Professor So-and-So?
 

I was in class today, and despite my professor insisting on my calling him "Josh," I have to call him "Mr. Johnston."

I find it disrespectful to call your professor by their first names - or anything apart from the traditional title and family name. But recently, I guess I realize it's a fairly silly notion.

So. How many of you call your professors by their first name? Does it bother you? Are you accustomed to it? Do you approve of it? Or do you feel that the traditional way is correct?

I go by with what the teacher sais on the very first day of class. Whatever he wants to be called. If he wants to be called by his first name, go right ahead. Mr So-and-So? Thats fine too. I just usualy say "Sir?" and leave it at that.

The head of my school's ECE department insists on being called Tewks (his name is Tewksbury) and if you don't call him that, he doesn't respond to you.

I tend to play it safe and not call them anything. If I need to speak with a professor, I go up to them and say "Excuse me?" Some people prefer calling the "Professor" or "Doctor" or Mr. this and Mrs. that, and it all just gets too confusing. That, and it has occured on more than one occasion that I cannot remember the teacher's name for the life of me.

Depends on the teacher. My grad advisor is Carlos. The grad student I've known for three years and recently became a teacher? Yea, he's Dan. The rest tend to get Dr. or Professor before their name. Once we become friends, though... I tend to go to the first name in private.

In Norway you always call your teacher by first name. I'm taking a semester in the states now, and it's been hard getting used to the Mr. and Ms. and so on...

Do you guys prefer the first name system? I mean, I was wondering if I am the only one who finds it mildly....uh.....improper, I guess. =/

The Mr. or Dr. is so ritualized... but yea, I like it. I like the distinction between student/teacher. I always have.

I never did mind either way. It would be considered more respectful to call someone by their title and last name, I guess.

It's all about what you're used to I guess. Calling someone by last name seems very old-fashioned in Norway. And it doesn't feel disrespectful at all to use first names. But being here at an american college, with everyone refering to their professors by title, it's different... everyone else is using last names, so I do it as well.

Actually, for me, it's odd. I don't really like to call people older than me who aren't my parents...erm, anything. Like I've never reffered to my friends parents while speaking to them in any way, unless referring to thier spouse. Calling them Mr. so and so seems to formal, but I don't want to call them by thier first name either. Weird, I know.

My one art professor is this dude who I can't really take to seriously, so I don't want to call him Professor Bonelli, but I don't really want to call him Paul either, that'd be weird. But I've had professors who said that they're ok with the first name thing. I'm just not too comfortable with it myself.

It's "Hey you, wait". Always has been.

Why do they run away from students.

I have trouble with this, too. I'm pretty sure that I'll always call my dissertation advisor Dr. Walker, instead of Bruce, even though I visit him from time to time. There's still a kind of mystique about the Ph.D that garners that kind of respect, even though I've got one as well.

I do address most of my professors by "Professor" or "Dcctor." I usually leave out first name and last name, since those tend to get long. Two years ago I had a professor Dr. Tits, and I just felt uncomfortable addressing him as Professor Tits. I call my TAs by their first name, though.

I don't know why, but I find it improper as hell to call my professors by their first name, as well. I guess I am probably more conservative than I would like to believe. It's the same with any 'old' person (i.e. my parents' age); I can't really call anyone by his or her first name if they are that much older than me. But, like has been stated, Mr. So-and-so sounds really formal, for a friend's parent. For professors, though, I think that the formal title is fine, seeing as how a university is supposed to be formal.

I think we need a 'semi-formal' title.

well I always call them Professor(of course the equivalent in spanish) sometimes I just do it blindly since this term is different for each gender in spanish so I end up calling the female teachers using the term for male ones and things like that, but I try to keep a dinstiction as long as I can.

80% of all the professors I've had in college insist on me calling them by their first name. Some try to grasp on some level of youth to the same level of buying a porsche and hitting on the blonde with big tits. Some try to act affable and friendly to the class, only the crush you with the midterm and work load. Some... are just freaks I guess. Maybe when I get into the graduate level they'll stop doing shit like this.

Personally I find it dumb more than disrespectful. Up until I entered university, I didn't call ANY teacher by their first name. Shouldn't it stand to reason that it'd be more so true in college?

Good topic.

I'm always facing the dilemna of whether or not to call a professor by their first name. Especially when some are doctors too.

My friends call them by their first name, but I'm not comfortable with that for some reason.

I play it diplomatically and call them sir, sir. :kitsune:

I usually just say Professor or something vaguely, and not by their names. I find it weird calling their first names, even though one teacher said it's okay to do so. Back in high school they insisted on using Mr. Mrs. though. Maybe that's when I grew the habit of not using the first name.

Usually sir, or ma'am. It's just because I prefer to keep distance between the student and the teacher, out of respect. I think that it's normal to respect people who have more knowledge about a certain subject than you, and since they want to teach it to you, there needs to be a certain distance.

Some of my classmates have different thoughts about it, they just call them by their first names, and some of the profs don't seem to appreciate it. We even have one geek who only calls them by their last name, which is incredibly disrespectful in my eyes.

I, along with everyone else in my school, calls the Robotics teacher Mr. Abraham "Joe". I'm not really sure why, either. Only thing I could think of is he's a really laid back guy. I don't mind it, either. I see no reason why all teachers shouldn't be called by their first name.

I used to call my teachers by their first names, as it didn't seem to bother them at all. At times, I used to call them "Teacher", "Miss" or "Sir", but the last two were quite rare. I don't feel uncomfortable doing it so as long as it doesn't bothers them. I think, at least here, the traditional way bothers the teachers because it makes them look as if they aren't people. Anything for me works.

I avoid name all together when talking to professors. There is usually no need to be personal and things still sound proffessional if no names are used =D

i call my lecturers/tutors whatever they asked to be called, it can't be rude to call them by their first name if they ask to be. though sometimes if i'm unfamiliar with them i call them by Mr. xx or just try to catch their attention without mentioning their name/title. though i guess it also depends on the lecturer, one of my lecturers last year insisted we called him by his first name and would even go to the pub with us to go over our module problems. while a teacher of mine who had a long complicated greek name insisted you addressed her fully as Dr Papakosta...(forgotten the rest now) or she would just ignore you, you could only call her Dr P if she liked you, ie was taking A level chemistry.

I've had two professors who have insisted that everyone call them by their first names. I don't see anything disrespectful about it; if they don't want the honorific title, why press the issue? Everyone else is "Doctor <>" or "Professor <>," though, even my advisor, who'd seem like the kind of person who'd do a first name basis thing.

Interestingly enough, they're both math professors.