Should It Be Okay to Call A Teacher By Their First Name?

Written By: Sawyer Summers

I think that students should be allowed to call their teacher by their first name. It will help the students to better bond with their teacher. Tory Parker, a student from MJH stated, “I feel like we should call our teacher by their first name because it sounds more natural.”  Many students call their teacher by first name and get points taken away because of it. They don’t understand why they get in trouble because they feel like it is so awkward to call their teacher by their last name.

People say that calling their teacher by their first name defines the boundaries between the students and teachers. They argue that this is how it should be. Emily Meyer, another student from MJH stated, “I feel like if there was a young teacher, calling her by her first name would make her feel like she’s our age, and then there wouldn’t be a defined line between teacher and student.” But even though we would call them by their first name, they would still be in charge of us and teach us. There would still be defined lines that separate teachers from students. It would develop a mutual respect between teachers and students.

Some leading psychologists say that students are more likely to get good grades if they have a good relationship with their teachers. Neal Brown, principal of a school in Maryland, wrote, “Students (who call a teacher by their first name) begin to develop strong relationships with their teachers and they are less afraid to make mistakes or advocate for themselves.” They would feel more comfortable asking for help. So they would all get better grades and feel less stress about school. That is why students should be allowed to call their teachers by their first names.