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A Student By Any Other Name

Ethics are, of course, subjective. Intentional teachers are naturally focused on modeling behaviors that will serve their students long into the future. In today’s world, depersonalization is rampant; we are often reduced to student IDs, pin numbers, account numbers, employee numbers and other digital labels. Sometimes, perhaps inadvertently, depersonalization manifests itself in classrooms of even the most well meaning educators.

From an early age, children are aware and sensitive about what they are called, and how they are addressed by others, particularly those in control of their environments. Many adults can remember vividly the difference in what they were called and how they were addressed by authority figures, moms, dads, grandparents, and teachers at very early ages. Many of us had or have affectionate nicknames that were bestowed upon us by loving caregivers that were quickly replaced by our full names (including middle names) when we were being reprimanded or reminded about something. Psychologists tell us that children will model the behaviors of those they respect. So knowing that, the question is: what behaviors do teachers want to model?

Recently, I noticed a passage in an online teacher’s blog that described a practical methodology that one classroom teacher uses to expedite classroom management. The teacher wrote that she found it helpful to “give every student a number.” Further, this technique was recommended because then teachers, it was advised, could use the assigned numbers to invite children to move about the room, e.g., “All odd numbers come sit on the carpet,” etc. It is hard to dispute that this methodology is practical and time saving.

It is important in scenarios like this that teachers concerned about ethics must consider what the lasting lesson is left with children/students. One must make a decision and sometimes a sacrifice for the greater good of the children served in a classroom; to trade what is expeditious for what is ethical. There are ways to use numbers to identify children without substituting them for their names. Here is one way: 1) Have children pick a number out of hat, 2) Ask the children who have chosen even numbers to sit in the circle or come sit on the carpet. By using the numbers this way, one does not substitute them for the children’s names; but simply use them as a teaching tool.

The best rule of thumb in these matters is the Golden one. Think back a moment at your own early years as a small child in school. Although many adults in current day society do not prioritize the importance of what a child might think or feel, if you put yourself in a child’s place, your perspective might change. Most importantly, when you decide how you will address your students, consider that they will grow up, and hopefully become the future teachers, workers, parents, professionals, citizens and voters; heirs of the nation. Teach them by your behavior how you would like to see them behave in those roles in the future.

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