Funny timing -- I happened on my old class lists today, and noticed how I had written out my own pronunciation key in the margin, and made sure I referred to it until I was sure I had everyone's name right. I also started by telling students to tell me what name they preferred to go by, so I wasn't calling a Michael a Mike, etc. One time calling roll the first day, I said, "Aaron," and the kid responded "A-A-Ron," and I laughed and said that the substitute teacher sketch was my favorite Key & Peele bit -- I got props for being cool enough to watch them and know what he was referring to.
I wrote myself little pronunciation guides, too. My maiden name is Keesling, which is easy for Mayflower mouths but hard for many second-language speakers to say. So we had to spend time on my name, too! I tried to normalize how sounds are different in every language and point out how we could learn so much from each other. Our first Social Studies Unit was always all about immigrants. We all (including me) put pushpins into a wall map using different colors for ourselves, our parents, and our grandparents. We had people from all over the world! It's so important to celebrate these things instead of making them awkward. After all, Mayflower pronunciation isn't the "right" way. Just ask the English!
I always tell students not to give up on me. I am a good student, I tell them, but I need time and practice to learn. I will need their help--and I won't give up on them either! Many of my students help me with the phonetics--they feel empowered to teach me something. And some of them tell me straight out that my mouth can't do it, so they help me with an alternative or let me know what is "close enough" to be respectful of them.
Funny timing -- I happened on my old class lists today, and noticed how I had written out my own pronunciation key in the margin, and made sure I referred to it until I was sure I had everyone's name right. I also started by telling students to tell me what name they preferred to go by, so I wasn't calling a Michael a Mike, etc. One time calling roll the first day, I said, "Aaron," and the kid responded "A-A-Ron," and I laughed and said that the substitute teacher sketch was my favorite Key & Peele bit -- I got props for being cool enough to watch them and know what he was referring to.
I wrote myself little pronunciation guides, too. My maiden name is Keesling, which is easy for Mayflower mouths but hard for many second-language speakers to say. So we had to spend time on my name, too! I tried to normalize how sounds are different in every language and point out how we could learn so much from each other. Our first Social Studies Unit was always all about immigrants. We all (including me) put pushpins into a wall map using different colors for ourselves, our parents, and our grandparents. We had people from all over the world! It's so important to celebrate these things instead of making them awkward. After all, Mayflower pronunciation isn't the "right" way. Just ask the English!
I always tell students not to give up on me. I am a good student, I tell them, but I need time and practice to learn. I will need their help--and I won't give up on them either! Many of my students help me with the phonetics--they feel empowered to teach me something. And some of them tell me straight out that my mouth can't do it, so they help me with an alternative or let me know what is "close enough" to be respectful of them.