Do Not Call Me Al

"Names hold ancestral and historical significance for many minority, immigrant, and English learning students. Names bring stories, which students are often forced to adapt to an Americanized context," writes Clare McLaughlin in "The Lasting Impact of White Teachers who Mispronounce Minority Student Names."

Overlooking or downplaying the significance of getting a name right, explains Rita Kohli, assistant professor of education at the University of California at Riverside, is one of those “microagressions” that can emerge in a classroom and seriously undermine learning.

"Names have incredible significance to families, with so much thought, meaning and culture woven into them," Kohli says. "When the child enter school and teachers—consciously or not—mispronounce, disregard or change the name, they are in a sense disregarding the family and culture of the students as well."

The effects can be long lasting. In 2012, Kohli and Daniel Solorzano examined the issue in a study called "Teachers, Please Learn Our Names: Racial Microagressions and the K-12 Classrooms." They found that the failure to pronounce a name correctly impacts the world-view and social emotional well being of students, which, of course, is linked to learning.

"Students often felt shame, embarrassment and that their name was a burden," Kohli says. "They often began to shy away from their language, culture and families."

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