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I have spent a large majority of my day today (and my evening last night) watching the #NHLdraft. One of the things that has been noticeable throughout the experience is @icehockeystick& #39;s discussion about learning to say unfamiliar names. I want to weigh in. A thread...
First, I taught ESL for a very long time. When I started, many of my students (adult learners) chose an "American" name to use instead of their given name. I always insisted that they teach me how to say their name so I could learn it, but many of them passed on the opportunity.
When I asked why, the common response was that it was too hard and they didn& #39;t want me to struggle. They were fairly surprised when I explained that if they were willing to learn an entirely new language, then surely I could take the time to learn one entirely new name.
Many of them laughed and then taught me their real name. And, while many of them still chose to use their "American" name elsewhere, they always seemed happy when I would use their real one. Eventually, some students abandoned their "American" names altogether.
I was abundantly happy about this as I& #39;ve always felt that this is a country full of people from other places and bey bringing our unique cultures and backgrounds (and names) together, we& #39;re much stronger.
Many years down the road now, I& #39;m a high school English teacher and a few years ago, I volunteered to be the "name reader" at graduation. I set out on the task of learning to say 500+ names a few months before the ceremony each year.
MANY times, when I ask a student how to say their name properly, I learn that NO ONE has EVER taken the time to learn how to say their name correctly. I usually have to ask, "How would your family say it?" in order to get them to tell me.
Can you imagine spending your ENTIRE public life with NO ONE saying your name the way your parents say it? Can you imagine the distance that would put between you and everyone? The very idea that your name isn& #39;t worth learning because it& #39;s a slight inconvenience for someone?
Now, I cover the Nashville Predators, I occasionally step in to call my high school& #39;s football games, and I teach around 150 kids a day. I try to take my time to make sure I can say every name right. Of course, I& #39;m not perfect, but I make my best effort.
After graduation, people always ask "How do you do that?" and when I explain that I start about two months ahead of time, they shake their head in disbelief. I suppose they have "easy" names.
The other comment I usually get is from graduates and families thanking me for taking the time to get it right. I just want to make sure that at graduation, this momentous occasion of achievement, they get to celebrate with the name their parents gave them, pronounced correctly.
All of this to say, taking the time to get someone& #39;s name right is just basic human decency. Getting drafted by an NHL team is the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice and I feel like on the day these kids get to celebrate it, they should hear their name the right way.
You may have to be a little uncomfortable for a few seconds/minutes while you learn how to say it, but I assure you, you& #39;ll be a better person for it and those whose names you learn will look at you with respect...because you will have earned it.
