Is It Wrong to Address Teachers or Former Teachers by There 1st Names?

At school always Sir,Mr,Mrs. Years on in a different context I would probably use First names. I've met old school teachers. It was so weird hearing stories about them and they things they had got up to. Changed my world completely. Even at Uni I had friends who had a beer with the lecturer. Never struck me as right.I'm on your side on this one Stuart.

Depends on the teacher, how often you see them and how well you know the person. You can get round it by just saying hello.

In Iceland - the country not the supermarket chain - pupils call teachers (and everyone else) by their first name. This is also common in the Netherlands and Australia. In other parts of the world, such as China, people just call them 'teacher'.

I think it depends on your relationship with them. My high school science teacher was also my next door neighbour for years (before I even went to high school) and I always called her by her first name outside of school. Similarly, one of my sports teachers was the neighbour of my grandparents so I always used his first name outside of school too - we saw each other multiple times a week outside of school and still see each other from time to time.

If I didn’t have any relationship with them at all outside of school and never really saw them though I would still refer to them as Mr, Miss or Mrs LastName.

its weird at school it was always mrs/miss and sir never the first name, infact you would get told of for using the first name as it was disrespectful yet as soon as you get to college they insist you call them by first name as youre seen more as an equal.

It is a sign of respect to use someone's title, Mr, Mrs, Miss in a school setting

Even though school was a long time ago, I would still address my ex teachers as Mr/Miss/Mrs out of respect.

Just as with so many other things in today's world, respect and good manners seems to have gone down the drain.

I was brought up to respect my elders and would never call any person over 30 by their first name until I was an adult.

Kids today blather on about respect and stab each other if it isn't shown but they show scant regard for their elders.

Like most things now I just give up and go with the flow but I still flinch inside when a total stranger on the phone or in a shop etc refers to me by my first name. Is it too much trouble to call me Mrs Whatever until they at least know me better or I say 'please call me Lynn'.

You are right, your son is wrong. If you are too familiar with teachers there is less authority in the classroom. As you know my granddaughter is head of English in the best school in our area and the pupils would not dream of calling her anything other than Miss Whatever and she is in her 20s!

I think teachers should be called Sir,Mr,Miss or Mrs, then outside of school if you know them personally you can discuss what way to address it. My best friend's dad was my primary 7 teacher. Almost 30 years on, I still find it hard not to naturally call him by his first name. We both laugh, but also happy with it.

My son has also just started pre school, and the 'teachers' there have also decided to ask to be called Miss / Mrs, as our local primary school does, and they want to encourage it and create a sense of understanding, that this will happen next year at school. I personally think it is a good thing and that it encourages respect.

I wouldn’t even have known my teachers first names! I think using the surname is a mark of respect and differentiates the teachers‘ role from the pupils. I am with you stuartsmith544!

I still see my science teacher and still call her Mrs she tells me I don't have to call her that but I can't get out of the habit lol

I still have contact with my very first nursery teacher

And I still can’t call her by her name

Even tho she’s requested I do

I just can’t

I even call my daughters teachers miss , mr , mrs

I suppose I’m old school

I think the only time I've interacted with my old teachers was as my kids teacher so was still appropriate to say miss but I'm sure I would have anyway

I'm with you on this one stuartsmith544 not that many of my teachers are around today. One is the father of my daughters friend and the first time he came to the house I said "how is Mr ..........." which they all found really funny. Today, 26 years later, both my kids address their nursery teacher as Mrs T..

I think it depends on the teacher I had a few who insisted on being called by their first name and some who would have clipped your ears if you did

We used to spend a lot of time trying to guess our teachers' first names. My daughter taught in a 'special' school and they used first names but I don't know of any others around here where that happens.

I would find it too weird and awkward to address a teacher by their first name

I would use surname. Not that I see my teachers they I moved away from that area. Nursery uses first name. Which got confusing for the kids when one of the support teachers moved from nursery to the school. All the kids knew her by her first name going through nursery. So decided she would keep it that way. Even though when other teachers are mentioning her in front of the kids the say Mrs ......., So they usually go 'who is that?'. When I done placement in nursery it was first name. Then placement in primary school was surname. Even though the kids overhead the teacher say my first name so kept calling me that. Even though their teacher kept correcting them.. I don't think they took me seriously though as Iook like I should have been in school with them. Im petite and look young for my age.

On the very rare occasion I see one of my old teachers I refer to them as miss/mrs/sir but I haven't seen any of my teachers in years. My dad plays golf with my old computing teacher each week and I still say how is Mr C?

I'm a teacher and so is my husband. In school it was always Mr or Mrs, as its a sign of respect due to your position. Outside of school some pupils would call us Mr or Mrs C, others used our first names. It didn't bother me either way, as long as they were being polite.