Hellobee Boards

At our school, everyone is Teacher First Name. The only exceptions are the bookkeeper and her groundskeeper husband who go by their first names by choice. I think its great because we have no issues when the teachers get married, for example, and have to learn a new last name. I also think its appropriate to have honorific terms for your teachers.

I would totally take your hello! tactic. We had this question too and my answer was I guess I would use first name if I saw her by myself at the grocery or something. But I would feel a little weird about it since we always use last name when speaking about her at home.

@kiddosc: Yeah, I use Teacher First Name until I have a close enough of a relationship with the teacher. Usually, there's a point where the teacher calls me by my first name and then I feel like its fine to call her by the first name too.

My kids are in daycare/preK and they only use first names. I have a hard time with that personally and usually address them as Ms. Firstname.

I teach at a public middle school. Everyone calls me Mrs. Last name. I do have some parents email me using my first name, but I find it very casual.

When I email and address parents, I always use Mr. or Mrs. Last name. I also look up whether mom uses her maiden name.

If my son is there, it's Ms. Last name. If it's just adults, it's first name.

I always sign my emails the way I wanted to be addressed by the parents- by my first name. I will introduce myself to my children (students) as Mrs. Last Name though. Do you have any old emails you can check?

Mrs./Mr. Last name (Kindergarten) unless I'm friends with them outside of school.

I address my daughter's elementary teachers in the same manner my daughter addresses them. Same thing at our daycare. Our daycare mostly goes by last name but there are a few that use their first name.

Miss + first name at my LOs daycare. We'll do whatever the teacher asks our kids to do as she gets older. As a teacher myself I always use last names with parents and appreciate them to do the same.

It's funny you write this! I'm a teacher and I always have that question when writing to parents! I often just write "hello!" the first time as well.

Most parents refer to me as Mrs. Lastname when they initially email me. I always respond and just sign it with my first name. Once I do that the parents often will address further emails to me using my first name.

Even in emails I still use "Ms. Firstname" (same as what LO and all the other kids call her). I had the same struggle with what to type but it felt weird just addressing her by her first name.

@kiddosc: in Elementary school I address them by their first name

I find this a fascinating relic. In any other field I'm addressed by my first name only, but teachers are the only ones who expect to be addressed as Mrs. X. I avoid it when communicating with LO's teachers, but it comes up at work (I'm not a teacher, but am in meetings with teachers). I introduce myself as Polly Wog and they introduce themselves as Mrs. Smith and call me Mrs. Wog. It's always awkward because most people on my side of the table have doctorates and would never go by Dr. Wog, only first names with their colleagues. We just do this dance around the names.

Spinoff---how do your doctors address you? I think most of my doctors address me by my first name, but recently I've been going to a specialist and I've noticed that everyone in his office, including the doctor himself, refers to me as "Ms. M__________". Even on voicemails. It's kind of fun. It makes me wonder if there is an office rule about it.

Like if someone was calling from my GP's office, the message would say, "This message is for "Sue Smith", Your blood test results are in. Please call at your earliest convenience to get the results". And from my specialist office, it's always, "Hi Mrs. Smith. Your blood test results are in", etc.

It's interesting.

@Pollywog: I think it's just tradition and polite that I use a respectful title in addressing teachers and professors. I never refer to myself in the third person as Mrs. ___ to the parents, but most people in my region would not refer to teachers using their first name. It's just too casual.

Within the school, we use first names with each other whether you are the custodian or superintendent. Between parents and teachers, there is a formality.

I am addressed by Mrs. lastname at the pediatrician and I call the doctor Dr. lastname. I'm sure within their office they go by first name. It's just more formal and polite imo.

@808love: That is so interesting to hear from a teacher's perspective! I have been soooo confused with this. I used to call them Ms. Lastname But then, say in an email, the teachers always refer to me in my first name and sign with their first name. Then I reply with Ms. Lastname - I would be like, OK this is really weird. If the teachers find it weird for parents to call them by their first names, then don't sign the email ending with their first names ! Haha. And then I also heard another parent calling one of the teachers by their first names and I feel like I were such an outsider . hahaha! I am weird.

OK. That settles it, I will insist on calling everyone Ms. / Mr. / Mrs. Lastname from now on....

@irene: lol I just throw in my first name just to throw the parents off! Actually, I just use my first Initial. Last name when I write things. But then when I meet them for the first time, especially if they are new to the school, I just say my first name with my last name. I feel like it is polite and builds trust. It also to gives them options to Google me if they want...hehe!