Educators: What's your name preference? (English, teacher, doctors, PhD)

[Eresh]

Originally Posted by scocar

In my opinion if a principal or anyone else that has a doctorate degree in a non-medical field, is purposely using that as their title to announce that they have attained that level of education it is pompous. I don't walk around announcing that I'm a college graduate.

Your analogy about Mr. and Mrs. is not appropriate at all. There is no prestige that comes with using those titles. So no level of pompousness could be ascertained from that.

The title, "doctor" originated in academia (derived from the Latin word for teach, "docere"). So why on earth do you feel it is NOT pompous for someone with an MD to use the title and that it IS pompous for someone with a PhD? Both are terminal doctorate degrees.

Regarding the Mr. and Mrs. analogy, both are titles, just as Sir , Doctor, and General are titles. It's not a matter of prestige; it's a matter of identification.

[TabulaRasa]

What on earth is pretentious or pompous about utilizing a title you have earned? Denigrating other people's titles is probably the more pompous action.

The only assumption I can draw from that is that there are those who think that some doctoral degrees are valid and worthy of designation, and some are not. Again, this speaks quite a bit about pomposity.

[nimchimpsky]

Originally Posted by scocar

Sorry but I can't possibly see a normal, rational human being getting offended by you being too formal. And when I offend abnormal, irrational human beings I don't sweat it.

Cultures vary. In some cultures, you can be totally rational and find being overly formal offensive, or at the very least off-putting. I can understand what you're saying within the context of American culture, but at my school, the culture is much more informal and direct. To give you an idea, some professors drop the F word in class all the time and no one thinks twice about it. So that isn't to say that no one likes titles and that they're bad or wrong to use, but the staff who use titles at my school are really in the minority, and often seen as not fully acculturated. In other words, it's not completely irrational to fear being too formal at my school since the standard of formality is much lower here. The reason I ask here though is because I still want to respect any individual professors' preferences, even if they go against the grain of my school.

You've expressed wanting to be addressed by title, if you were a professor. How would you sign your emails, or otherwise indicate your preference to your students? Or would you leave it up to them to guess?

[loloroj]

Just use the most honest, Master Of Time, Space and Being......

[Cav Scout wife]

Originally Posted by nimchimpsky

Then halfway through the semester she started correcting students and telling them to call her Dr. So-and-So. I wonder if she was reacting to some students who were being too pushy or something?

Sounds like she got "tattled on" for being too informal with students, and as a result is trying to be more "appropriate" for the school. IMO, it's crap, but it does happen.

Originally Posted by nimchimpsky

You're just as likely to offend by being too formal as you are by being too familiar.

To me, if you are offended by a show of respect, then you don't deserve the respect you were shown.

Originally Posted by scocar

As for using doctor I find it to be somewhat pompous when anyone outside of the science or medical community uses Dr. as their title. Many of my children's principals have PhD's in education and use the title of doctor. I respect that and refer to them as such, but I would refuse to use the title unless the school district required it to show level of education. And even then I would correct anyone that tried to call me that.

I disagree. If you have earned the title regardless if it's in a medical field or not, you deserve to have the respect shown by using the title.

Originally Posted by scocar

Outside of the hospital medical doctors probably aren't called Dr. by their friends. So I'm not sure what setting you are referring to. If I was a surgeon and I was introduced to someone at a party I would not refer to myself as Dr. __________.

The heck they aren't! I know plenty of Doctors that get downright SHIRTY if they aren't refered to as Dr.!

Maybe YOU wouldn't refer to yourself at a party by Dr., but plenty of other people would refer to you as that.

Also, you mentioned work, well for some PhD's the classroom IS their workplace, so they (by your logic) should ask to be called PhD.

[scocar]

Originally Posted by Eresh

The title, "doctor" originated in academia (derived from the Latin word for teach, "docere"). So why on earth do you feel it is NOT pompous for someone with an MD to use the title and that it IS pompous for someone with a PhD? Both are terminal doctorate degrees.

Regarding the Mr. and Mrs. analogy, both are titles, just as Sir , Doctor, and General are titles. It's not a matter of prestige; it's a matter of identification.

When you go to a doctors office or hospital you call them doctor without even using their actual name. If you can't see that distinction then I can't help you. I don't care where it originated, what matters is how it's used and accepted in todays vernacular. If everyone with a PhD walked around using dr. as their title people would assume they were medical doctors.

Once again if you refuse to acknowledge the difference between using mr and mrs versus dr than we should probably just stop the conversation because your stubborness will not allow meaningful dialog.

[scocar]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

What on earth is pretentious or pompous about utilizing a title you have earned? Denigrating other people's titles is probably the more pompous action.

The only assumption I can draw from that is that there are those who think that some doctoral degrees are valid and worthy of designation, and some are not. Again, this speaks quite a bit about pomposity.

It's the same as announcing how much money you've given to charity, announcing that you are a professional athlete, or any other accomplishment you choose to announce.

I do agree that denigrating ones title is even more pompous.

I don't concern myself with the validity of the doctorate degrees. As I've stated I ALWAYS refer to anyone that has earned that title as doctor. But I have much more respect for the person that recognizes that the term doctor in everyday vernacular refers to a medical doctor. So the only purpose for a non-medical doctor to use it is to announce their level of education. I find that to be pompous.

[scocar]

Originally Posted by nimchimpsky

Cultures vary. In some cultures, you can be totally rational and find being overly formal offensive, or at the very least off-putting. I can understand what you're saying within the context of American culture, but at my school, the culture is much more informal and direct. To give you an idea, some professors drop the F word in class all the time and no one thinks twice about it. So that isn't to say that no one likes titles and that they're bad or wrong to use, but the staff who use titles at my school are really in the minority, and often seen as not fully acculturated. In other words, it's not completely irrational to fear being too formal at my school since the standard of formality is much lower here. The reason I ask here though is because I still want to respect any individual professors' preferences, even if they go against the grain of my school.

You've expressed wanting to be addressed by title, if you were a professor. How would you sign your emails, or otherwise indicate your preference to your students? Or would you leave it up to them to guess?

I would sign them with Mr. _____________.

[scocar]

Originally Posted by Cav Scout wife

I disagree. If you have earned the title regardless if it's in a medical field or not, you deserve to have the respect shown by using the title..

I agree that you deserve it, and because of that I would respect that. Deserving something is different than having the humilty to not expect it.

[/quote]
The heck they aren't! I know plenty of Doctors that get downright SHIRTY if they aren't refered to as Dr.!

Maybe YOU wouldn't refer to yourself at a party by Dr., but plenty of other people would refer to you as that.

Also, you mentioned work, well for some PhD's the classroom IS their workplace, so they (by your logic) should ask to be called PhD.[/quote]

If the people at the party do it that is different than me expecting or insisting that they do it. Any doctor that got "shirty" about it is pompous in my book

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by scocar

It's the same as announcing how much money you've given to charity, announcing that you are a professional athlete, or any other accomplishment you choose to announce.

I guess I don't really agree that using a professional title is the same thing at all.