This afternoon, one of my sprout’s fathers picked her up. As luck would have it, I hadn’t met him before. Bus time is busy and we didn’t have time for a lengthy conversation.
“Are you her teacher?” he asked me.
“Yes, I am,” I replied.
“Ah, thank you for your hard work. Good night sir,” he said as he walked off holding his daughter’s hand.
Sir? Excuse me? At what point did I become a sir? In all my years of teaching, I’ve never been referred to as a sir. To be clear, I don’t think I’m any older than this parent. I’ve always associated ‘sir’ with a wiser more seasoned person… It’s definitely a term of respect and I suppose this dad was just offering his admiration in that small moment we shared together.
I suppose I am a sir and I guess, in my role, I’m all right with that.
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6 comments:
It was absolutely a show of respect, and you earned it! How nice for you that you actually have parents who value what you do!
Over the years my teacher name has gone from Ms. Debbie to Mrs. Stewart. I remember thinking when the name change occurred that it was a sign of respect but it made me feel old. I liked being viewed as a young spirited preschool teacher and all of the sudden I was considered a respectable grown-up. I still can't decide which one I like best:)
I love "ma'am." I tell kids they can call me "Ma'am" or "O Captain, my Captain." (A nod to "Dead Poet's Society," of course.) Kids wonder if it makes ME feel old. I tell them it makes me feel respected. Doesn't bother me. Incidentally, one of my kidlets DOES say, "O Captain, My Captain." She makes me giggle.
I felt old when my students started calling me "Grandma" by mistake instead of "Mom" Ugh!
Well congratulations, you have met someone with manners! In the south "sir" is a term of respect and not used as much as it should be (in MY opinion). I'm use to hearing "ma'am" since that is what I taught my son to say and to be honest, I want my class to say it.
Totally a sign of respect. "Sir" and "ma'am" have nothing to do with age. In fact, I refer to my little kindergarten people as sir and ma'am all the time. Training them to respond the same proves to be a tad difficult, however...
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