So I participated in a #ClearTheAir chat on Twitter for the first time last week. One of the questions asked about ghosts we carry with us as parents or educators. I've been thinking a lot on and off this summer about beliefs or expectations I held to be true growing up and where those came from and why. So that's where my brain went when @ClearTheAir (@ValBrown) posed that question. You can see my original response below.
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My Story As is the case with a lot of children, the first day of school for me often led to confusion about my name. They would surprisingly usually get my former last name of Hirschy right (said like Hershey; was often pronounced by others as Hirsky), but my first name was another story. I would likely get called Jo Ann and/or RaeAnn (my twin sister's name) at some point if not multiple points on the first day. Coaches of sports where we were on the same team would often just call us Hirschy to not have to learn or mistake which of us was which. In college I found myself debating whether or not to correct other college students I met while out and about with friends on calling me JoAnn after I had already pronounced it once for them. What was the likelihood I would interact with them again? Was it worth the time and energy to correct them? This was how I started thinking. Friends would often correct people on my behalf. As an adult professional going into my 10th year of teaching and my 5th year in the same building, I still have a few colleagues that misspell my first name in every email they send to me. Names matter. Repeatedly mispronouncing or misspelling a name sends a message that you do not deem it worth your time to learn the correct pronunciation or spelling. Names are always worth our time. Mispronouncing names or insensitive things people say around names are also microagressions. I've heard folks say things such as, "I'm never going to get that right," "I have no idea how to say this one," or attempt the name and then say, "Oh I give up, that's too hard. What is it?" Please stop. Those are harmful things to say Breaking old habits & starting new ones |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |