A student enters a learning space for the first time, and a million thoughts run through your mind about how you can make them feel welcomed, safe and included.
There are many ways to make a space inclusive, but one of the simplest and most impactful ways is all in knowing, understanding and properly pronouncing students’ names. It sets a tone. It opens the door to discussion about identities as well as developing literacy.
As I’ve mentioned to students whether in kindergarten or in high school, and even colleagues, the first and most special word should always be one’s name. To show respect and to honour identities, the pronunciation of names is so crucial. Sadly and quite often, when I’ve met students and colleagues, they’ll quite often shorten their name or tell me, “You can just say it this way” because that’s what their normal has become. You’ve probably heard, “Oh, it’s just a name” or “It’s too long to remember,” but that is not okay. It negates one’s identity rather than celebrating it. When learning about names, it reinforces mutual respect for each individuals’ identity and it encourages lived experiences and knowledge to be shared by not only students, but also their families. Here are some ways to help build an inclusive learning space by focusing on names.
1. Write out each students’ name phonetically. For example, you can write it like this: Tracy – (Tray-see). Yes, it may take a little longer to go through the attendance that day, but it lays the foundation for respect and care.
2. Make it accessible, not just for you, but for students and colleagues, too. Post a list on the classroom wall, your desk, each student’s name/desk tag, in the attendance folder or digitally in an Learning Management System (LMS), like Brightspace or Google Classroom. Think of multimodal ways, such as a visual and and audio clip connected to a QR code on a classroom wall, email or within an LMS. The more places the names are, the more everyone feels included.
3. If students are co-creating the learning space with you through their art, name tags, scribe or have students write the phonetical pronunciation.
4. One of my favourite ways to learn about names is through an assignment or unit. However, it’s important to know the situation of home life before beginning. Be considerate of varied backgrounds and family structures, including limited to no connection to birth family. One way to support all students is through a research project. Learning about their names can be the first “research” they need to do, and it’s a great way to discuss the differences between primary and secondary resources, such as name dictionaries.
5. Ask Administration and the Office to write the phonetical pronunciation of a student’s name on the information card, email or even a sticky note. It can change the culture in the school, not just a learning space within it.
When a student hears their name properly pronounced or is able to share how their name was chosen, it builds another way of community connection. It builds a positive learning community, one that is respectfully inclusive and welcoming in the simplest but kindest manner.