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TITLES
Holly Swyers (nesn-info@CCE.ORG)
Mon, 4 Mar 1996 14:45:04 GMT
I have just read the discussion of titles and have a different slant on it.
The office I work in is housed in an public elementary school where everyone
(students, teachers, secretaries, parents, etc) is on a first name basis.
Many people who tour this school are appalled, but it seems to work well for
everyone here. Is there an age when it becomes more appropriate for children
and adults to be on a first-name basis?
Part of my work includes visiting schools outside the NYC area. At these
schools, I am asked as an adult to introduce myself to students as "Ms.
Swyers." At 25, I feel uncomfortable introducing myself in this way and am
likely to forget and say "Hi, I'm Holly," to the six year olds I meet. Have
I missed some rite of passage which would make me more comfortable to be
addressed as an adult? At what point in our lives to we cease to associate
ourselves with children and the younger members of society and begin to feel
like we comfortably belong in the "adult" world? Does it have anything to do
with the point when the music is too loud?
Just wondering.
-Holly Swyers
Center for Collaborative Education, NYC
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