What should you call your teacher?
And what should you NOT say?!
In my years as an English teacher - 20 years in a classroom and 5 years on social media - I’ve been called many things:
Katie
Teacher
Teacher Katie
Prof
Miss Katie
Madam
Ma’am
Sir
Mom
Mam
Mum
Mommy
Sis
Dear
Darling
Honey
A lot of these might seem a bit strange to a British person but I understand why people say them. We all come from different cultural backgrounds. Your culture may be different from mine.
So I’m never going to be angry or upset with anyone from another country for following their cultural rules.
A lot of people follow teachers from other countries on social media, and I know some people dream of moving to another country or working for an international company.
For these reasons, I think it might be useful for people to know how to address a teacher, somebody you don’t know personally or somebody you want to be respectful towards.
Let’s go through the list.
First of all, “Sir” is only used for a man and I’m a woman!
You can use “Madam” or “Ma’am” for a woman. In America, they say “Ma’am” (pronounced like “mam”). In the UK, it’s “Madam” to be super polite to a woman in a shop or restaurant, for example. “Ma’am” (sounds like “marm”) is used to speak to a superior officer in the police or in the army, or to address the Queen.
“Sir”, “Madam” and “Ma’am” are very formal and a bit old-fashioned. We don’t use them much in 21st-century Britain, except in the police, armed forces and to address the royal family.
“We don’t use “Miss Katie” in the UK but it’s used in some southern states in America to show respect to an older person.
“Mom”, “Mum” and “Mam” mean “mother” in English and we never use these to talk to a teacher in Britain. I guess learners could be using these because they are spelling “ma’am” incorrectly.
“Mommy” and “Sis” are only used for family members, not for a teacher. That might be different in your culture.
English learners often use “dear” because they think it’s a sign of respect. In my culture, it’s not. It’s a sign of affection. People use it for their husband, wife or children. Sometimes older people, especially women, use it with younger people. You shouldn’t use it for your teacher.
(You can start an email or letter with “Dear Katie” but avoid saying “Thank you dear” to a teacher.)
“Darling” and “honey” are romantic so please don’t use them with a teacher!
So what DO you call a teacher?
Just ask them what they prefer to be called!
I prefer “Katie”.
If that feels weird or uncomfortable, I don’t mind “Teacher” or “Teacher Katie”, but you should know that this is not standard English.
As I mentioned before, I’m never annoyed or upset because I understand why my learners use these names. But also, I’m human and I can’t always control how I feel. Sometimes I get a bit uncomfortable, even if it’s just for half a second!
I feel a bit uncomfortable when people call me “Ma’am” because I’m not your superior officer, your boss or the Queen! “Madam” just makes me feel old!
It also feels a bit strange when people call me “Mum”, “Mom” or “Sis”. And I’m sorry, but I really don’t like “Mommy”! It can be unprofessional, or even flirtatious if it’s from a man!
Please also remember these three things:
1️⃣ In the UK, the “rules” are different for adults and for children. In my country, children usually call their teacher Mr/Mrs/Miss + family name. So when I was a primary school teacher, I was called “Miss Salter”.
Adult students usually use first names. Most of my Facebook followers are adults so it’s OK for you to call me Katie. But again, you don’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable.
2️⃣ I’m not telling you what to do in your culture. In your country, you will, of course, continue to follow your own traditions and customs.
3️⃣ Using a person’s first name might be wrong in some cultures but it’s NOT a sign of disrespect in my country and culture. There are other ways to show respect - in my culture and in yours too:
➡️ Taking the time to learn a person’s name can show respect. If a student says “Teacher” because they are too lazy to learn my name, that’s NOT respectful. If a student says “Teacher” out of respect for my job, that’s a different thing and it’s fine by me. But it’s not always easy to know the difference!
➡️ Showing an interest in another person as a human being and not just as a source of information is showing respect.
➡️ Putting your mobile phone away in class and giving the teacher your full attention is showing respect.
➡️ Being on time for lessons is also showing respect. It shows that you respect the teacher’s time.
I know that you know this! I just want to explain that it’s not disrespectful in my country to call a teacher by their first name because they show their respect in all these other ways. As I’m sure you do too.
I hope you found that helpful!
See you next week!
Katie 💙
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