Avoiding Deadnames

Tuesday. I was covering the social studies classes at the continuation high school.

Fifth period. I was walking the room, asking students their names...

(I don't call roll if I can help it. I hate "calling" the roll with a fiery passion. Instead, I take a class roster, walk the room, and ask each student their name.)

Student: "MK. It's at the top." The student's friend said the last name, and then: "Different first name. We don't want to use his deadname." 

Actually, both the student's preferred name and the student's deadname were on the roster. (I printed the screen of the online attendance.) The deadname was the name listed, MK was in parentheses. I marked him present.

I continued asking names around the table.

Student gave his last name, and his last name only.

As I was searching for it on the roster, the girl sitting next to him asked, "What's his first name?"

The student shook his head. 

I located the student's name.

The girl: "It's Charles, isn't it?" 

The boy had two names listed. One of them was Charles. The other was Mason. Charles was in parentheses. I marked him present.

Me: "I'm not getting in the middle of this." Although, I tilted the roster towards the boy so he could see how he was listed. 

As all the students at the table had been accounted for, I walked on to the next table.

Oddly Named

The following conversation is real, although not quoted verbatim. The names have been changed (as I always change their names), but the gist of the debate remains the same.

"Kress? What kind of name is Kress? Who comes up with such a name? It's a vegetable, not a name." 

Kress said that at least his name wasn't spelled like the vegetable, but the other boy said a couple things more about Kress having a "special" name. I was trying to get a word in edgewise to put a stop to this, but then...

"Okay, mm-why-kel. Who spells Michael, M-Y-K-E-L?"

At which point, Mykel got upset. He looked to me. 

And I looked back at him. And shrugged. 

"You just spent how long making fun of Kress' name, and now you're upset?"

Because, seriously? Mykel got off easy considering what he was saying to Kress. 

Freshmen. *shakes head* 

Ace, Not Josue

On the first day of summer school, I gave each of the students an index card. I asked them to write their full name in the corner. And then in the center, I asked them to write the name they wanted me to call them by in class. 

Mostly, they wrote their first names. A couple wrote a shortened version of their first names (think Nick instead of Nicholas). But a couple had a different name they wanted to be called. 

The boy's first name was Josue. He had written "Ace" in the center of his card. 

Okay, then. 

I wrote the preferred name on the seating chart. And I've been calling him Ace the whole time.

On the second day of school, I got an instructional aide. She worked in the ELD classes during the school year, so she knew many of the students. She's been doing most of the grading for me (as I've been busy keeping the classes busy with lessons and stuff). 

Last Friday, realizing that I was never going to get to it, I asked the aide to grade the first assignment I gave them, an "About Me" exercise. I asked a lot of general questions in it about who they are and what they like. 

Third period. About half way through class. 

Aide: "You want to be called Ace? I've been calling you Josue all year. Why did you never tell me you wanted to be called Ace?" (The tone was kind, like she was upset at herself for calling him a name he did not like for a year.) 

Apparently Ace is his name at home. For some reason, he never spoke up. 

I'm not sure when I picked up the card trick, but I've been using it in similar situations for a few years now. The kiddos will write their name on a card, but they won't speak up to say, "call me xxx". I mean, a few will, but the vast majority won't. 

The aide then gave me a list of students who had different preferred names. I looked over the list. I knew them all. They had written them on the cards. 

This is why I keep doing the index cards. (Well, that and I use them to call on students randomly.)

Not the Boss

One day, I had the eighth graders make "pull cards". (Note: the week kind of ran together, so I don't recall which day this was.)

Sometimes, it's nice to call on students randomly. The best randomization method I've run across is having a stack of cards with all the students' names. I can then pull one from the stack (shuffling it before I do so), and whichever student's name comes up is called on.

Some teachers have them. Some don't. When I start a class, I make sure to get some made.

I passed out index cards to all the students, and I had them write their names on them. But, I told them to write the name they wanted to be called on it (along with their "official" roster names). 

Some students shorten their names. Some go by their middle names. There's one girl whose preferred name is something I've never heard of before (it sounds vaguely Hawaiian). I try to use their preferred names in class. There's no reason to not to.

Most of the time.

On Wednesday, we read the story "The Monkey's Paw". (They're doing a unit on suspense.) After, I had questions. I pulled a card...

It was Leroy's card. In the middle, it had an arrow pointing to the name with "prefer to be called". And the name was... Boss. 

No. Just no. 

I am not calling a thirteen-year-old child "Boss". 

Sure, there may be a great story behind it. If I knew him beyond the classroom, I might feel differently. But we've just started the school year, and I'm trying to establish myself as the authority. This is a challenge as a sub with eighth graders in the best of times. Using "boss" in this situation just seems like a terrible idea.

I pulled his card. I saw the name. I called him "Leroy". 

He answered.

Pinky And The...

When I started this long-term assignment, I noticed his name. Brain. 

Students' actual names are not used on this blog, except in rare instances. Today is one of those exceptions. This post isn't about the student, just his name. And it's a fairly common name, so he won't be identified by this post.

Brain? Not Brian? 

I mean, I've seen some weird names. I took down the sidebar "Student Name of the Week" last year, but I might reinstate it at some point. (There's still a tab at the top where you can see previous entries.) But for some reason, this one seemed wrong.

I didn't call on him. When he typed his name into the chat, he typed in Brian. 

Some of the teachers have them type their name into the chat as a form of attendance. I don't particularly use it, but I don't want them to get out of the habit for those teachers that require it, so I don't discourage it.

According to the official school stuff, his name is Brain. But mistakes can happen, and it's a simple transposition of two letters. (Those of you who have friends named Brian, be careful. It's really easy to accidentally type in Brain, and spellcheck won't catch it as it is a word.) 

So, I set this aside in my head, and I did my job.

Thursday. End of third period. The class was logging off. 

Sometimes students stick around for a bit to ask a question of me one-on-one. Sometimes they just lag. One boy was about to ask me something when he saw Brain's name on screen.

"Why does Brian's avatar say 'brain'?" 

And that's when I knew for certain that it was a typo.

The boy tried to call out to Brian, but he had already logged off. 

"I'll text him and ask."

At this point, I don't know who has access to fix it. I assume that Brian noticed the issue before this, so it might be something he can't get fixed. But if he hasn't, at least his friend will let him know.

Although, it took his friend long enough to notice.

Wrong Name

While plotting out my blog posts for this week, I flashed on this particular incident for #ThrowbackThursday. I didn't write about it at the time as it was a bit too complex, especially when I had other stories that were easier to write. But I might as well tackle it today as classes haven't started up for us just yet. 

Setup: I have worked for and with Ms. K many times. She's a special ed teacher, but she co-teaches much of her day. 

It was spring. I was covering the general ed English teacher that works with Ms. K for two or three periods. So, between classes, during lunch, and while the kiddos are working, we'd talk about various things. 

I don't know how or why the topic came up, but Ms. K told me that her name change had finally come through with the district. She and her husband, Mr. K, were now divorced, and she had gone back to her maiden name. 

Her maiden name was (not actually, but for blog purposes) Ms. James. Simple enough, right? But for some reason, everyone mistook it for Ms. Jones. Telemarketers. Her bank. Any time she made an appointment. Grocery clerks. Basically anyone who saw her name said "Jones" instead of "James". 

The school year ended. A new one began. I figured she had introduced herself to the new classes as Ms. James, especially as she was listed as Ms. James on the teacher phone list.

The incident: I had had a couple periods on my own, but for 3rd period, I was co-teaching with Ms. James. It was passing period. She hadn't arrived yet, but I knew she'd get there in good time. 

But seeing just me, the kiddos asked the usual question. 

Because of sub shortages and both teachers being out on the same days sometimes, there were a couple possible configurations to class coverage. It was clear that Ms. B was out because I was there. Would Ms. James be there, too? Did she have a sub? Were both teachers out, and I was the only sub there? 

By "usual question", I mean they asked something along those lines. 

And I said, "No, Ms. Jones is here today." 

Ms. Jones. Uh huh. I went and said it. 

And what's worse? Ms. James was walking in the room just as I said it. 

I just. . . I don't. . . Yeah, as soon as the name was out of my mouth, I knew I had gone and done it. Sigh. 

Luckily, I think there was so much noise in the room Ms. James missed my faux pas. I mean, I hope she missed it. 

Mistaken Identity

The Learning Center is a room specifically for RSP special ed. kiddos. It's the room where they get extra time to take tests, and they can go there to get extra help on various assignments.

Every period there is one teacher on duty. The room has an instructional assistant as well, Mr. Claus. (Not his real name, of course. But, he could totally play Santa Claus. All he would need would be the red suit.)

On this day I was covering fifth period. We had had about six students sign in. They appeared to be taking tests.

The phone rang. I hobbled over and answered. It was from a history teacher. She had sent three students over to complete a test. She explained that her students had been warned not to have phones out, and she wanted to know if any of her students did.

So, I hobbled over and peered over their shoulders. Two girls had their phones out. I went back to the phone and let Ms. S know.  One of the students was hers, and she told me to send her back to class.

Time passed. A student here, a student there, they finished up and returned to class. One student asked to use the restroom. And then, it was just Mr. Claus and me.

The phone rang again. It was again Ms. S. she wanted Joshua sent back to her class. I told her we had no students in the room.

Ms. S said he must be on his way back. She'd wait a bit, and then contact security. I thought it had been a while since the last student had left the room, so he should have totally returned by then.

At some point during the phone call or shortly thereafter, a new student arrived. It was kind of late in the period to start a test, but he was willing to risk it.

I had barely hung up with Ms. S when the student who had used the restroom returned. I had forgotten about him.

"Joshua?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Ms. S just called. She'd like you back in class."

He packed up and left. I let him know to tell her that he had been in the restroom when she called. I didn't want him in trouble just because I had forgotten a student had gone. (He had been gone a while, but it wasn't like he had vanished which is what we had thought.)

Just as he left, Ms. S called back. I told her Joshua was on his way back. Now she wanted Michael returned.

I looked to the other boy in the room.

"Michael?" I asked.

"No. That was Michael."

Uh...

"I was surprised he said he was Joshua," the boy continued.

Mr. Claus and I exchanged glances. He knew the boy as well and wasn't sure why he answered to Joshua either.

On the bright side, Michael was accounted for, Joshua was actually missing, and I sent the correct boy back to his class.

But where was Joshua? And why had Michael said he was Joshua?

I don't think I'll ever know.

Fake Amanda

I'm not great at detecting lies, but sometimes the kiddos are obvious. Today's #ThrowbackThursday post is from February 22, 2008, but I remember it well. 

Today I covered a 7th grade world history class.

I needed a silent room. I was not getting it. So, I warned them: "I will take down the names of those who continue to talk." This only works when I cover some teachers. This was one of them.

They fought me on it for a moment. I stared down the few whose names were going to be on my list. Then one of the girls (the talkers were all girls in this group) told me to write down her name. "I'm Amanda," she said.

She offered up her name way too easily. I was suspicious. I checked the seating chart. Sure enough, Amanda sat in that seat. But she did not look like an Amanda. She did not feel like an Amanda. I was sure I was being lied to.

Twenty minutes later (I had gotten my silence, so I didn't need to make my list) two other students were exchanging words. "Amanda, I have it here." The first student was talking to a different girl, not the one who claimed to be Amanda. I knew it!

After a quick perusal of the seating chart, I figured out who the fake Amanda was. Joanna. I was pretty sure. The two girls had probably switched seats.

Then someone called to the fake Amanda, calling her Joanna. I was right.

I don't know why they do this. I don't know what they get out of it. Today? They get honorable mention in my note to their teacher.

Ms. T recently retired. I miss her classes. She did not put up with this sort of nonsense. That girl was in serious trouble afterward.

Spelling it Out

The class was intro to health careers. I have discussed the specifics of this class before. It's the end of the year, and they were working on an end-of-the-year calender project.

Three girls approached me. They asked to go to the library to print out items for their project.

I grabbed a pass, filled out the bits I knew (date, room number, where they were going, period, time), signed my name at the bottom, and then I asked for their names.

The first girl said her name. Then, without missing a beat, she began spelling it. The second girl did exactly the same. As did the third.

I appreciated the consideration. All three had the kind of names I highlight on my sidebar under "Student Name of the Week". (One of their names may--or may not--be there right now.)

"Used to having to spell your names out?" I asked.

I recognize the habit. It is my own. Not my first name. I figure most people can handle that. But my last name is one that most people have never heard before. I often say it and then spell it out (when in a situation in which someone is writing it down).

I wonder at parents who give their children such "interesting" names. Don't they know the lifetime of hassle these names bring?

Ah well. I guess they get used to it at some point. Either that, or when they're old enough they change it to something easier to spell.

Doubled Name

A little over a decade ago, we had a glut of Jose Lopezes at one school. I'm not sure how many there were, but on multiple occasions I would have two of them in the same class.

(They were differentiated by their middle initial, unless they didn't have one. Then they would need their student ID numbers. It was confusing during roll call, but somehow we managed the rest of the time.)

I haven't noticed this issue in a while.

Last Monday. Second period. Eighth grade U.S. history.

I had a lovely little seating chart with which to take attendance.

Kaitlyn Hernandez's seat was empty. I marked her absent. I continued going through the seating chart and matching empty seats to names. And... Kaitlyn Hernandez was absent. Again. Different seat.

It took me a bit to catch it. First I assumed that Kaitlyn had been moved and one seat just needed to be fixed. But no. There were two Kaitlyn Hernandezes listed on the class roster. They had different student ID numbers. One did have a middle initial.

Just imagine... Having someone else in your same class with your same name...

I mean, I was not the only Elizabeth in my class. But at least my last name was always unique. To not even have that...

Since one of the Kaitlyns was absent (the other did arrive later with a pass), and the assignment did not require me to call on students, I did not see how this worked in practice. But it begs the question. How does this work for them? Do they share other classes? Do they like each other?

And the big one... They're in eighth grade. They have more than four years together when one includes high school. How do they navigate the next four years?

Hopefully there isn't a third Kaitlyn Hernandez hiding somewhere...

Did you have others in your school with your same first name? Did you get along with them?

Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...

Early Dismissal?

I have a couple classroom pet peeves. One of my big ones is students trying to slip out of class a minute or so early.

Occasionally students may legitimately need to leave early. Special ed students whose bus leaves early. A student on crutches. A student who goes to take medicine. Students on athletic teams who have games. In all of those cases, the students ask permission and all is well.

7th period at the continuation high school. Environmental science. They had a packet of work that most ignored. Five minutes before the end of class (and the day), they all lined up at the door. And I saw a girl slip out...

I called her back. A couple times. Eventually, she heard me and turned around.

"It's almost time to go."

True, but it wasn't time yet. She needed to come back to the classroom.

She was halfway across campus. (It's a small campus.) She argued that she was almost out the gate. I told her that school wasn't out yet, and she needed to return for no matter how long it was.

She took two steps toward me when the bell rang...

In anticipation of the end of the day I had shut down the computer. This was how I logged into the attendance system. There is a screen that has all the students' pictures...

I didn't know her name. This is rather common with subs, especially in classes with no seating chart. The rest of the class "helpfully" didn't call out to her as I called out to her, so I couldn't glean her name that way. I'm pretty sure that's what she was counting on.

What she didn't get, though, was how much that stunt pissed me off. And it turns out I can access the attendance program via my phone. Finding her name was very easy after that.

It then took me a few minutes to write down her name, pack up my stuff, and check out from the office. On my way to my car, who do I see hanging out in the parking lot? Because she had to leave class early to hang out just outside the school?

An Abundance of Christians

I don't normally use students' real names on this blog, but I couldn't let this pass without commenting.

I was called in to cover an extra period on "my" prep. 9th grade special ed. English. Small class--there were about 13 of them. And as I was going through the roll, someone clued me in.

"Which Christian do you mean? There are four..."

Yup. Four boys named Christian in one class.

I once had a class that had three Abigails, but that was a full-sized class of 30-something. And then, of course, there was the time that there were seven Joses on the soccer team.

And two of the Christians had the same last name.

Because that's not going to be confusing at all.

This reminds me of the Jose Lopez cluster of '06. One school had like a dozen of them. (I'm exaggerating. But only slightly.) There were multiple times that I had two (I think once I had three) Jose Lopezes in the same class.

One Christian informed me he went by his last name. (Understandable.) He was actually very well behaved. The second didn't make much of an impression (which means he wasn't an issue either). The last two... Well, they have made appearances on this blog before...

And, they kind of look alike. Not exactly, but close.

I'm not saying any more. Privacy and them being minors and all.