We use the first name here in Denmark. Titles are not so important to us =P

An exchange student from the states have told me that we have a more relaxed atmosphere in school compared to the US.. I guess that can be both good and bad =P

I always feel really awkward about calling my lecturerers by their first names, I'm not so sure why since I don't really have issues about calling the older people at my work by their first names (except for the manager). I guess I just feel that since they all have doctorates and that, that they deserve a bit more respect!

All my theatre teachers go by their first names. I'm not sure why; I think it was a staff decision, cause it's completely unanimous. If I called Bob "Dr. Yowell," not only would I get strange looks, but I don't think he'd respond. But there is a different level of familiarity in our department, I think. Most professors I know won't go out for coffee with their students on a regular basis, or invite a bunch of them over to their house for dinner.

My english professors I refer to by their last names (no Mr. or Ms. or Dr.) when I'm talking about them, and since most of them haven't really clarified what they'd like to be called, if I'm talking to them and need to use their name for some reason I'll usually just say "Professor." I don't refer to adults by their first names unless they're introduced that way; it still seems disrespectful. But I have no problem doing it if that's what they'd prefer.

In school it was strictly Miss/Sir or Mr/Mrs [surname], but in college and uni the teachers and lecturers I've had have tended to prefer first names. I still used Sir most of the time in college, but now at uni it's pretty much first names all the way. That seems to be how they prefer it; making themselves appear more approachable to students in a more friendly manner or something like that. Although I think calling them Miss/Sir is more respectful, it's not really how it's done in uni here.

hahaha... i have a greek teacher called "colin"....hehehe... he likes it though cos our class consists of 3 people...
Tom

Throughout high school, everyone had to call the teachers "sir" or "miss". However, when I started college it was pretty weird when all the teachers told us to call them by their first names. Once I got settled in though, I realised the teachers were all really laid back so it's not so weird to yell out their names to get their attention. I don't find it disrespectful to be honest, mainly because my teachers don't have that authoritive presence like the teachers in high school did.

Similarly to Sian, up until college I've been asking for teachers by using their second names and titles, but at college it's far more casual and while it took some time to get used to it, I've been referring to teachers by their first names.

I found it extremely difficult to get used to and when called upon even now I usually reply with "Yes, Sir?" or something similar.

I do as you say as well, or simply call it as "professor" althought not all like that

In the Chinese context, "teacher" as a term can be as respectful while familiar at the same time when it comes to addressing a teacher, at least the way I remember it. Although it doesn't seem to be the case in English.

I can hardly remember any names from my past professors, and usually don't really bother to take the time to learn their name, shame on me. >.> Since my interactions with college professors usually limit to just the lectures, I usually don't get beyond just "professor", or a bit more then professor so and so.

Although certain professor really makes a strong impression, such as the Crazy (in an awesome way) German Professor.

I never have. Either it's understood that their last name must be used, or they give us another name to use.

One of my professors wants everyone to call him "Doc."

I also just call them by what they asked to be called, which happens to be Professor ____ or Dr. _____. I've only had one teacher so far that let the class call her by her first name, so I accordingly did so.

I have a bad habit of calling everybody "Excuse Me" or, alternatively, "Hey".

Unless they are a close friend or family member I am used to, I really don't use names.

I guess this is why I can never remember the names of new people.

Actually, I'm like that with friends too. I'll call someone like a teacher by their name to get their attention if I have to, but friends I'll just walk up to or say "hey" or something without having to use names. It's quite weird really. =\

My Commerce professor always speaks as if we'd call her by her first name in her examples: eg. "but you might say to me, Rita? Why is this a viable option? I'll explain then that this way..." Although no one ever calls her by her first name when addressing her, it's always just Prof. <last name>.

Some professors are spoken to with "Prof. <last name>" while others seem to have their names better suited if they are said as "Dr. <last name>" (such as our psych professor who only visited us once ever and left us to learn from his video lectures). It feels awkward and rude to me to dare using the first name only when addressing these intelligent people.

I didn't like it at all when people called me Mr. Brooks. I absolutely hated it.

As a teacher, I didn't want to elevate myself above my students. I wasn't working on disciplining people or trying to make them better people, persay. I just wanted them to learn some material and it is silly to not try and connect with college students on a peer level.

I think putting yourself on the same level enhances the learning experience, because, as a teacher, I didn't have all the answers (or didn't want to reveal that I did), so I wanted people to work out problems not like they were trying to impress me, but just as two people who shared a common interest in the same subject.

I have never and will never call a teacher by their first name. Unless its the principal just to be an asshole. My High School principals name was Peter so I'd call him Petey just to bug him. I didn't last very long in High School come to think of it...Oh well.

We call our teachers by their first names here in Brazil. In fact, if you call your teacher "Mr. something" or "Mrs. Someone", people will think you're a geek!

Just like BlueMikey, I am a teacher now and I don't like when my students call me "mr.". By the way, I'm still a student, so why should I demand such formalities? Nonsense, in my opinion.

I never really felt comfortable with calling professors by their first name. Some of the younger professors in college do encourage this, but they usually end up as "Sir <first name>" or "Ma'am <first name>" -- an acceptable compromise in the Philippines.

Of course in med school there's a healthy amount of Doctor this, Doctor that. I've since encountered people who get really pissed off when someone forgets to address them as Doctor or add the M.D. after their name. In any occasion. A healthy amount of respect is good, but shit, let's not be so insecure about it.

It depends on the context, sort of. Generally I prefer calling them Mr./Mrs./Professor whatever, since in my mind that's the appropiate student/teacher relationship. If things were to progress to the point where we might be casual acquaintances, then I would probably feel more comfortable calling them by their first name.

Really though, it's mostly what the teacher tells us to call them. I had one Statistics teacher who insisted everyone call him "Frank" (because he was) and that's what I ended up doing. Though, I usually sidestepped the problem entirely by avoiding saying his name. <_<

I usually avoid the problem by just calling him/her "professor."

"Hi, professor."
"Oh, professor, I had a question...."

I can understand how, being a professor, the constant formality can be grating, but it just feels so horribly awkward to start calling a guy that's easily 30 years older than I am by his first name. It doesn't feel as awkward when the professor is a woman, (lol sexism?) but I still avoid it.

I have professors who want you to call them by there first names, but I find that to be awkward. So it is always "Sir", "Ma'am" "Professor so and so", "Dr. so and so", ect.
I suppose it has to do with how I was raised, that it is disrespectful to call a teacher or someone much older then you by there first name. I just can't make myself call them by there first names.

I've always wondered about that: If I say, "Call me Mike" and you don't, isn't that disrespectful? Isn't it more impolite to disregard how a person wants you to address him than to speak to him in the requested, informal way?

It used to be the norm during school to call our teachers either "Mr" or "Miss" or whatever. In college, most of my teachers insist on calling the by their first names. Took me a while to get used to it, as I found it slightly un-nerving to call people with a higher status than me by their first names.

I call teachers that allow it by their first name. I think it's dumb that people require you to call them by their last name, I suppose in the 1800's it was respectful, but I feel that that pointless culture-quirk has value no longer.

Well right now I only have one class that applies to this. First day she said "call me Kelly, or Ms. Stady, whatever you want." However I've never once said her name. To me, using Miss, Ms. Mrs. seems way too "high school", but using their first name just weirds me out. So I'm left with nothing.