Hello, Teacher!
2020-07-11
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1This week, we received a question from Agnaldo, a teacher in Brazil. He asks,
2I've seen recently that we shouldn't call a teacher "Teacher."
3We should call him or her by their name.
4Is that true? Why? Is it the same for professors? -- Agnaldo, Brazil.
5Dear Agnaldo,
6This is a great question.
7I have taught in many countries where the common practice is for students to call me Teacher.
8It always sounded a little strange to me.
9Most Americans do not use Teacher to address a teacher in English.
10Sometimes Americans do use titles this way, however.
11For example, they might address a medical doctor as simply Doctor, a religious leader as Reverend or a judge, as Your Honor.
12So, how should students address their teacher?
13Most American teachers of children are addressed using the honorifics Miss, Mizz, Missus or Mister, with their family or last name.
14The last three are shortened in writing to Ms., Mrs. and Mr.
15The honorific Miss does not have a shortened version.
16At the beginning of a school term, a teacher should tell students how to address her or him.
17Suppose the teacher's name is Elissa Brown.
18She most likely will tell her students to call her Ms. Brown.
19For men, Mr. is used.
20The honorifics Miss and Mrs. identify if a woman is unmarried or married.
21These terms are less common in the modern world as they provide unnecessary, personal information.
22There is no English honorific that communicates if a man is married or single.
23You also asked about professors. Generally, they also choose how they want to be addressed.
24It is not unusual for a professor to be addressed as Professor, however, especially in the learning setting. Here is an example sentence:
25Professor, what is the difference between Mr. and Ms.?
26Most university professors in America hold doctoral degrees and many of them use the title of Doctor.
27The second part of your question was about why "Teacher" is not a good name to call your teacher.
28In many cultures, using the word "Teacher" shows great respect.
29But for many American teachers, including me, "Teacher" is an impersonal term.
30The good news is teachers of English as a second language expect cultural differences between themselves and their students.
31We understand our students are trying to show respect when they address us.
32That's Ask a Teacher for this week.
33What questions do you have about English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
34I'm Jill Robbins.
1This week, we received a question from Agnaldo, a teacher in Brazil. He asks, 2Question: 3I've seen recently that we shouldn't call a teacher "Teacher." We should call him or her by their name. Is that true? Why? Is it the same for professors? -- Agnaldo, Brazil. 4Answer: 5Dear Agnaldo, 6This is a great question. I have taught in many countries where the common practice is for students to call me Teacher. It always sounded a little strange to me. Most Americans do not use Teacher to address a teacher in English. Sometimes Americans do use titles this way, however. For example, they might address a medical doctor as simply Doctor, a religious leader as Reverend or a judge, as Your Honor. 7What should I call my teacher? 8So, how should students address their teacher? 9Most American teachers of children are addressed using the honorifics Miss, Mizz, Missus or Mister, with their family or last name. The last three are shortened in writing to Ms., Mrs. and Mr. The honorific Miss does not have a shortened version. 10At the beginning of a school term, a teacher should tell students how to address her or him. 11Suppose the teacher's name is Elissa Brown. She most likely will tell her students to call her Ms. Brown. 12For men, Mr. is used. 13The honorifics Miss and Mrs. identify if a woman is unmarried or married. These terms are less common in the modern world as they provide unnecessary, personal information. There is no English honorific that communicates if a man is married or single. 14Colleges and universities 15You also asked about professors. Generally, they also choose how they want to be addressed. It is not unusual for a professor to be addressed as Professor, however, especially in the learning setting. Here is an example sentence: 16Professor, what is the difference between Mr. and Ms.? 17Most university professors in America hold doctoral degrees and many of them use the title of Doctor. 18Why not say "teacher?" 19The second part of your question was about why "Teacher" is not a good name to call your teacher. In many cultures, using the word "Teacher" shows great respect. But for many American teachers, including me, "Teacher" is an impersonal term. 20The good news is teachers of English as a second language expect cultural differences between themselves and their students. We understand our students are trying to show respect when they address us. 21That's Ask a Teacher for this week. 22Your questions 23What questions do you have about English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. 24I'm Jill Robbins. 25Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 26________________________________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28practice - n. something that is done often or regularly 29address - v. to use a specified name or title when speaking or writing to (someone) 30honorific - n. word that is in a class of grammatical forms used in speaking to or about a social superior 31impersonal - adj. having or showing no interest in individual people or their feelings : lacking emotional warmth 32Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.