The Intrinsic Value of a Name
What’s in the power of a name? Not just any brand name or proper noun, like Coca-Cola or the Grand Canyon. What’s the power in your name—in your students’ names?
Our names are the front door to our identity. When someone knows and uses our names, it feels like we are seen, even if only it’s a small piece of who we are. They may not know us, but they do know how to call us. They make an intentional effort to identify us as we see ourselves.
At the same time, there’s a bit of a problem with names: they’re not all easy. In my culture and region of the world, my name is not too hard for folks: William Illingworth. And yet, I come across some of these simple “oops” moments all the time:
- People assume I go by “Bill”
- I look over my shoulder in public places all the time when I hear “will” or “well” in conversation
- All of the “i” and “l” letters in my names are hard for some fonts and end up with such mistakes as Lingworth
- Everyone who meets me automatically puts an “s” in Illingworth, changing it to Illingsworth (an entirely different but real family)
Why does this matter? It’s like you’re knocking on the wrong door! How excited are you to have someone at your door only to find out they’re at the wrong house? Each one of our students feels this way when we mispronounce their names: Sourinath, Cillian, or Yiu. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to which names are “the hardest”, but that’s not the point: the first point is to understand the value of a name. Then, we can look at strategies to be better in how we use names so we can be excellent to one another.
Reflect on these questions:
- Have you ever been annoyed by how someone pronounced your names?
- Do you have a common misspelling of your names?
- Has anyone ever assumed you go by a nickname instead of your given name?
How did this make you feel?
Strategies for Classroom Application
For those of us in education, the applications are going to vary. Even across the globe, we’ll come up against different challenges with reading, writing, hearing, and speaking names. However, the approach should rest on the fact that using our students’ names is the first priority in relationship building. In K-12, you likely have your students for 10 months out of a year. That is a lot of time to get to know one another. Asking your student to take a nickname that they might not prefer, or even hate, for your convenience is not the solution. We need to take the time to practice our students’ names and practice them often. In Higher Education, the time is much shorter, unfortunately. And you won’t see your students every day. That means that the urgency is even higher to get your students’ names down pat. So, let’s look at a strategy that will work in either context.
Get your students to record their own names for all to hear! You might give them a prompt that says something like this:
“Record your name so we can hear you say it perfectly. I’d suggest saying it twice. You’re welcome to share any story behind how you got your name or what you like most about it.”
This prompt gives pronunciation practice, and it will help solidify the student’s names in your memory by attaching it to a relevant story or interesting fact. Personally, I was named after my maternal grandfather: William Hale. However, my mother’s initial thought for my first name was Victor. A compromise was struck and William Victor Hale Illingworth will forever love his name but struggle to fit it onto any legal document. Good luck forgetting that fact.
Now, how are you going to do this? Many learning management systems will have an audio/video recording tool in them, but in this instance, I suggest Microsoft Flip. It’s free and easy to set up. It’s built in the education sphere so it should be following all of the important legal and privacy standards that your district or institution follows. If not Flip, reach out to your new best friend: an instructional designer, instructional technologist, or any kind of tech coach who will point you to the resources available to you.
Real Life with Real Consequences
We have an opportunity here to support our students. If we ignore their identities, we run the risk of hurting them or distancing ourselves from them. I think we can assume the negative impact of that, but we know that classroom and learning behaviors rely on motivation and engagement. Students whose identities are directly disrespected or not safe will be less motivated and engaged. In 2014, I spent the summer teaching English as a Foreign Language at a business university in Beijing. The university encouraged all of the learners to take “English names” for business purposes. It would make them more marketable and easier to approach. I cringe at the thought, but I understand the rationale. Here is how I approached it in my classroom: students could choose. If they enjoyed their nickname and wanted me to use it, I would. However, I encouraged them to teach me their real names so that I could learn more about them and support the dignity of their identity. I wouldn’t trade the laughs we shared over how bad my first attempts at saying their names were for any other relationship-building activity. It was a challenge, but I eventually got it. I learned a lot about their language and their culture this way.
My experiences aside, though, these students were given a reminder that their identity is theirs to choose. They are the champions of themselves, and I affirmed the power that they held over that. We all know the bad examples of using a name inappropriately or the common mistakes about them; they need not be repeated. So, let’s focus on what we can do: find a game or a tool. Use it to get your students’ real names and correct pronunciations out into the open. Celebrate those names and the stories they include. Whether you’re a math, literature, or gym teacher, this practice will improve the experience for all of your learners.
We can’t ignore the importance of this entire conversation in 2023. Yes, pronouncing names and spelling them is critical. That’s a timeless consideration. However, there is a commitment to love and diversity that we are also making when we use the names our students give us, which might not be the names they were born to. We hold a responsibility as educators to provide a safe learning environment for all of our students, regardless of religion, race, expression, gender, or identity. I hope you will join me in affirming our students’ names regardless of the “why” and simply accept that it is what makes them comfortable and seen.
