This is the issue of the newspaper the kids published: https://issuu.com/emilysmith41/docs/march_17
There's a "Full screen" button at bottom-right of the image that improves readability.
High school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials
121–130 of 172 posts
Re: High school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials
#122Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have heard that titles are a big deal in Germany but it seems uncommon in the US to use "Doctor" as a title for anyone other than a medical doctor. Many of the people I know at work have PhD's but I've never heard it used.
I'd imagine it isn't used in companies where rank isn't based on education level, but it's very common in academia. For example, it's rude for me as a grad student to just use a professor's first name without using a title.
Yes, in high school, I remember using "Mr", "Mrs" or "Ms". In college I remember referring to professors as "professor."
But it seems different for a teacher to put themselves above other teachers at the same school and expecting others to remember that?
Re: High school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials
#123Earlier quoted context omitted.
He earned that title, and he was your teacher (a superior), so I don't understand why you were annoyed. Most importantly, it was the first day! Think of an interview for example: would it be polite to address your interviewer using his/her first name? No, unless the interviewer gives you permission to do so. Edit: It seems like a lot of HN users have a severe aversion to authority, so I guess I've learned something n…
The respect goes both ways. I call people with doctoral degrees "Dr." unless I'm invited otherwise or we're in a non-professional setting. Doctoral degrees usually aren't mere pieces of paper; going out of one's way to diminish the work and sacrifice involved is kind of rude. But I also think it's kind of snooty and ill-mannered to explicitly demand to be called Dr. Like with table manners. It's rude to not be decent…
Oh yes, I agree completely. But OP's scenario involved a school teacher on his/her first day teaching the class, and so I felt that OP was overreacting. Obviously, demanding that random people call you Dr. is absolutely rude.
Well, it's news to me! I never noticed this thinking before, probably because it's not a common topic of discussion on HN.
Re: High school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials
#124Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd imagine it isn't used in companies where rank isn't based on education level, but it's very common in academia. For example, it's rude for me as a grad student to just use a professor's first name without using a title.
Yes, in high school, I remember using "Mr", "Mrs" or "Ms". In college I remember referring to professors as "professor." But it seems different for a teacher to put themselves above other teachers at the same school and expecting others to remember that?
I don't see it that way. The request was within the boundaries of the classroom. It would definitely be different if the teacher also expected his/her peers to do the same.
Re: High school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials
#125Earlier quoted context omitted.
> They earned it,they were recognized for their achievement. So what of it? Knighthoods are handed out to political cronies like they're Jaffa Cakes. Besides, I'm not a subject of Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth Windsor. Demanding deference to the monarchy is an insult to civil society.
As I said, it's rude to THEM. My point is that you are deciding that you are not rude, when you shouldn't be the judge in this case.
Why should the other person get to decide and be judge on what's rude and disrespectful? If I believe it's rude if you do not kiss the ground I walk on and that's it's disrespectful if you don't obey my commands, tough shit for me and anyone else who thinks that way.
If someone is rude to you in your eyes and based on your standards, how you react is still on you and is your responsibility. You can still be respectful to rude to people.
Respect is a two way street.
Re: High school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials
#126Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because I don't care what qualifications you have. If you want me to respect you and call you by some honorific name, you have to make me respect you enough to do so, otherwise I don't care what some piece of paper says you should be called. I don't call English "knights" Sir either, because fuck that. Note that none of this means I'd be rude, I just wouldn't afford them any more respect than anybody else.
Reducing the work and/or contributions required to get a PhD/MD (or other honorific) to a "piece of paper" is very naive in my opinion. But whatever floats your boat, mate.
The thing is, I can't tell by a prefix, title, or piece of paper whether you actually put in an effort to obtain any of those things. I should show respect regardless of whether you have them or not. But if someone with any of those demands I treat them in a superior way because they [claim to] have one or more of those they're likely to lose my respect. If you have one of those you still need to put forth the effort to show that they actually mean something.
Re: High school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials
#127Earlier quoted context omitted.
Superior, eh? They were presenting themselves as better than ours; not merely our teacher, but our superior , our better . Not as someone who would instruct and help us. And yes, it was the first day, the first attempt to make a first impression, and that impression was: I am more important than you, and I demand that you all to acknowledge it every day. It was incredibly pompous and tone-deaf.
A teacher is not higher in rank than a student? Why, let's just have students teach each other then :) I'm obviously not familiar with your situation; I definitely agree with you if the teacher was intentionally being pretentious. But if he/she was just correcting students and asking them to call him/her "doctor" on the first day, I think you are overdoing it.
A teacher has the right to determine who they teach and who they evict from their teachings. But, in a school setting where the student isn't given the same liberty and freedom to choose who teaches them or to not "be under" a certain teacher, the teacher would be wise to operate in a non demanding mode. The teacher in such a situation has more [involuntary] power and control over the student. It would be prudent not to abuse that authority by demanding respect from someone who would rather not be there.
Re: High school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials
#128Earlier quoted context omitted.
He earned the title, not respect. Yes, we should be respectful of everyone, but just because you have a title doesn't mean you can go around demanding to be respected [if you're also being a pompous ass]. Edit: Well, you can go around demanding it but you're delusional if you think people actually respect you.
It was in a classroom setting on the first day... Of course you don't go around on the street asking people to call you "doctor"!
From the stories I heard, this teacher told his children to call him "doctor"... at home...
Re: High school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
In the US I feel like the primary education system is simply childcare for the working class. My experience with teacher quality was just like yours.
High School is secondary education. Primary education is much harder and for some reason much less well rewarded. Everyone remembers the high school teachers who were phoning it in, but forgets about the elementary school teachers who taught them well enough to be able to make the distinction.
Sorry. I should have said primary and secondary.
Re: High school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials
#130Earlier quoted context omitted.
It was in a classroom setting on the first day... Of course you don't go around on the street asking people to call you "doctor"!
From the stories I heard, this teacher told his children to call him "doctor"... at home...
Wait, what stories did you hear about the particular teacher I'm talking about?