One of the noblest professions in the world is being a teacher. They spend their days educating the youth of America, while also helping students get jobs and opportunities for a better future.
Don’t they at least deserve to be called by their formal title?
Students should refer to their teachers by using titles such as Dr., professor, Mr., Mrs. or Miss.
Regardless if the teacher is nice or funny, they are not deemed a friend toward student relationships. They are solely there to instruct and to help students reach their academic goals. As a result, they should not be calling their instructors by their first names.
The main reason for students to address instructors using formal titles is to maintain a level of respect in the classroom.
According to U.S. News, Pierce College’s student to faculty ratio is 25-to-1. This means that teachers have many students to focus on in a classroom. Using formal titles helps establish that level of respect and helps professors maintain control over their classes.
By creating a professional relationship, students will feel as though they should be attentive and hard-working in class. If teachers don’t establish class ground rules with their students, it can lead to students being disrespectful in a classroom and creating a poor learning environment.
Using formal titles helps create a controlled and respectful setting that helps teachers perform to their best ability in the classroom and produces a positive learning environment for the students.
When students call professors by their first name, it can be used to show disdain toward them.
Based on an article done by Slate.com, studies show that “college students tend to view women and minorities with less respect from the start, and that is often reflected in bestowing names, titles, or lack thereof.”
According to a source in the article, professor at the University of South Wales Katrina Gulliver said that some students call her by her first name because they are used to it but, “Other times it’s clearly an attempt to rile me up with some disrespect (typically coming from male students who like to undermine female authority).”
In other words, students don’t simply call teachers by their first name because they feel they are comfortable, they do it sometimes to purposely frustrate the professor.
When students use first names, it creates an informal relationship where the student does not take the instructor seriously. Students will feel more comfortable to go on their phone, turn in assignments late or play around in class because they think the teacher and them are buddies.
Professors do so much for students to try and help them. Using a formal title is an easy way for students to show them the appreciation they deserve. Creating a formal and professional relationship with students gives the teacher more control over the classroom, which leads to students taking the class and work more serious.
Formal titles give teachers the respect they earned.