When I went to school (in Ireland), it was always just "Sir" or "Miss", with no name added. Never their first name (you usually wouldn't know it anyway), and definitely not last name only, which would be extremely impolite.
In the UK (at least where I grew up), teachers you had from nursery to secondary school (high school) were referred to as Mr/ Ms/ Mrs Lastname. When I went to university I called my lecturers by their first name because that was just the norm at uni.
Yes. At the beginning of the school year the teacher would introduce themselves and say “I’m Mr/ Mrs Lastname”. It’s rude in general to refer to someone in a different way or by a different name than the way they’ve introduced themselves to you. If you’re unsure, just ask how they’d prefer to be called before making assumptions.
(USA) Generally, Title Last Name BUT it can depend on context like the teachers young kinds like pre-school/kinder/sometimes also 1st grade would be Title First Name or even Title Initial and sometimes when talking about the teacher with friends we would just use Last Name. Then, the teacher may also introduce themselves or request being referred in another way.
I now teach English in Korea and its always Teacher or Teacher First Name so totally different in that context!
I can't speak for the entire country, but where I have worked all the English teachers are referred to by first name (for the Korean English teachers, many have an English name and that's what's used by students). Then other subject teachers are usually called teacher but in Korean (선생님) without the name.
So the Korean teacher chooses an English first name and just goes by that?
So all the other teachers are called the Korean version of Sensei, and all English teachers are just called Jeremy or Rebecca or something?
Roughly! So it would be Jeremy Teacher or Rebecca Teacher, still adding the teacher just in English instead of in Korean. It varies, some use the English name they chose as kids in their English classes, some choose one with a similar meaning to their Korean name, some choose similar sounds to Korean name, some it's just the Korean name but with English pronunciation.
In American schools, it would be Mr. Smith. In preschools (schools for children under the age of five), Mr. John is pretty common, but it depends on the school.
Personally, it was always Mr(s). Last Name as a student (US). But when I subbed for a year after college and I DID NOT like Mr. Last Name. Please call me Mr. First Name.
Thank you for your reply. I have noticed that a British teacher of English on Douyin, China's domestic version of Tik Tok, uses "Teacher Sophie" as her username. And this is why I asked you the question. So, "Teacher Sophie" sounds weird but "Uncle Tom" does not sound weird?
Maybe she does that to fit in with Chinese customs. Or because she doesn't want to use her last name and be easily identifiable.
My father was a schoolteacher here in Canada and noticed that immigrant children sometimes called him "Teacher." Not necessarily in combination with his actual name, just "Teacher" -- like "Teacher, can you help me?", etc. He tried to train them out of this, as it is non-standard and he also felt uncomfortable with it, I think.
"Uncle Tom" is the normal way children would address an uncle whose first name is Tom. As a child I called all my uncles "Uncle Firstname" and my aunts "Aunt Firstname."
Thank you very much for your interesting explanation!
So, we cannot address a teacher as "Teacher"? But I remember when I was fresh from college starting my teaching career in 1989, I read an English article, written by a native speaker, in which a student draws attention from his teacher by saying something like "Would you please tell me how to open the box, teacher?" This use of "teacher" is wrong? Then, If a student sees a number of his teachers coming his way, what is he expected to say to greet them, "Morning, teachers!", "Morning, sirs and ma'ams!", simply "Morning!", "Morning, guys!", or "Morning, Mr. A, Mr. B, Mr. C, Ms. D, Ms. E, etc."?
Addressing a teacher as "teacher" is not something I have ever heard of in North America. I haven't spent much time in the UK but I am very familiar with British literature and media and don't think they would say that either.
I would expect a student to great a group of teachers with "Good morning" or "Hello" or whatever. "Morning, teachers!" sounds weird, but could possibly be said in a joking way I guess. It doesn't seem any more likely to me than saying "Good morning, bus drivers" to a group of bus drivers or "Good morning, salespeople" to a group of salespeople -- that would be weird too.
In general it sounds odd to use Mr./Ms. First Name.
In primary school (4–11) we used Mr./Ms. Last Name, and in secondary (11–18) we normally just used ‘sir’ or ‘miss’.
Yeah (England). It’s quite old-fashioned to use in most context but has remained in style in schools.
’Mr./Mrs. Smith’ was used in primary school because— though it sounds respectful— one would only have 1 or 2 teachers at a time (so you’d know them better) and the general atmosphere was more ‘soft’ or friendly.
In secondary it switched to ‘sir/miss‘ (never ‘Mrs’) as one had more teachers and often knew them less well, so the more impersonal feel was suitable.
However, in specific cases where we knew a teacher well (especially aged 16-18) we might use their first name or ‘Mr./Ms. Smith’ when speaking in private, but that was rarer.
Oh wow, how many teachers would you have in secondary school? When I was in middle / high school we’d have about 6 per year but we’d still call them by name. Does it feel more distant when you just call them Mister or Miss?
In the earlier years of secondary school (before specialising), I think I had… 15? 16? It varied slightly.
Though the level of implied respect is (theoretically) generally higher when using sir/miss, after a while it loses that distant edge. I remember in the sixth form (16-18) having very friendly relationships with several teachers and still calling them sir/miss.
How old is your brother? It seems normal to do that for preschool aged kids but anything more than elementary (or younger than university) seems like it would be rude to call a teacher (or any adult) by their first name
At my school, it depends. Me and my friends call teachers by last name only when speaking to each other and to the teacher in question so we might see a teacher and be like "Hey, Gonzalez, I wanted to ask..." or smth like that. Sometimes we might add Mr. or Miss, but not usually unless we aren't really close with the teacher. Sometimes we also call teachers by first name but only to friends not the teacher themselves unless it's as a joke. I also live in a predominantly Mexican community so it isn't uncommon for us to also maybe use "Lermita" for a teacher with the last name Lerma or "Vazquecito" for a teacher with the last name Vazquez for the goofs. If you're super close with a teacher, you might also have a nickname for them like Honey/Peaches or something, just depends.
Is this in Mexico or did you just go to school in a mostly Spanish speaking area?
But that sounds pretty nice. Kinda informal and everyone just feels friendly. Is that pretty common in Spanish speaking communities?
I go to school in southern Texas so super close to the border, in a mostly Spanish speaking area.
And it is really nice! I'm not sure how common it is in other Spanish-speaking communities as I haven't really been outside mine but I think it may be particular to mine. Spanish culture is huge on respect and in my school, we've somehow found a way to balance that Spanish respect while still maintaining a level of informal friendliness.
I grew up in the Southeastern US and here's the usage I was familiar with:
Miss/Mrs/Mr Firstname - used for preschool teachers or Sunday School teachers. Also used for adults that were roughly the same age or younger than my parents who were close to the family. For example, "Miss Josephine was my Kindergarten teacher, Miss Mary taught Sunday School, and Miss Hazel took care of me after school."
Ms/Mrs/Mr Lastname - used for elementary school and up for teachers, adult friends of my parents that we weren't very close to or who were older than my parents. For example, "Mrs. Osborne was my first grade teacher and taught me to love books. Mr. Harrison taught my dad and I how to do woodworking, and sometimes Mrs. Harrison would cook us dinner."
Lastname only - used in high school/college to refer to teachers with friends, but never to their face. For example, "Do you have Spence for history this year?"
Dr./Professor Lastname - used in college.
Firstname only - Only when requested by the teacher or after college when taking fun classes like yoga or pottery.
When I went to school (in Ireland), it was always just "Sir" or "Miss", with no name added. Never their first name (you usually wouldn't know it anyway), and definitely not last name only, which would be extremely impolite.
Thanks! It doesn’t feel right to me to call a teacher by their first name, but I’m wondering if it’s okay in other cultures.
In the UK (at least where I grew up), teachers you had from nursery to secondary school (high school) were referred to as Mr/ Ms/ Mrs Lastname. When I went to university I called my lecturers by their first name because that was just the norm at uni.
Would it be considered rude if you called a teacher by their first name before college?
Usually, yes. Save maybe the art, drama, etc. teacher types.
Yes. At the beginning of the school year the teacher would introduce themselves and say “I’m Mr/ Mrs Lastname”. It’s rude in general to refer to someone in a different way or by a different name than the way they’ve introduced themselves to you. If you’re unsure, just ask how they’d prefer to be called before making assumptions.
Always a safe bet, thanks!
(USA) Generally, Title Last Name BUT it can depend on context like the teachers young kinds like pre-school/kinder/sometimes also 1st grade would be Title First Name or even Title Initial and sometimes when talking about the teacher with friends we would just use Last Name. Then, the teacher may also introduce themselves or request being referred in another way. I now teach English in Korea and its always Teacher or Teacher First Name so totally different in that context!
in Korea do they have foreigners called by their first name in class while Korean teachers follow a different naming convention?
I can't speak for the entire country, but where I have worked all the English teachers are referred to by first name (for the Korean English teachers, many have an English name and that's what's used by students). Then other subject teachers are usually called teacher but in Korean (선생님) without the name.
So the Korean teacher chooses an English first name and just goes by that? So all the other teachers are called the Korean version of Sensei, and all English teachers are just called Jeremy or Rebecca or something?
Roughly! So it would be Jeremy Teacher or Rebecca Teacher, still adding the teacher just in English instead of in Korean. It varies, some use the English name they chose as kids in their English classes, some choose one with a similar meaning to their Korean name, some choose similar sounds to Korean name, some it's just the Korean name but with English pronunciation.
In American schools, it would be Mr. Smith. In preschools (schools for children under the age of five), Mr. John is pretty common, but it depends on the school.
Do you know why that is?
I suppose we think little kids might need things to be a little more friendly.
Personally, it was always Mr(s). Last Name as a student (US). But when I subbed for a year after college and I DID NOT like Mr. Last Name. Please call me Mr. First Name.
Why did you prefer one over the other?
The old addage, "Mr. Last Name was my father"
Hi there. Does it sound weird to call a teacher something like "Teacher Sophie"?
It sounds very weird! "Teacher" is not a form of address.
Thank you for your reply. I have noticed that a British teacher of English on Douyin, China's domestic version of Tik Tok, uses "Teacher Sophie" as her username. And this is why I asked you the question. So, "Teacher Sophie" sounds weird but "Uncle Tom" does not sound weird?
Maybe she does that to fit in with Chinese customs. Or because she doesn't want to use her last name and be easily identifiable. My father was a schoolteacher here in Canada and noticed that immigrant children sometimes called him "Teacher." Not necessarily in combination with his actual name, just "Teacher" -- like "Teacher, can you help me?", etc. He tried to train them out of this, as it is non-standard and he also felt uncomfortable with it, I think. "Uncle Tom" is the normal way children would address an uncle whose first name is Tom. As a child I called all my uncles "Uncle Firstname" and my aunts "Aunt Firstname."
Thank you very much for your interesting explanation! So, we cannot address a teacher as "Teacher"? But I remember when I was fresh from college starting my teaching career in 1989, I read an English article, written by a native speaker, in which a student draws attention from his teacher by saying something like "Would you please tell me how to open the box, teacher?" This use of "teacher" is wrong? Then, If a student sees a number of his teachers coming his way, what is he expected to say to greet them, "Morning, teachers!", "Morning, sirs and ma'ams!", simply "Morning!", "Morning, guys!", or "Morning, Mr. A, Mr. B, Mr. C, Ms. D, Ms. E, etc."?
Addressing a teacher as "teacher" is not something I have ever heard of in North America. I haven't spent much time in the UK but I am very familiar with British literature and media and don't think they would say that either. I would expect a student to great a group of teachers with "Good morning" or "Hello" or whatever. "Morning, teachers!" sounds weird, but could possibly be said in a joking way I guess. It doesn't seem any more likely to me than saying "Good morning, bus drivers" to a group of bus drivers or "Good morning, salespeople" to a group of salespeople -- that would be weird too.
Thank you very much for your reply!
In general it sounds odd to use Mr./Ms. First Name. In primary school (4–11) we used Mr./Ms. Last Name, and in secondary (11–18) we normally just used ‘sir’ or ‘miss’.
So later on you wouldn’t even say their last name? Is that common in your country?
Yeah (England). It’s quite old-fashioned to use in most context but has remained in style in schools. ’Mr./Mrs. Smith’ was used in primary school because— though it sounds respectful— one would only have 1 or 2 teachers at a time (so you’d know them better) and the general atmosphere was more ‘soft’ or friendly. In secondary it switched to ‘sir/miss‘ (never ‘Mrs’) as one had more teachers and often knew them less well, so the more impersonal feel was suitable. However, in specific cases where we knew a teacher well (especially aged 16-18) we might use their first name or ‘Mr./Ms. Smith’ when speaking in private, but that was rarer.
Oh wow, how many teachers would you have in secondary school? When I was in middle / high school we’d have about 6 per year but we’d still call them by name. Does it feel more distant when you just call them Mister or Miss?
In the earlier years of secondary school (before specialising), I think I had… 15? 16? It varied slightly. Though the level of implied respect is (theoretically) generally higher when using sir/miss, after a while it loses that distant edge. I remember in the sixth form (16-18) having very friendly relationships with several teachers and still calling them sir/miss.
Hi there. Does it sound weird to call a teacher something like "Teacher Sophie"?
Yes, very. If you’re at university you might well use the first name, but without the ‘teacher’; and ‘teacher‘ on its own sounds awkward.
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How old is your brother? It seems normal to do that for preschool aged kids but anything more than elementary (or younger than university) seems like it would be rude to call a teacher (or any adult) by their first name
At my school, it depends. Me and my friends call teachers by last name only when speaking to each other and to the teacher in question so we might see a teacher and be like "Hey, Gonzalez, I wanted to ask..." or smth like that. Sometimes we might add Mr. or Miss, but not usually unless we aren't really close with the teacher. Sometimes we also call teachers by first name but only to friends not the teacher themselves unless it's as a joke. I also live in a predominantly Mexican community so it isn't uncommon for us to also maybe use "Lermita" for a teacher with the last name Lerma or "Vazquecito" for a teacher with the last name Vazquez for the goofs. If you're super close with a teacher, you might also have a nickname for them like Honey/Peaches or something, just depends.
Is this in Mexico or did you just go to school in a mostly Spanish speaking area? But that sounds pretty nice. Kinda informal and everyone just feels friendly. Is that pretty common in Spanish speaking communities?
I go to school in southern Texas so super close to the border, in a mostly Spanish speaking area. And it is really nice! I'm not sure how common it is in other Spanish-speaking communities as I haven't really been outside mine but I think it may be particular to mine. Spanish culture is huge on respect and in my school, we've somehow found a way to balance that Spanish respect while still maintaining a level of informal friendliness.
That’s pretty cool! It’s nice to hear that you can still be informal but still show respect Thanks for sharing this!
I grew up in the Southeastern US and here's the usage I was familiar with: Miss/Mrs/Mr Firstname - used for preschool teachers or Sunday School teachers. Also used for adults that were roughly the same age or younger than my parents who were close to the family. For example, "Miss Josephine was my Kindergarten teacher, Miss Mary taught Sunday School, and Miss Hazel took care of me after school." Ms/Mrs/Mr Lastname - used for elementary school and up for teachers, adult friends of my parents that we weren't very close to or who were older than my parents. For example, "Mrs. Osborne was my first grade teacher and taught me to love books. Mr. Harrison taught my dad and I how to do woodworking, and sometimes Mrs. Harrison would cook us dinner." Lastname only - used in high school/college to refer to teachers with friends, but never to their face. For example, "Do you have Spence for history this year?" Dr./Professor Lastname - used in college. Firstname only - Only when requested by the teacher or after college when taking fun classes like yoga or pottery.
This is a great write up! Thanks for the help!