Are names important? A former student shares their experience and knowledge with me about gender.

How important is your name to you? How does it feel when somebody mispronounces your name or calls you by a name, even a nickname that you didn't offer? I know for me, I bristle when somebody calls me Lori. I don't know why, but I do. So when a student tells me to call them by a different name than is on my roster, why would that be a problem for me?

Why can't I just call this student the name that they asked to be called? If the student wants to be identified by a name that is not the name that I think they should be identified by, that is not their problem - that is my problem.

Learning from Cristina was incredible. Having them clarify the reason why they identify as they/them, and how they got to that point for themselves was so fascinating. I love this conversation and I hope you do too. I know you're gonna learn a lot.

I'm excited for how you take this lesson from Cristina and put it into practice in your classroom or your home.

 

Follow Cristina on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristina-marcello/