Every few years I have my students write about their names--an exploratory exercise where they have to involve their parents of another relative. This year, I personally needed a new angle:
And so it began. Last week while teaching my first group
of university students the question came up: “So…what do we call you?”
“Just
don’t call me late for dinner,” I retorted.
The
young Padawan was not to be deterred. “No, I mean, like Mister or Professor or
what?” She apparently didn’t get the Dad joke I laid down, but I knew exactly
what she meant. A few knowing chuckles
from around the room let me know that others did, too.
I
replied that I didn’t really care. Doctor, Professor, Mister, or even my
previous title Master, as many of my junior high students liked to use, were
fine with me. I’d answer to just about anything, but again, I reiterated, don’t
call me late for dinner.
Although
I had a quick answer, it caused me to ponder. What should I have people call
me? Beginning last year or so, I had colleagues ask me if when I earned the
Ph.D. I would make people, specifically my students, call me Doctor. Then the
stories about stuffy, snobby professors would start, and I would leave the
conversation.
I
thought about my own professors. As students, most of us in the classes, called
them Professor or Doctor out of respect, even when the instructor hadn’t quite
cemented that final diploma. As a doctoral student, many of the professors
allowed us to call them by their first names, but I think that is different.
So…how
do I sign my emails? Do I call myself Doctor Anson? Sound snobby and include
Ph.D. on every closing tag line? What do I write at the top of my papers now
that I have achieved this status? Do I still go by Joe as my colleagues know me,
or do I go back to the more professional-sounding Joseph? Do I start using the
middle initial, too? That might turn some heads. Man, I haven’t had this type
of identity crisis since I was in junior high.
I’m curious. We can open this up for public debate (if anyone really
cares). What do you think? Should I go with one way or the other? Or is it just
a contextual thing?
