By — Kenya Downs Kenya Downs Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/actuallymynameis-why-it-matters-when-we-butcher-students-names Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter #ActuallyMyNameIs: Why it matters when we butcher students’ names Education May 20, 2016 5:28 PM EDT What’s in a name? For many, especially minority, immigrant and English-learning students, the wrong name can actually sting. As Education Week reports, learning how to properly say a student’s name can have a lasting impact on his or her success, both within and outside the classroom. Join NewsHour Weekend anchor Hari Sreenivasan for a special Google Hangout on mispronouncing names on Fri., May 27 at 1 p.m. EDT. We’ll chat with Education Week reporter Corey Mitchell, as well as teachers, researchers and students who offer insight into why learning to say someone’s name correctly is important. Is your name hard to pronounce? Did a teacher ever butcher or make fun of it? How does having a unique name affect you? Let us know! Share your experiences with NewsHour by uploading a video comment. You can also tell us what you think on our social accounts including Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook using the hashtag #ActuallyMyNameIs, as well as in the comments section below. We’ll share some of your responses during our hangout. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Kenya Downs Kenya Downs Kenya Downs is the digital reporter and producer for PBS NewsHour’s Race Matters and education verticals, creating multimedia content for online and television centered on issues of race and social justice, including exploring the intersection of identity and culture with education reform and policy. Kenya also contributes content related to the Caribbean region for NewsHour's international coverage. She’s previously worked with National Public Radio, Al-Jazeera Media Network and CBS News. Kenya is a graduate of both Howard University and American University and is based in Washington, D.C. @LiveFromKenya
What’s in a name? For many, especially minority, immigrant and English-learning students, the wrong name can actually sting. As Education Week reports, learning how to properly say a student’s name can have a lasting impact on his or her success, both within and outside the classroom. Join NewsHour Weekend anchor Hari Sreenivasan for a special Google Hangout on mispronouncing names on Fri., May 27 at 1 p.m. EDT. We’ll chat with Education Week reporter Corey Mitchell, as well as teachers, researchers and students who offer insight into why learning to say someone’s name correctly is important. Is your name hard to pronounce? Did a teacher ever butcher or make fun of it? How does having a unique name affect you? Let us know! Share your experiences with NewsHour by uploading a video comment. You can also tell us what you think on our social accounts including Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook using the hashtag #ActuallyMyNameIs, as well as in the comments section below. We’ll share some of your responses during our hangout. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now