Grade school teachers: do you find that children often get teased because of their names?

Question

In the Y!A Baby Names forum, a big concern of parents is name-based teasing. That's why I ask - do you find that children really do get teased just because of their name?

Answer 1

I teach 1st grade and have taught some children with really crazy names.  To me if the kids grow up with it, they don't think of it as different.  I have seen kids at the Jr. High level joke with other kids or give them nicknames out of affection but it is usually not meant to be mean.  I think it is how students react to the possible teasing.  If they shrug it off or make it a joke too, it usually doesn't stick.  My final answer is no.  Kids get teased because of their personality.  Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Well, I am in the 8th grade, and I can tell you that some kids really do get teased just because of their names.

Answer 3

I taught school for 12 years. I saw a very few kids get teased about their names. Most of the time, the kids teasing mean't it to be funny or playful and not hurtful. For example, I taught a girl name Candy. The other kids called her candy cane. She hated it, but the kids really did not mean it to be unkind. I thought it was a cute little nick name myself. But I did tell the kids to stop because she did not like it.

Answer 4

I have taught grades 1st - 6th and have never had students teasing others because of their name.  The school where I teach is diverse with many students having "unusual" names.  I believe that if children grow up with many different names, "unusual" names become the norm, not the exception.  This in turn means the child does not get teased.

But of course, kids do things without adults, teachers included, knowing about it.  

Answer 5

I don't know because I don't allow teasing of any kind in my classroom.