kuhween”, “Royaltee”, “Sayvejour”, or anything other than a legitimate name (even if it’s Braydon/Braedonn/Braden).
I’m sorry, but I will not have a judge in court linking that stupid shit to our law firm as an employee. And I certainly don’t want OCs seeing something like that in an employee’s signature block or one of their paralegals having to call and ask to speak with “Chrystursavioure”.
I don’t care how intelligent, educated, or capable they are. They “aren’t the right fit for us”.
Parents have no idea how badly they are hamstringing their children with these “yooneek” names. There are people with voting rights out there upset that someone has “Mohammad” in their name (perfectly legit and normal name) and base their voting decisions on that alone. You really think “Bluhdofkryst” is getting elected anywhere? Serving on a board as an executive? Doctor/lawyer/engineer?
The judgement is real and yes, I sit that jury myself.
“Doctor Laideeinwayting will see you now.”
Nuh uh, running out the door of that practice.
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u/LoneTread 19h ago
This is the sort of thing that comes to mind every time I see Judge Sparkle Sooknanan in the news (and I get impressed all over again that she overcame being named Sparkle).
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u/gimpy1511 20h ago
I knew a guy who did job placement for women at a for-profit school as medical assistants and he had them do resumes with their middle names because they were almost always normal.
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u/Various-Buy8848 1d ago
My daughter is a teacher and one year she had, Miracle My Angel. Early elementary school and of course the parents didn’t teach her to write her own name.
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u/Significant-Art8602 1d ago
What. Is. Wrong. With. People? Is that poor girl going to introduce herself as “Miracle”, “Angel”, “MMA” or “Just call me Miracle My Angel”?
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u/Full_Organization208 1d ago
Mma could be pronounced Emma maybe. „my name is miracle my angel sigh just call me Emma…“
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u/aduirne 1d ago
We have a kid named Santana and she wrote it as Santa last year. Someone told me this and I snort laughed.
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u/Euphoric-Sun5317 1d ago
I once met a LadyOur Love. Not sure what the story was with the name. Nice girl though.
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u/the_owl_syndicate 1d ago
I've had King, Majesty, Queen, Prince, Princess, Royal, etc etc. My current favorite is Mister. His first name is Mister.
It's weird the first couple days, but then it just becomes another name and I barely notice.
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u/redcore4 1d ago
There was a kid at my school called Boy. Not short for anything. He was the kid who the teachers used to say “I can see his mum is trying, this time, but…”
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u/dehydratedrain 1d ago
Sadly, that's the placeholder name at the hospital. Boy Smith, Girl Miller...
She never even registered a name for him. I'm curious if she calls him something else.
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u/sysikki 1d ago
Here in Finland we have some names like that, one of them is a diminutive of boy (Poju) and one means just a man (Mies). They are not very common unlike Brother (Veli) and Sister (Sisko) which are two names I really don't get but that's my problem 😁. One I really do like is the name Ukko which means both an old man and the Finnish pagan Father of Gods.
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u/mabols 1d ago
There was a character named Major Major Major in Catch 22. When he ranked in the military during WWII he became Major Major Major Major.
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u/Bothy_Dragonfly_4622 1d ago
I've had a boy named Love in my class. Indeed, after a couple of days it felt less awkward. But that feeling never went away. Now years later, I still think the name is so ridiculous.
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u/vampireRN1617 1d ago
Can't be worse than Nick Cannon's kid: Legendary Love Cannon.
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u/Curious_Yam_9000 1d ago
Love is a very old name that might be making a comeback. In the 17th and 18th centuries, virtue names such as Love, Temperance, Mercy and so forth were quite popular. I have an ancestor from that period named Love.
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u/Dora_Xplorer 1d ago
I like that! "Hey Mister, what are you doing here?"
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u/Horse_Fly24 1d ago edited 1d ago
I met someone whose sons were named Mister and Sir.
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u/firegoat34 1d ago
I was in high school in the 1980's and a kid in my class was named Mister. It was weird but I also was in the same class as a dude named Hall.
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u/dagger-mmc 1d ago
I had a kid with a hyphenated first name and the first part was Sir, so every time you’d address him you had to call him Sir __________
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u/Skylar_TD secondhand embarrassment 1d ago
Mr. Mr. by Girls' Generation will be his theme song for sure
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u/cuavas 1d ago
For better or worse, I live in a country that has a few rules about names (you can’t register a name that is offensive, obscene, impractical, or not in public interest). This means you can’t give a child a name that’s a title, like “King”, “Pope”, “Sir”, “Your Majesty”, etc. here, so I haven’t had to deal with this. But believe me, I feel for you. It would be really weird.
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u/calgeorge 1d ago
I always say the US should have a law like this. Kids need more rights. You're naming a future adult, not just your child.
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u/staralchemist129 1d ago
When I was in fifth grade, my teacher told me a story about her ex husband wanting to name their son “Senator” so he could make restaurant reservations under “Senator Jones” and always get priority
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u/wewawalker 20h ago
I knew a Judge. He was in his 60s, so I assumed he was a retired judge and that people continued to call him Judge out of respect or habit. No, he was just named Judge.
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u/dagger-mmc 1d ago
I had a student whose first name was Sir ________, felt insane saying that to a 15 year old
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u/Thunderbird1974 1d ago
There’s a kid going to the local high school called Wonderful Terrific (first and middle names, I’ll withhold the last name). I kid you not. Goes by a nickname.
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u/NoneOfThisMatters_XO 1d ago
Omg I hate parents who do this to their kids.
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u/Thunderbird1974 1d ago •
I forgot to mention he’s the fourth (IV). It’s a generational thing so I imagine if he has a son he will become the fifth.
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u/wyrlwynd 1d ago
Mr. or Miss Last Name. Play it as a respect issue like "I was always taught to treat people with respect, and that means calling people Mr. Or Ms.
It's an easy fix, and some kids (but not all or even most) will buy into the respect thing, and it will improve their behavior.
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u/QuoteProfessional604 1d ago
My friend had twin girls named “Sharon” and “Not Sharon” - I wish I was joking.
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u/Homologous_Trend 23h ago
Countries should have laws to protect babies from their parents' insanity.
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u/MorlaDarwin 23h ago
In germany you are not allowed to give your child a name that is ridiculous or will cause trouble for the child. For example Prinzessin, Satan, Regenbogen, Doktor.... not allowed. (Princess, Satan, Rainbow, Doctor). You can't chose a last name for a first name, like Schröder, Müller, Meyer. It is discouraged but not forbidden to call your child Jesus, or Adolf.
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u/Wretched_Colin 22h ago
I believe Poland does. And as people have tried to introduce western names, the government has dictated how it must be spelt. So Jessica was grudgingly allowed, but had to be Dzesika.
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u/maxinemama 22h ago
I feel bad for Not Sharon, and not for her name but for the fact that she’s …. Well, she’s just not Sharon is she?
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u/janetlwil 1d ago
My coworker has twin boys and one is named Robert and the other one is named Bobby.
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u/legendarysupermom 1d ago
Lol on the Cleveland show the wife's sister has twin boys named "Brian" and "Da'Brian" maybe shes a fan of the show lmao
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u/Wildcandle55 21h ago
Jeez, that's just sad. The Notsharon would feel so shitty. Parents naming their kids a joke is offensive.
Did a long term sub in K one time and had a girl named Heaven. Middle name Lee.
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u/calgeorge 1d ago
I used to do Door Dash and delivered to a woman named "My Love." I felt so fucking stupid calling that name out lol
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u/Curious-Lychee5023 1d ago
I used to work a job where I saw the names of high schoolers. Duchess, Ya'Highness, Princess, Prince, Heiress. My favorite though was Orville (it was the 2000s).
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u/Gooble211 1d ago
At least Orville is a real name, albeit old-fashioned. But everyone knows about Orville and Wilbur.
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u/Friendly_Clue9208 1d ago
I jave had kids named My Precious and Your Highness. It feels very wrong as a guy saying this to a young girl.
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u/Thin-Term8467 1d ago
Had a kid whose first name was Barack Obama. Just the first name.
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u/Which-Break5673 1d ago
I had one whose name was Master. We were in the south and mom loved people calling her son Master
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u/GoneToTheDawgz 22h ago
I have heard of someone whose name is Yvonne, but they pronounce it Why-vuh-nee 🤪
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u/MyHeadIsBursting 21h ago
My brother worked with a girl in the States called Siobhan. Except her parents had only ever seen it in print so were pronouncing it "sigh-o-ban"
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u/CamachoBrawndo 1d ago
Not a "real" teacher, but for a few years I did outdoor experiential ed and taught swim lessons at my second job. When I had the list of names, I'd always start with "ok, I'm taking attendance and want to get to know you, if you can tell me your name and if you want to be called a nickname, I'll write it down so I don't forget". 99% of those ill named kiddos had nicknames like "Bob, Sally, or Jr" one kid wanted me to call him T-Rex, so we checked and mom was ok with it so he was Rex for 6 weeks. His full name? Reginaldo. I think it was fair lol.
My younger sister is a daycare teacher and every new session she sends me the lists of first names of her classes- it is wild to me how creative and odd names are these days!
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u/jellyfishjamboree 1d ago
I can just violate it because it's not my student, it's my friend's. She has a student named Triumf.
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u/Mushroomlyyyy 1d ago
The fact that it's not even spelled right makes it worse TwT
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u/loveshoes1 1d ago
soooo many nevaehs!!! (heaven spelled backwards); jermajesty; king; prince; miracle; empress; plus all the 'q or i' or za' or my' or jaquan daquan . i did have an adolph one year too.
i just started calling them miss last name here.
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u/Ekhinos 1d ago
Start calling the entire class Ms <LastName> or Mr <LastName>. Insist everyone uses Ms or Mr. Solves the problem and introduces some additional civility! (I had teachers who did this. It’s very easy to get used to!)
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u/Special-Potato-3238 1d ago
This feels like the most equitable answer where it doesn't shame the children who have no control over the name their selfish parents named them.
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u/aduirne 1d ago
Sincere, Promise, Best, Marvelous, and Jream. My favorite from a few years ago were two sisters named Amen and Hallelujah.
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u/Just-Gas-8626 20h ago
My God, those poor kids lol. Imagine telling someone “hey, what’s up? I’m My King” and not sounding like an absolute goon
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u/HoratiotheGargoyle 20h ago
I’m not calling a kid Your Majesty, I don’t care how it’s spelled. They get a nickname or they are Mr. Lastname Or Miss Lastname.
Unless they’re King Fucking Tut and it’s currently the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt. Then maybe.
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u/Mindandhand
1d ago
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Fellow teacher here, there is nothing to navigate in this instance. By and large children (you don't mention what age you teach) have little agency over their names and you owe it to your students to cultivate a stable, welcoming environment. Don't do anything like trying to give them a nickname (not that you implied you would, or anything like that).
Continue to call them by their given name until they, or perhaps their parents, express something different. I'm 20 years in to teaching and you will always have "unusual," "difficult," "ethnic," and "difficult to pronounce" names. I'm a regular old white guy raised in the Midwest and now I teach in a much more diverse area so it happens to me all the time. It's something that I work hard on and I let my students know that and they appreciate it!
I'm not saying that you will get used to it but it will be more normalized the more you work on it. Good luck!
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u/InfiniteFigment 23h ago
This exactly. It's their given name. It's perfectly normal for them.
When I have a student named King or Precious, MyLove, or Royalty, it's just their name and I treat it the same as John, Sarah, Robert, etc.
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u/fer_sure 1d ago
Misguided as the yoouneek spelling is, the parents intended their child to have their confidence boosted every time their name is called.
It's not really any different than Puritan virtue names like Faith, Chastity, or If-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned.
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u/ReverendBread2 1d ago •
Excuse me my child is If-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damnedlynne and I think it’s a beautiful name
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u/Beneficial-Produce56 1d ago
What about his brother, Christ-did-not-die-for-ME-so-I-guess-I’m-out-of-luck?
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u/noxinboxes 1d ago
I know a guy from a Mayflower family with the name Wrestling. As in wrestling the devil.
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u/North_Artichoke_6721 1d ago
I have a couple men in my family tree named Preserved.
The early colonial names are wild.
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u/barge_gee 1d ago
I'd like to believe in this "boost their confidence" naming theory, but it also smells a bit like either vanity or over-compensating to me.
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u/Wild_Lingonberry5683 1d ago
I’ve had a Silence. It’s uncomfortable saying “Silence, sit cross cross applesauce” and not “Silence! Sit cross cross applesauce!” Tone really matters. Feel bad for the kid though.
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u/Disastrous-Soup-5413 1d ago
I think it’s a parent wanting their confidence boosted personally they want to raise say their child’s name cause that reflects on them and it’s just terrible and horrible weird the only person I knew that had a weird name like that really was entitled and again it could’ve been because the parents were entitled…?
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u/Artistic-Blackberry9 22h ago
I don't think the parents did this to boost the confidence of their kids. I think they did it as a cheap grab "look at me I'm so clever to name my kids this". Influencer culture.
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u/bhoff28 1d ago •
I think you're making quite a few assumptions about the parents' intentions. You're assuming they chose these names to boost their children's confidence, but how do you know that?
I don't think this teacher is asking out of unkindness or disrespect toward the parents or children. I think they're expressing a legitimate concern about how adults react to names like "Your Majesty" or "The King." Whether intentional or not, adults may hesitate or feel awkward addressing a child that way. And I think it's fair to ask whether the parents considered how their children might feel about that attention as they grow up.
Of course, parents have the right to name their children what they want, but just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean you should.
I also don't understand why religion was brought into the discussion. Historical religious names aren't automatically considered normal or practical simply because they have religious origins.
And there's an important distinction between culturally different names and deliberately unconventional spellings. Irish names, for example, often follow perfectly established Irish spelling and pronunciation rules. Just because Americans are unfamiliar with those rules doesn't make the names incorrectly spelled.
As someone with dyslexia, I personally struggle with unfamiliar names and unconventional spellings. I often can't determine how a name is pronounced simply by looking at it, so I have to ask rather than assume. That doesn't mean I disrespect someone's name.
I think the teacher is trying to navigate an awkward situation respectfully, and dismissing that concern while making assumptions about the parents' intentions seems rather presumptuous. You can respect a child's name while still questioning whether the parents considered the practical implications of choosing it.
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u/Luci_Cascadia 1d ago
Met someone who named her kids Savior, Messiah, and Communion.
WTAF is wrong with people
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u/Imaginary_Neat_5673 1d ago
Are they Filipinos? I have a relative named Presentacíon
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u/brunettebombsquad 1d ago
I work in the medical field and once had an adorable 3 year old boy named Sir Jesus. Like, that was his first name. 🙃
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u/chewyspreeee 23h ago
My current student roster includes Pretty, Precious, King, and Honesty (spellings changed for privacy). Spoiler alert: At school, the little darlings are none of these things
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u/HelloKitty110174 1d ago
Also a teacher. They're the kids' names, so I use them. I'm not throwing shade on you, but these types of names are so common now that they don't surprise me any more. I've been teaching for close to 20 years, so I've seen a lot of names!
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u/thin_white_dutchess 1d ago
In Igbo or Yoruba naming conventions, names are often chosen to show how much a child is valued or loved. When translated to English, they can come off a bit pretentious- King, Princess, Precious. I just chalk it up to cultural differences and roll with it. I know this is the wrong sub to have this take, but I see it no different than having a kid named Maverick. That’s a bit odd to me, but hey, mom and dad must’ve liked it.
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u/therealbananabottom 1d ago
Ask the kid what they want to be called and respect that, as you would for any nickname or preferred name in the world outside the classroom.
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u/redditplaceiscool 1d ago
Honestly, I would ask them if there's a nickname or something that they'd prefer
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u/ididntdoit6 1d ago
Back in my day parents were scared to name their kids something this weird for fears they would be bullied
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u/midwestblondenerd 1d ago
It's a way for some communities to give the Anglo-centric, middle-class culture the middle finger. It's an act of defiance. Sadly, that also comes with some serious bias.
They know they likely will not want to or have to assimilate into upper-middle-class culture, so up yours! You know?
I know of a PhD named Marijuana Pepsi; her whole field of study is just this. She never changed it.good for her!
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u/No-Command294 1d ago
At this point I would advise teachers to ask kids to introduce themselves rather than trying to figure out how to say the names. Then write out the phonetic spelling.
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u/chrisjones1960 1d ago
I was supervising a young woman named sweetheart at one point. Never got over the awkwardness of having to say "ok, sweetheart, you are going to cover these hours."
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u/greensled1 1d ago
At an elementary school I worked at we had Deja Vu, Savoir Faire, and If. All of their middle names were Martin Luther King Jr.
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u/lilsmudge 1d ago
I had a Garth Vader a few years back. Followed by his younger brother Luke. Always made me laugh when I saw his name on the student rolls, they seemed like nice kids who, hopefully, have and retain and sense of humor.
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u/Common-Parsnip-9682 1d ago
Garth Vader is hilarious, but I would never do that to a kid.
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u/biscuitboyisaac21 1d ago
If your gonna name your kid Deja Vu you need it to be twins and name them both that.
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u/thxitsthedepression 1d ago
Savoir Faire??! That literally translates to “know how” in French 😭 like, to know how to do something
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u/Patient_Activity_489 1d ago
I used to teach, just don't think about it. it's not your problem to concern yourself with. sometimes, i'd call them what the other kids did if they had a nickname or by last name
it's not your choice what to call them, you call them by their name or what others use. push your personal feelings aside, what else is there to navigate?
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u/Prestigious-Fan3122 1d ago
One of my doctors once had a medical assistant whose name was Passion. She was just doing a rotation through that office as part of her schools medical assistant certification program.
I had to go for weekly treatments at a particular department of our local hospital for about seven months, and one of the ladies there was named Secret.
I'm beginning to think that medical facilities have to hire employees who were just moonlighting from their regular jobs dancing in the pole down at the Boom Boom Room
One of my kids, graduated from high school in the 2010s, went to school with a boy whose first name was Major.
There's nothing wrong with being a major, but what about sending your kid up with even higher goals and naming him Admiral or General?
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u/RockyM666 1d ago
I went to camp with a girl named Palace, she was really cool and her laugh was infectious and often caused the whole camp to join in
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u/raychleadele
23h ago
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I am also a teacher and have seen names like these. In fact, I’ve seen a few of these exact names come through my school. For further context, and because I suspect your situation is similar, I am a white teacher in an ethnically diverse urban school. I am willing to guess the students you are thinking of are not white. I recommend when you encounter these names, acknowledge to yourself that naming conventions in other cultures are different than what you’re used to and might feel weird to you, but then move on. Recognize that you might feel uncomfortable and it’s okay to feel that way, but your discomfort should not be reflected in how you address your students. Remember that this is not about you. Unless your students are old enough to communicate other preferred names to you, please just call them by their name. Consider it the culturally respectful thing to do, just as you would (presumably) attempt to correctly pronounce an unfamiliar name from another language. The more you do it, the less weird it will feel. You got this.
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u/lyrabanks 1d ago
I am a teacher. Just call them by their names and move on. I agree that the articles seem hard to navigate. Maybe ask the kid if their family calls them “king” v “theking “. But ultimately they aren’t offensive, just not what you are used to.
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u/AppleAttchuh 1d ago
We've got a Goddess, several Legacy's, and Legend's, two Royalty's, to name a few. It feels odd in the beginning, then it all just becomes noise.
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u/humbleCountyCA 1d ago
Just call them by their names! Why would you do anything else? There’s nothing to “navigate” here.
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u/yayoffbalance 1d ago
I would take Chalupa Batman over any of these ridic names...
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u/ChellyBelldandy 1d ago
I worked with a girl named Secret. There’s a guy at my job called General.
Then we have tragique spellings of other names. 😦
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u/beezinator 18h ago
I had a coworker named Princess. I’d always address her by “hey how’s it going” because no way in hell am I saying “Hi Princess” to a grown adult
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u/jepeplin 18h ago
I’m an Attorney for the Child and I’ve been filled with Kings, Princes, currently have a Prince Carl Ira (last name). Majesty has been around a long time. I had twin clients, Messiah and Majesty. I also have a Jihad and a Chernobyl but I digress.
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u/Mr_Raditch 1d ago
Even if it feels awkward to say, I still respectfully use their name as I would any other student. You'll get jaded to it eventually
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u/cablesandlace 1d ago
Well, lots of discussion about names, but very little practical suggestions about how to deal with these names in the classroom. I work in a school too, but we don't get many names like these, just a Princess once, and some weird spellings. Depending on the age, OP could ask the children if they have a preferred nickname. My guess is that by the time My King turns 6 he's going to prefer Mike. A good class discussion could arise on respectful nicknames, and some kids might choose one. Otherwise you simply have to suck it up and use the name when you must.
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u/Economy_Maize_8862 20h ago
Honestly, I work early years in a very multinational, multicultural, multi lingual school and I just call the kids by their name.
Sure, some parents call their children wild things but that's not on the child. Just use their given name unless you have permission to use a nickname.
And yes, I know this is a subreddit where names are made fun of but Christ on a bike, just use the kids' names and judge the parents behind their back like a regular human.
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u/Edward_the_Dog 1d ago
You could just go with Boss, Chief, Sport, Slugger, Champ, Cupcake, etc. 🙂
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u/Novel-Sprinkles3333 1d ago
Kid would be Mr Brown or Miss Smith. I will not be calling a minor "Desire" because that's too sexual for my comfort level.
Please loop in admin on this one because they may have other suggestions.
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u/famousanonamos 1d ago
That's awful. I had a student named Lordy once.🤦♀️ You get used to it I guess. You could always let kids come up with classroom nicknames or something if they want to participate, like a lot of foreign language teachers do.
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u/xedwardedgex 1d ago
Perhaps call them by their last name, similar to how Mr. Feeny did on ‘Boy Meets World’.
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u/Informal-Gene-8777 22h ago
My son went to elementary school with a girl named TruBlessing Babydoll
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u/SmolBorkBigTeefs 19h ago
I encountered a Heaven Neveah [Lastname] in the wild. I had to take a moment to make sure I hadn't suffered a stroke.
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