When I first learned that my predecessor was called by her first name, I was appalled. How disrespectful, I thought. I made a silent vow to have my students call me by my last name, at least, if not Mrs. Smith. And they did call me by my last name. For a while. I think what was confusing was the fact that I didn’t mind if the teachers called me by my first name, so they called me Melanie in front of the students or referred to me as Melanie-sensei instead of Smith-sensei. Also the fact that in Japan, names are given family name first, so it could have been confusing as to whether Melanie was my family name, or Smith was my family name. So, for a while, I was able to have students call me Smith-sensei as I told them to do in my self-introduction lesson (and some still do), but now it is mostly Melanie-sensei. And for some reason, I am okay with that. I think it makes me feel closer to the students, in a way. Also, they can pronounce it better than Smith, which comes out su-mi-su. However, when I am a teacher in America, I will most definitely have my students call me Smith-sensei, as is proper.
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Myself
Video blogger and now a blogger as well. My life in Japan has changed me for the better. However, it wasn't easy... Archives
September 2016
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