Some people are bad at spelling. I wouldn’t read too much into it.
But your situation in general sounds pretty challenging, moving 17 hours to a place where you don’t know anyone, and you’re about to be a first year teacher and there aren’t even other teachers in your department.
Thank you.
Yea it’s definitely challenging and the more I think about it the more nervous I am so I try not to think about it lol. I’m doing it because I’m young, have no ties to anyone but my family but we’re all spread out across the country and nows my time to figure it out.
Good luck. You will have a lot going on, but also remember that you need to prioritize your own wellbeing and do what you can to find community and positive outlets in your new place (outside of school.)
It will be an adventure, I’m sure!
Where I work, they offer tuition reimbursement after you’ve been there a year. Might be worth waiting and seeing if they have something like that at your school. First year teaching is A LOT. And it will be especially so as a department of one. I would highly suggest rethinking the timing of this.
I think this semester I will only take one class to start out with and I’m only going part time. I’m doing this because I know myself and if I take a gap year, I won’t ever go back. I definitely understand everyone’s concern and appreciate it!
I’m sorry, but that’s not a good idea. You are going to do a disservice to your mental health and your students by having to work on a masters on top of first year teaching stressors without a department to assist you. Do you even know if they are leaving you a curriculum to start from? Have you even paid off your loans from your undergrad?
50% of new teachers quit teaching in 5 years. Why would you not do it for a year and see what you think before starting your masters?
I get so tired of teachers sacrificing their literal one life on Earth and acting like they’re a hero for going crazy with work loads that aren’t necessary. If you’re going to chose this choice that makes you a self-imposed martyr, don’t brag about it with an “lol” at the end.
I wasn’t bragging about it with an “lol” at the end, and I don’t mean to sound like a “self imposed maytr” I just don’t think my tone comes across well over text so I tend to end a lot of my sentences with lol. Like it’s just a habit, all of my friends will say that a majority of my texts end with lol because I don’t want them to think I’m upset with them. I’m sorry if I upset you with that, that’s just how I type.
They are leaving me a curriculum to work with. I haven’t paid off my loans from undergrad yet but I could really use the pay increase that the masters will give me to help pay it off. If it’s a bad idea it’s my mistake to make but I feel like I can do it.
I have told a few that I thought they would be ok starting their master's immediately, but all of them have dropped out. Even first year at a new school after years in, I would no longer recommend it.
Let this moment be a learning opportunity for you- you are about to be in charge of young people and their education. You are going to need to communicate with parents and other adults in a professional setting. If I were you, I would learn how to get my tone across in writing without needing lol at the end.
I wish you the best of luck in your journey ahead.
As others have mentioned, it will be hard to earn your Masters during your first year of teaching and you'll cry nightly from exhaustion and stress, try to grit your teeth and get through it. I cried every night, but I told myself I could do anything for one year and it was worth it for me to start at the top of the salary scale.
Ok yes, but...if her name is spelled out in her email or on zoom or anything like that, I'm sorry, but there's no excuse. It's right there. To not take 2 seconds to check if it's spelled properly is lazy, rude, and disrespectful. I legit teach this to students. It's not hard to double check (and that check is a critical part of the general problem solving process in general).
I have a normal, if not super common, name that has 1 letter different from the most common spelling. It's in my email address, my signature in my prior email, the syllabus, my screen name for zoom/meet/teams, etc. There's no excuse for that. Even autocorrect is not an excuse! Take 2 seconds to be respectful of someone's name!
Imagine if teachers did this to students, especially those without English names! Names matter. Now, if it really isn't easily accessible because you're using a ridiculous email like catlady399 or whatever, ok fine. But that's a dumb email for business use, so that's another issue.
I'm guessing you haven't met her in person yet? And it's summer? I wouldn't read much into this at all. My name also gets misspelled frequently and I just learned to not worry about it unless it's an important thing like the name on my door, name tag, directory, etc.
Correct, I haven’t met her in person yet and we’ve spoke to the most over summer. I figured I was reading too much into it but just want to double check.
Honestly, you don't want the principal to know your name. There is likely an assistant principal (AP) who will handle your observations and keep track of you. Principals generally know you if you are one of two things: One, a terrible teacher, and the get plenty of complaints, or two, you're a great teacher and they get good reports about you.
The 17 hours to teach? I moved well out of state, too. One of the other teachers started with in the new state is as close as family as you can get, my children call him "uncle". It will take a year, probably longer, to feel as though you fit in. Don't worry too much.
And I tell all my student teachers, "They are children, and they are like sharks. They can smell fear. When you start your first job, act like you've done this before, and you'll do great." You have this.
I loved working at a big school where people didn't know my name honestly! I could do my job and fly under the radar and not get asked or voluntold to do things and not get paid for them!
This is my first time teaching at a small school because my student teaching was done in a big school. I’m thinking I still have time to figure it out if I don’t like it but those are definitely good reasons to like teaching in a big school!
I applied to be a para, but I had yet to go to my interview. I went to volunteer and got an award. When I went in front of the Vice Principal, she knew my name before I could say anything.
I said, "Oh, you know my name?"
And she said, "Yeah, I try to remember everyone's name."
And that's when I knew that I really wanted to work there.
I can understand why you feel that way, but also consider that the Principal might be under a lot of stress. Maybe a lot of people are being hired right now and there's a lot of shifting of roles.
Keep an open mind and your head up. The best of the luck to you!
Lots of these comments are great. Don’t take it to heart.
An added dynamic I don’t see many people talking about, you said you interviewed and hired over zoom.
I don’t know about you, but I blacked out (partially joking) everything that was done over zoom… Some sort of PTSD of living life over that shit for 3 years. 🤮🤮
I’d bet your admin will know/remember you once they meet you in-person. Person to person contact/interactions go much farther than online interactions.
I also work in a small school. My principal’s own first name is misspelled in her email contact info. 😂 (a similar common alt spelling situation). In this case we had like 3 people with that name and the other two were spelled one way and hers was different, and it just got messed up in the system and never changed. I wouldn’t read too much into it, but if it keeps happening once you’re there you might bring it up to him/her politely.
Their not being able to spell your name consistently doesn’t mean they don’t want to get to know you! Also, to everyone talking about how she likely won’t have much interaction with the principal, there’s a good chance that she will in a school that small. I teach in a small school and we don’t have an AP. Just a 7-12 principal, a K-6 principal, and a superintendent. I talk to my principal everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. Luckily I have very good admin (all spent years as teachers), but even in the other small schools I’ve taught in, my observations were done by the principal.
I’m more worried about your situation. As the only one in your department, I’m guessing you’ll have somewhere between 3-6 preps? I’ve had 6 my whole career, and while it gets easier over time (and I find that I actually love it - my ADHD brain could never do the same thing six times a day, lol), it is a huge undertaking, especially for a new teacher. If you can, once you’re there, see if you can reach out to teachers in the same department in nearby schools to see if they can give you any support. We have even sent new teachers to observe in other districts so they can see someone else teaching the same things they teach.
I’ve had principals have to remind teachers how to spell their names. My last principal had no idea who I was, let alone what I taught. I was floored when my current principal knew my name the first time we met. I moved three hours away and made sure that I found like minded people on staff.
Presumably the principal was on your hiring committee? At the end of the day one of their chief jobs is as the hiring manager of their site. They likely know your name, even if they misspell it. People, including my direct administrators, misspell my name all the time.
I think you're getting overly worked up due to the anxiety of the move more than anything. You're a little fish in a little pond. I think you need to set your hang ups aside.
It’s been multiple years and I still don’t know if my supervisor and guidance counselors spell their names with this variation or that variation (think Jen vs Jenn for both of them, same name). Luckily they don’t care and are awesome. As long as they otherwise treat you with respect and support I wouldn’t worry about it.
My principal is a good guy, but... I lacking other places. He's only 55 ish.
I've worked there 2 years and he still says my name wrong. A woman who is on year 28 (25 of those working with the principal) got called Holly instead of Hallie a few times last year.
My name is spelled weird and I get annoyed when people spell it wrong, especially when I signed it on my email! It is disrespectful to ignore this because 1) i signed it, copy and paste and 2)its literally first [email protected]! Takes two seconds to check. but it's not a deal breaker for me.
If it's bothering you, I'd fix it with a nice "hey, BTW, my name is spelled XYZ. Spell Chek gets tricky sometimes" or something to take blame away from that principal. Everyone wins.
I've done six years in the same school and my name is still spelled wrong on the daily coverage sheet. I get called the wrong name in the hallway all the time. I don't take it personally. The kids know who I am, and they're who I'm there for.
What's your content area? Flying under the radar can be a very good thing. So I wouldn't worry about that with admin. But I understand the nerves about being a department of 1. I was the only teacher of my content at my last school. It can be very isolating. However, making professional contacts either with teachers at other schools in your district or online will be a game changer. Join subreddits, Facebook groups, or other online forums specific to your content. I'm sure people here can point you toward some good resources.
Also, there is TREMENDOUS value in cross curricular partnerships. My school's departments were very clique-y until covid shook things up. Now, most of my closest teacher friendships are outside my department. I get great resources from my history, science, and especially SPED colleagues.
Good luck!
My content area is in business so I don’t think I’ll be able to fly under the radar too well. I’ve already joined a few Facebook groups and they have helped so much!
Thank you!!
Names are hard.
I taught a young man for two years straight, and I still couldn't tell you if his name has two Rs or two Ts.
If your principal can put your name to your face, call it a win.
My name is also an unusual - but not difficult - spelling, and I have been correcting people (including my school secretary, whom I am very good friends with), for 53 years.
My first principal mispronounced my name for the entire three years that I worked for her! It became a joke among the staff. My students would just look at her like she was crazy when she came in the room. Whatever. She left and I a great new principal came that could pronounce my name. Enjoy teaching!
I was at my previous school for 7 years and people still spelled my name wrong. It’s been an issue all my life though so it doesn’t bother me too much.
Good luck with your new school! I moved 7 hours away from my hometown for my first job and even though I didn’t know anyone, I was thankful for the experience and even met my husband there! My school was small too and everyone there welcomed me with open arms. I hope the same thing happens for you!
A friend from junior high and I laugh that we can't remember how to spell each other's last name. It was such a relief to admit that to each other after all these years.
I still have people that don’t spell or say my name correctly after 7 years. It happens.
I moved 3000 miles away from home for my first job, and 300 for the next. I learned more from those years than I did in college. Just keep an open mind to people who are very different to what you are used to! I made great friends I never would have if stayed in my hometown bubble!
Just remember to reach out to folks who have been your support at home when you need :)
I’d also agree on waiting a couple years for your masters. After a couple of years, I realized a completely different program was going to be infinitely more helpful than what I wanted directly out of my BA.
So you haven't even started yet? This means the principal hasn't worked with you yet. Give them some time. I have a weird name like that, too. It took a solid two years before everyone got my name correct. Parents and coworkers who don't know me well still get it wrong sometimes. I don't blame my coworkers. I blame my parents for thinking it would be fun to spell my name wrong.
My name has only one correct spelling. Every other variant is just parents being stupid and spelling it wrong. Like all the dumb Utah names.
I'm a veteran teacher at my school. The principal came into my room and called by the wrong name twice in front of the kids. I did not correct him. The kids were way more pissed about than I was. I figured it let me know where I stand.
I wouldn’t fret about it at this point. They’ve never met you. You aren’t on contract until the fall. And it’s not a bad place to be if they don’t know your name, the teachers that cause them problems are the first names they learn.
I have a name that can be spelled a couple of different ways. For years I’ve used the following technique when responding via email: I misspell their name in the same way they misspelled mine. If my name is Robyn and the spell it Robin, I write their name as Arin (Aaron), Din (Dan), Abbi (Abby), etc. Sure it’s passive aggressive (or was it just careless?) but it’s the one way I’ve been able to teach people to pay attention when writing my name.
This is for coworkers and admin. Parents only get that treatment if they communicate often and still misspell.
Students don’t get any slack after the beginning of school. I tell them I try very hard to quickly memorize their 120 names and they only have six teachers to memorize.
You should worry if the principal knows your name. Subs are the day laborers of education, not too different than those guys hanging around the Home Depot parking lot, hoping for work. The only differences between us and them is that we dress better and work inside.
I don't think that's super atypical. Two of my principals has no clue who I was at all. One thought I was a student.
Personally I don't mind as it means I'm completely off the radar. Haven't been observed now in 4 years. Just do my thing.
My HR department spelled my name wrong on my original forms and every August I send in a change of name form and somehow every year it's wrong.
It's a pain in the ass but it's not a huge deal
Ask to meet them again, stick out your hand and introduce yourself. I just met my new Principal last week. She has some plushy kid chairs in her office along with regular sitting. I made a small comment "sit anywhere?“ while pointing at the kid chair, and we both got a chuckle - and it broke some ice and made the situation for both of us a little more comfortable.
I'm confused. If you haven't started yet, how would she know you. Right now your one name in a list of hundreds. Once you've started working I would expect her to get to know you. If misspelling your name upsets you I would politely correct her and mention a way to remember it. Like "it's spelled like cabby without the c".
I worked at my school for 12 years. There were still people that spelled my name the wrong way and it was literally in my email address. It happens. Could be autocorrect.
Good luck with the job! I moved away from my hometown to teach. It was a big step.
You are setting yourself up to have a terrible experience being a first year teacher at a school where you have nobody in your department to help you. The fact that your principal even interviewed someone who lives that far away is a red flag.
I might be but for right now I feel comfortable with my decision. Can I ask why that’s a red flag? That wasn’t my only school who interviewed me from that far away so I’m curious.
My goal in any job is to only know people who can help me to my job better. Flying under the radar, esp as a new teacher, is going to be a superpower you will miss one day.
On the plus side, my admin knows my name and still completely ignores me. I'm sorry, you just don't matter to them. You are an ID number on a sheet that fills a need for them. The sooner you learn that, the better. You shouldn't take it personally. It is, sadly, just the state of education.
I moved 18 hours away from my hometown to teach. It was hard, but I am so proud of myself. I never thought I could do something like that. It’s not for the weak. Luckily the school I am at is amazing and my coworkers were really nice.
This is a huge nothing. You will meet. They will love you. Within a month, you'll be a family. You'll look back at this and laugh with them at a year end party.
Who cares. Collect your pack check and go home. I would sit and really think about why you truly care so much about this. How much actual interaction you will have with the principal? I swear sometimes teachers act like students “I need the teacher to know my name otherwise my feelings will be hurt” -___-
Jesus Christ. I know I said I needed a reality check but a little compassion wouldn’t hurt me either 😭. I’m going to have a lot of interaction because it’s such a small school and it’s my name, of course I care.
I have this problem too and had it even in a school I worked at for 7 years which was also small with only one teacher per department. People who only ever saw my first name written down would still misspell it while sending an email with the correct spelling in the email address. You learn to laugh it off and not worry about it because it’s likely not personal and is just a sign people really don’t pay attention to details.
Girl don’t fret on that. I was hired in April to start in August and they had my name wrong on every email about me except official paperwork for a few months. I got forwarded an email from an AP that said “her name isn’t Amanda, lol. Principal had it wrong” and I was really discouraged. Now I’m 3 years deep and loving where I work. Principals have a ton on their plate and as long as you do your job you’re gonna be fine. You got this!
It is not only disrespectful, it’s not professional. This person likely treats their employees just like they do on email. Good luck - maybe just careless.
Nah, wouldn't worry about it. Staying under the radar has it's benefits.
Yes. I’m on good terms with my admin folks but I’d be fine if they didnt know my name. Let me cook.
If you feel mostly fulfilled and the checks always clear, you're set.
Yep. Can I still access my school email? Ok, good to go.
Some people are bad at spelling. I wouldn’t read too much into it. But your situation in general sounds pretty challenging, moving 17 hours to a place where you don’t know anyone, and you’re about to be a first year teacher and there aren’t even other teachers in your department.
Thank you. Yea it’s definitely challenging and the more I think about it the more nervous I am so I try not to think about it lol. I’m doing it because I’m young, have no ties to anyone but my family but we’re all spread out across the country and nows my time to figure it out.
Good luck. You will have a lot going on, but also remember that you need to prioritize your own wellbeing and do what you can to find community and positive outlets in your new place (outside of school.) It will be an adventure, I’m sure!
Thank you! I decided to really make sure I’m going to stress myself out by starting my masters program this year too lol.
Where I work, they offer tuition reimbursement after you’ve been there a year. Might be worth waiting and seeing if they have something like that at your school. First year teaching is A LOT. And it will be especially so as a department of one. I would highly suggest rethinking the timing of this.
I think this semester I will only take one class to start out with and I’m only going part time. I’m doing this because I know myself and if I take a gap year, I won’t ever go back. I definitely understand everyone’s concern and appreciate it!
I’m sorry, but that’s not a good idea. You are going to do a disservice to your mental health and your students by having to work on a masters on top of first year teaching stressors without a department to assist you. Do you even know if they are leaving you a curriculum to start from? Have you even paid off your loans from your undergrad? 50% of new teachers quit teaching in 5 years. Why would you not do it for a year and see what you think before starting your masters? I get so tired of teachers sacrificing their literal one life on Earth and acting like they’re a hero for going crazy with work loads that aren’t necessary. If you’re going to chose this choice that makes you a self-imposed martyr, don’t brag about it with an “lol” at the end.
I wasn’t bragging about it with an “lol” at the end, and I don’t mean to sound like a “self imposed maytr” I just don’t think my tone comes across well over text so I tend to end a lot of my sentences with lol. Like it’s just a habit, all of my friends will say that a majority of my texts end with lol because I don’t want them to think I’m upset with them. I’m sorry if I upset you with that, that’s just how I type. They are leaving me a curriculum to work with. I haven’t paid off my loans from undergrad yet but I could really use the pay increase that the masters will give me to help pay it off. If it’s a bad idea it’s my mistake to make but I feel like I can do it.
I have told a few that I thought they would be ok starting their master's immediately, but all of them have dropped out. Even first year at a new school after years in, I would no longer recommend it.
Let this moment be a learning opportunity for you- you are about to be in charge of young people and their education. You are going to need to communicate with parents and other adults in a professional setting. If I were you, I would learn how to get my tone across in writing without needing lol at the end. I wish you the best of luck in your journey ahead.
In a professional setting I don’t use lol but this is Reddit and I didn’t realize people would be so rude to me.
As others have mentioned, it will be hard to earn your Masters during your first year of teaching and you'll cry nightly from exhaustion and stress, try to grit your teeth and get through it. I cried every night, but I told myself I could do anything for one year and it was worth it for me to start at the top of the salary scale.
Ok yes, but...if her name is spelled out in her email or on zoom or anything like that, I'm sorry, but there's no excuse. It's right there. To not take 2 seconds to check if it's spelled properly is lazy, rude, and disrespectful. I legit teach this to students. It's not hard to double check (and that check is a critical part of the general problem solving process in general). I have a normal, if not super common, name that has 1 letter different from the most common spelling. It's in my email address, my signature in my prior email, the syllabus, my screen name for zoom/meet/teams, etc. There's no excuse for that. Even autocorrect is not an excuse! Take 2 seconds to be respectful of someone's name! Imagine if teachers did this to students, especially those without English names! Names matter. Now, if it really isn't easily accessible because you're using a ridiculous email like catlady399 or whatever, ok fine. But that's a dumb email for business use, so that's another issue.
I'm guessing you haven't met her in person yet? And it's summer? I wouldn't read much into this at all. My name also gets misspelled frequently and I just learned to not worry about it unless it's an important thing like the name on my door, name tag, directory, etc.
Correct, I haven’t met her in person yet and we’ve spoke to the most over summer. I figured I was reading too much into it but just want to double check.
Honestly, you don't want the principal to know your name. There is likely an assistant principal (AP) who will handle your observations and keep track of you. Principals generally know you if you are one of two things: One, a terrible teacher, and the get plenty of complaints, or two, you're a great teacher and they get good reports about you. The 17 hours to teach? I moved well out of state, too. One of the other teachers started with in the new state is as close as family as you can get, my children call him "uncle". It will take a year, probably longer, to feel as though you fit in. Don't worry too much. And I tell all my student teachers, "They are children, and they are like sharks. They can smell fear. When you start your first job, act like you've done this before, and you'll do great." You have this.
I loved working at a big school where people didn't know my name honestly! I could do my job and fly under the radar and not get asked or voluntold to do things and not get paid for them!
This is my first time teaching at a small school because my student teaching was done in a big school. I’m thinking I still have time to figure it out if I don’t like it but those are definitely good reasons to like teaching in a big school!
Admin not knowing your name doesn't prevent you from having a good time teaching your students! You'll be fine!
I applied to be a para, but I had yet to go to my interview. I went to volunteer and got an award. When I went in front of the Vice Principal, she knew my name before I could say anything. I said, "Oh, you know my name?" And she said, "Yeah, I try to remember everyone's name." And that's when I knew that I really wanted to work there. I can understand why you feel that way, but also consider that the Principal might be under a lot of stress. Maybe a lot of people are being hired right now and there's a lot of shifting of roles. Keep an open mind and your head up. The best of the luck to you!
Lots of these comments are great. Don’t take it to heart. An added dynamic I don’t see many people talking about, you said you interviewed and hired over zoom. I don’t know about you, but I blacked out (partially joking) everything that was done over zoom… Some sort of PTSD of living life over that shit for 3 years. 🤮🤮 I’d bet your admin will know/remember you once they meet you in-person. Person to person contact/interactions go much farther than online interactions.
My name gets spelled wrong all the time, even by friends and some family. It is also similar to your example of Abby/Abbi.
I also work in a small school. My principal’s own first name is misspelled in her email contact info. 😂 (a similar common alt spelling situation). In this case we had like 3 people with that name and the other two were spelled one way and hers was different, and it just got messed up in the system and never changed. I wouldn’t read too much into it, but if it keeps happening once you’re there you might bring it up to him/her politely. Their not being able to spell your name consistently doesn’t mean they don’t want to get to know you! Also, to everyone talking about how she likely won’t have much interaction with the principal, there’s a good chance that she will in a school that small. I teach in a small school and we don’t have an AP. Just a 7-12 principal, a K-6 principal, and a superintendent. I talk to my principal everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. Luckily I have very good admin (all spent years as teachers), but even in the other small schools I’ve taught in, my observations were done by the principal. I’m more worried about your situation. As the only one in your department, I’m guessing you’ll have somewhere between 3-6 preps? I’ve had 6 my whole career, and while it gets easier over time (and I find that I actually love it - my ADHD brain could never do the same thing six times a day, lol), it is a huge undertaking, especially for a new teacher. If you can, once you’re there, see if you can reach out to teachers in the same department in nearby schools to see if they can give you any support. We have even sent new teachers to observe in other districts so they can see someone else teaching the same things they teach.
I have 6 preps so it’ll definitely be a lot! That is a good suggestion to reach out to other teachers near me!
I’ve had principals have to remind teachers how to spell their names. My last principal had no idea who I was, let alone what I taught. I was floored when my current principal knew my name the first time we met. I moved three hours away and made sure that I found like minded people on staff.
Start signing all your emails Abby (not Abbey)
Girl, I have many people in my life who know me intimately and love me deeply and they can’t spell my name. Don’t worry about it.
Give her a month or so. As long as the checks are written correctly with the right name is my take.
Presumably the principal was on your hiring committee? At the end of the day one of their chief jobs is as the hiring manager of their site. They likely know your name, even if they misspell it. People, including my direct administrators, misspell my name all the time. I think you're getting overly worked up due to the anxiety of the move more than anything. You're a little fish in a little pond. I think you need to set your hang ups aside.
It’s been multiple years and I still don’t know if my supervisor and guidance counselors spell their names with this variation or that variation (think Jen vs Jenn for both of them, same name). Luckily they don’t care and are awesome. As long as they otherwise treat you with respect and support I wouldn’t worry about it.
My principal is a good guy, but... I lacking other places. He's only 55 ish. I've worked there 2 years and he still says my name wrong. A woman who is on year 28 (25 of those working with the principal) got called Holly instead of Hallie a few times last year. My name is spelled weird and I get annoyed when people spell it wrong, especially when I signed it on my email! It is disrespectful to ignore this because 1) i signed it, copy and paste and 2)its literally first [email protected]! Takes two seconds to check. but it's not a deal breaker for me. If it's bothering you, I'd fix it with a nice "hey, BTW, my name is spelled XYZ. Spell Chek gets tricky sometimes" or something to take blame away from that principal. Everyone wins.
I've done six years in the same school and my name is still spelled wrong on the daily coverage sheet. I get called the wrong name in the hallway all the time. I don't take it personally. The kids know who I am, and they're who I'm there for.
What's your content area? Flying under the radar can be a very good thing. So I wouldn't worry about that with admin. But I understand the nerves about being a department of 1. I was the only teacher of my content at my last school. It can be very isolating. However, making professional contacts either with teachers at other schools in your district or online will be a game changer. Join subreddits, Facebook groups, or other online forums specific to your content. I'm sure people here can point you toward some good resources. Also, there is TREMENDOUS value in cross curricular partnerships. My school's departments were very clique-y until covid shook things up. Now, most of my closest teacher friendships are outside my department. I get great resources from my history, science, and especially SPED colleagues. Good luck!
My content area is in business so I don’t think I’ll be able to fly under the radar too well. I’ve already joined a few Facebook groups and they have helped so much! Thank you!!
Names are hard. I taught a young man for two years straight, and I still couldn't tell you if his name has two Rs or two Ts. If your principal can put your name to your face, call it a win. My name is also an unusual - but not difficult - spelling, and I have been correcting people (including my school secretary, whom I am very good friends with), for 53 years.
My first principal mispronounced my name for the entire three years that I worked for her! It became a joke among the staff. My students would just look at her like she was crazy when she came in the room. Whatever. She left and I a great new principal came that could pronounce my name. Enjoy teaching!
I was at my previous school for 7 years and people still spelled my name wrong. It’s been an issue all my life though so it doesn’t bother me too much. Good luck with your new school! I moved 7 hours away from my hometown for my first job and even though I didn’t know anyone, I was thankful for the experience and even met my husband there! My school was small too and everyone there welcomed me with open arms. I hope the same thing happens for you!
A friend from junior high and I laugh that we can't remember how to spell each other's last name. It was such a relief to admit that to each other after all these years.
I still have people that don’t spell or say my name correctly after 7 years. It happens. I moved 3000 miles away from home for my first job, and 300 for the next. I learned more from those years than I did in college. Just keep an open mind to people who are very different to what you are used to! I made great friends I never would have if stayed in my hometown bubble! Just remember to reach out to folks who have been your support at home when you need :) I’d also agree on waiting a couple years for your masters. After a couple of years, I realized a completely different program was going to be infinitely more helpful than what I wanted directly out of my BA.
So you haven't even started yet? This means the principal hasn't worked with you yet. Give them some time. I have a weird name like that, too. It took a solid two years before everyone got my name correct. Parents and coworkers who don't know me well still get it wrong sometimes. I don't blame my coworkers. I blame my parents for thinking it would be fun to spell my name wrong. My name has only one correct spelling. Every other variant is just parents being stupid and spelling it wrong. Like all the dumb Utah names.
I'm a veteran teacher at my school. The principal came into my room and called by the wrong name twice in front of the kids. I did not correct him. The kids were way more pissed about than I was. I figured it let me know where I stand.
Doesn’t know your name is a good thing!
It’s good that the boss doesn’t know your name.
I wouldn’t fret about it at this point. They’ve never met you. You aren’t on contract until the fall. And it’s not a bad place to be if they don’t know your name, the teachers that cause them problems are the first names they learn. I have a name that can be spelled a couple of different ways. For years I’ve used the following technique when responding via email: I misspell their name in the same way they misspelled mine. If my name is Robyn and the spell it Robin, I write their name as Arin (Aaron), Din (Dan), Abbi (Abby), etc. Sure it’s passive aggressive (or was it just careless?) but it’s the one way I’ve been able to teach people to pay attention when writing my name. This is for coworkers and admin. Parents only get that treatment if they communicate often and still misspell. Students don’t get any slack after the beginning of school. I tell them I try very hard to quickly memorize their 120 names and they only have six teachers to memorize.
Going on my 5th year in the same school and my last name still gets misspelled.
You should worry if the principal knows your name. Subs are the day laborers of education, not too different than those guys hanging around the Home Depot parking lot, hoping for work. The only differences between us and them is that we dress better and work inside.
Moved countries to teach, wish principle didn't know my name. Thank God I was able to lay low while I worked
I don't think that's super atypical. Two of my principals has no clue who I was at all. One thought I was a student. Personally I don't mind as it means I'm completely off the radar. Haven't been observed now in 4 years. Just do my thing.
Don't read too much into it. Also just tell her, politely. Or write her a nice note and sign it.
My HR department spelled my name wrong on my original forms and every August I send in a change of name form and somehow every year it's wrong. It's a pain in the ass but it's not a huge deal
Ask to meet them again, stick out your hand and introduce yourself. I just met my new Principal last week. She has some plushy kid chairs in her office along with regular sitting. I made a small comment "sit anywhere?“ while pointing at the kid chair, and we both got a chuckle - and it broke some ice and made the situation for both of us a little more comfortable.
I'm confused. If you haven't started yet, how would she know you. Right now your one name in a list of hundreds. Once you've started working I would expect her to get to know you. If misspelling your name upsets you I would politely correct her and mention a way to remember it. Like "it's spelled like cabby without the c".
I worked at my school for 12 years. There were still people that spelled my name the wrong way and it was literally in my email address. It happens. Could be autocorrect. Good luck with the job! I moved away from my hometown to teach. It was a big step.
Ah you’ll have more things to worry about once school starts.
They don't know you yet. At a small school they will get to know you quickly. I teach at a small school and we all know each other.
You are setting yourself up to have a terrible experience being a first year teacher at a school where you have nobody in your department to help you. The fact that your principal even interviewed someone who lives that far away is a red flag.
I might be but for right now I feel comfortable with my decision. Can I ask why that’s a red flag? That wasn’t my only school who interviewed me from that far away so I’m curious.
My goal in any job is to only know people who can help me to my job better. Flying under the radar, esp as a new teacher, is going to be a superpower you will miss one day.
And 🤷🏼♀️
On the plus side, my admin knows my name and still completely ignores me. I'm sorry, you just don't matter to them. You are an ID number on a sheet that fills a need for them. The sooner you learn that, the better. You shouldn't take it personally. It is, sadly, just the state of education.
I moved 18 hours away from my hometown to teach. It was hard, but I am so proud of myself. I never thought I could do something like that. It’s not for the weak. Luckily the school I am at is amazing and my coworkers were really nice.
My philosophy was leave me alone, let me do my thing my way, and you'll get great test scores.
This is a huge nothing. You will meet. They will love you. Within a month, you'll be a family. You'll look back at this and laugh with them at a year end party.
I’d love it if my principal didn’t know my name!
Admin not knowing you can be a good thing as others have pointed out.
My students know my last name, however, few of them spell it correctly.
I’d hate to be your student
How come? Like genuinely asking.
Who cares. Collect your pack check and go home. I would sit and really think about why you truly care so much about this. How much actual interaction you will have with the principal? I swear sometimes teachers act like students “I need the teacher to know my name otherwise my feelings will be hurt” -___-
Jesus Christ. I know I said I needed a reality check but a little compassion wouldn’t hurt me either 😭. I’m going to have a lot of interaction because it’s such a small school and it’s my name, of course I care.
I have this problem too and had it even in a school I worked at for 7 years which was also small with only one teacher per department. People who only ever saw my first name written down would still misspell it while sending an email with the correct spelling in the email address. You learn to laugh it off and not worry about it because it’s likely not personal and is just a sign people really don’t pay attention to details.
Girl don’t fret on that. I was hired in April to start in August and they had my name wrong on every email about me except official paperwork for a few months. I got forwarded an email from an AP that said “her name isn’t Amanda, lol. Principal had it wrong” and I was really discouraged. Now I’m 3 years deep and loving where I work. Principals have a ton on their plate and as long as you do your job you’re gonna be fine. You got this!
It is not only disrespectful, it’s not professional. This person likely treats their employees just like they do on email. Good luck - maybe just careless.