|CurrentlyReading: "U Can't Talk to UR Professor Like This: Formal Manners and Titles Aren't Elitist. They Ensure Respect for Everyone" By Molly Worthen
"But she ruefully recalled one young professor who made the mistake of telling the class that he didn’t care if they used his first name. “He didn’t realize how far it would go, and we all thought, this is awkward."
I recently read an article for one of my writing classes. It really drew me in that it discussed how many young people are slowly losing professionalism in addressing their professors and communicating way too casually. Even if a professor insists that you call him by his or her first name, I still feel an incredible amount of anxiety to do just that. The article painted an interesting perspective to both sides of this trench on formality and professionalism. As a student, I couldn't imagine calling any one of my professors by their first name. On the other hand, the article discussed how some students feel like this is old-fashioned and that it their right to reserve the choice to able to decided whether that professor is worthy of being called one--not solely based on a paper that indicates their credentials.
"The facile egalitarianism of the first-name basis can impede good teaching and mentoring, but it also presents a more insidious threat. It undermines the message that academic titles are meant to convey: esteem for learning. The central endeavor of higher education is not the pursuit of money or fame but knowledge. 'There needs to be some understanding that degrees mean something,' Professor Jackson-Brown said. 'Otherwise, why are we encouraging them to get an education?'"
You can read the full article here.
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