Beginning a new school year can be tough for students as they search for classes among a big campus.
One way that students can create a foundation and be more comfortable in the classroom is by calling professors by their first name.
When entering a new classroom, there is an unsettling notion that it is going to be difficult and the professor is not going to take things slow.
As soon as students hear the teacher say to simply call them by their first name, there’s a sense of equality that no one is above anyone else and that the student and professor are under the same terms.
Calling a professor by their first name may help establish an enjoyable learning environment for students with low motor skills.
According to an academic journal conducted by authors Ulana Lysniak, Anne Gibbone and Stephen Silverman, a study was done to create effective teaching strategies for low-skilled students in physical education classes that may be applied to other classes as well.
“Teachers hold many thought processes while making decisions about practice, engagement time, level of difficulty, planning, and reflection on lessons, progressions and concentration on class structure. Understanding the decisions that effective teachers make regarding strategies is an important first step in improving instruction for low-skilled students.”
Being on a first name basis with instructors creates an open learning environment that should be applied in all classes. This could provide a better academic and social experience for almost everyone.
As soon as a professor begins to break those barriers, students may begin to feel more welcome and open to one another.
When students start becoming more familiar with calling their professors by their first name, the teacher seems more approachable to talk to about any issues someone has or a question that needs to be answered.
An example of a first name basis benefiting a work space is with a manager at a job. In almost every work environment, no one calls the manager by Mr., Mrs. or Miss.
Even though the manager has a higher status than the employee, everyone calls each other by their first names. This breaks the barrier of classism in a work environment.
As long as there is mutual respect among the manager and the employees, being on a first name basis allows the employee to speak and be on good terms with the manager if there were to be any issues at work.
A simple change like allowing students to be on a first name basis with a professor has many benefits not just for the student, but for the professor as well.
Once a mutual understanding is established, students will be able to learn in a comfortable environment and the professor will seem less intimidating when it comes to getting help or answering questions.
The relationship between student and professor could change in a positive way throughout the semester.
