Addressing students
When I respond to a student's grade, quiz, or discussion board posting, I always use Ms. or Mr. and their last name. To me, if I require them to address me as Dr. to show respect, then turnabout is fair play by respecting them through their title.
How do you address your students?
Hi Gretchen,
I address students by their first name. I always start my response off like this; "Hi Sheila, thank you for your e-mail or thank you for your response." I have found that this technique works best for my at-risk students. They appreciate me calling them by name and it has caused them to open up and sometimes, disclose too much information. There are some students who may respond by addressing me by my first name. I respectfully explain that I am to be called Professor Patterson. Once I address the salutation concern, everything is fine from there.
Thanks,
Letitia
Gretchen,
Professionalism. You are being a great role model.
Letitia,
We all set the tone for our course. Thanks for the explanation.
Gretchen,
I address my students by their first names and they address me as Mrs. or Professor. I end my message with Mrs. I have had a few students address me by my first name (in an email). I reply by crossing out my first name and rewriting it with (Mrs.) and my last name in red fonts. They apologize for their error. I had a student who became my co-worker. Every time I saw her at work, she addressed me as Mrs. It was embarrassing to me but she said she did not feel comfortable calling me by my first name. :-)
Vivian Washington
Vivian ,
It is good we all find what works for us. Professionalism is the key. Thanks.
Gretchen,
Good point. I usually like the Mr or Mrs. however some of the facilities require one or the other. Some even encourage first name with the instructor which I do not agree with. Keeping the greeting formal helps to maintain a level of respect both ways. We see this even with parents and kids today. I have many friends who ask their kids friends to address them by their first name. I feel that is disrespectful and so unfortunately our kids always do Mr. and Mrs. and we ask to be addressed as such as well. Call us old fashioned but I hate to see all the respect leave our society.
William Huber
William and Gretchen,
I agree that the course is a professional setting and that is why I emphasize communication be professional as well. Thanks for sharing.
This is a good idea but there are some students I honestly not sure! I get some students like one of my students now, her name is Cody. I would of figured based on the name she was male, we share an interest in german shepherds and she posted a picture of her and her dog in her intro post...she was not a HE! I like the idea but I don't want to offend anyone by addressing them by the incorrect gender so I tend to stick to first names and allow them to address me by my first name as well (even though few do)
Leah,
No, we can't figure them all out by their names. I talk about this in business communication too when they are writing letters to Sandy Smith or Chris Matthews. You can't assume they are male or female. Thanks for brining this up.
I tend to follow the students' lead. If I see that they sign their name in email as Mr. or Mrs., this is what I use. If they use their first name or even a nickname which they often do, then I will use it. It is important to maintain a level of professionalism while meeting the needs of the students who want to feel comfortable by establishing some form of connection with their instructors.
Paula,
Good point. We do learn a lot when we pay attention to what other people do. This makes sense.
Thanks for your input!
I use my student's first names, we have a very ethnic population and the last names can be a torture to type correctly!
I'm not a stickler on how I am addressed. I find my foreign born students tend to be very formal Prof Peterson, while older students working in the field but returning to school for the credential will use my first name (no biggy either way).
Patricia,
Interesting that you have noticed a difference with the generations and cultures. Thanks for sharing.
Gretchen,
I require that the students address me as Prof. Bishop but I use their first names. I had not thought about it not being respectful. I just thought it kept me from being a buddy if they used my first name.
Frances
Frances and Gretchen,
You'll find different opinions on this. Typically those in universities have a specific thought about Professor being reserved for Ph.D. professionals and Mr. or Ms. for instructors and adjuncts who do not have a Ph.D. But, every institution is different. We all have to be respectful, that's for sure. Thanks!
