Re: Don't Call Me Mister

[Martha Capreol]

At the institution where I teach, instructors are usually addressed by Dr. or Professor.  What I tell every new class is that they can call me Martha or Dr. Capreol, whichever they are more comfortable with.  I find that most students call me Dr. Capreol, but a small but consistent percentage call me Martha.  As I teach a night course, many of those who choose my first name are older returning students. I have found that this works very well for me.   I still do have some students who call me Ms.Capreol, but very few.  There are often students who end up being extra effort for myself or my TA.  Perhaps it is sometimes a lack of emotional intelligence that leads one to address a person in a way they have not requested and this deficit shows up in other areas of functioning.  I know that when I did not explicitly say to students that they could call me Martha, the rare ones that choose to were often ones that would make requests of myself or my TA that would not be considered appropriate. Cheers. Martha Lecturer Dept. of Psychology, University of British Columbia ----- Original Message ----- From: Karl L. Wuensch To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2004 6:16 AM Subject: Don't Call Me Mister     Freshmen in my intro class often call me 'Mister,' which I don't like.  I prefer first names, but if they must be formal, I prefer 'Professor' or 'Doctor.'  I found a brief discussion of this put up by UCF, at http://www.ucfnews.com/news/2003/06/25/Lifestyles/Whats.In.A.Name.How.To.Address.A.Professor.In.Class-440611.shtml .  Do you all speak to your freshman about how to address professors?   http://core.ecu.edu/psyc/wuenschk/Professor.htm   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl L. Wuensch, Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville NC  27858-4353 Voice:  252-328-4102     Fax:  252-328-6283 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://core.ecu.edu/psyc/wuenschk/klw.htm   --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]