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[toothpaste]

I'm teaching lower-level undergraduates for the first time in an age and am getting called Mrs., the one title that irks the heck out of me.

Does anyone have that perfect zinger that I can send out to students who do this? I can write lots of nice sentences but would prefer to have a standard reply.

Thanks,

Not Mrs. Toothpaste

[inthelab]

Why aren't they calling you Dr?  Don't have a zinger, sorry.

Not Mrs ItL

FWIW, when people telephone the house and call me Mrs, I ask them if they want my MiL (when she was alive), my SiL, or one of my nieces by marriage.

[larryc]

I don't know that a zinger is the right approach. How about a matter-of-fact "Actually, I am not Mrs. Toothpaste, I am Dr. Toothpaste. Now to answer your question..."

[mad_doctor]

No "zingers", as such, IMO.  Next time it happens, look the student right in the eye, firmly and politely say, "That's 'Dr.' or 'Professor' toothpaste".  If there are faculty in the dept. who aren't doctors, then you can explain that "Professor" is more appropriate since it maintains no distinctions between doctors and non-doctors - all are their professors regardless of status.

BTW, I'm personally bothered by students who try to call me by my first name.  I don't tolerate that.

[hipgeek]

BTW, I'm personally bothered by students who try to call me by my first name.  I don't tolerate that.

I'm shocked someone would take the liberty to do that.

toothpaste, what do you want to be called?

I tell them on the first day how to address me.  Maybe that's a bit controlling...  <on edit> no it's not.

[barred_owl]

My standard reply--not really a 'zinger,' per se--is "MRS. Owl is my mother.  Please call me Dr. Owl."

[sagit]

I had a Masters student who kept emailing me as Mrs. Sagitta.  After 2 or 3 of these I finally let him know: "Please feel free to call me [my first name] or Dr. Sagitta."  I think he was just clueless (also confirmed by the fact that he missed 3! appointments and then just decided to take the courses his girl friend told him to take (she's in a different sub-field)). Eh, if he can't make it in to meet with me, not my problem if he doesn't take the best classes.

[toothpaste]

In general I'm very relaxed and prefer my first name, followed by Ms., Prof., or Dr. if students are uncomfortable with the informality.

It's really only Mrs. that actively irritates me. My goal is to teach the students not just that I am not Mrs., but that faculty in general aren't Mrs.

[hipgeek]

In general I'm very relaxed and prefer my first name, followed by Ms., Prof., or Dr. if students are uncomfortable with the informality.

It's really only Mrs. that actively irritates me. My goal is to teach the students not just that I am not Mrs., but that faculty in general aren't Mrs.

I think it could be definitely useful if you found time and a way to express that to them.  I had female profs as an undergrad who made a point about being Dr. or Prof. rather than Miss or Mrs. and I think it can me someone to look up to.  <gaak> that sounds corny!

[onion]

"Mrs." drives me frigging nuts.  I introduce myself as Prof. Onion, and when they come up after class and call me Mrs. Onion it really pisses me off.  More enraging was the semester that many students called my male TA Professor So-and-so and me Mrs. Onion.  This went on for a couple of weeks before I made a class announcement.  To some, I probably sounded like a status-conscious prig, but it mattered to me.  A second-semester MA student is not my equal, and not my superior, and I felt it was important to point out that women could hold positions of authority even over--the horror!--men.

[larryc]

...and why on earth should new undergrads know the rules of our academic nomenclature, anyway? In the rest of the world "Mrs." is a polite term denoting respect. Even the ones who call me by my first name mean no disrespect.''

When I taught freshman I used to include a little 5 minute "What do I call my professor?" unit in the first days orientation talk. Students seemed to appreciate it.

[dimpled_eggplant]

And I tell them in the first lecture that I am Prof. Eggplant. Then I spend a lot of time on introductory stuff including things like titles, how to address someone properly, how to e-mail properly, which office help with what kind of problem etc.

They address me as Miss or Ma'aaaaam......ARRRRRRGH!!!

[prytania3]

...and why on earth should new undergrads know the rules of our academic nomenclature, anyway? In the rest of the world "Mrs." is a polite term denoting respect. Even the ones who call me by my first name mean no disrespect.''

When I taught freshman I used to include a little 5 minute "What do I call my professor?" unit in the first days orientation talk. Students seemed to appreciate it.

I'm with Larry. They think they are being polite and don't know the difference. It's not like they are saying, "Yo, dogg, I need to ask a question." Tell them what to call you.

[johnr]

If I had professors named Onion, Toothpaste and Eggplant (especially if I had them all in the same semester), I would have a hard time keeping a straight face no matter what salutation I used!

[scampster]

...and why on earth should new undergrads know the rules of our academic nomenclature, anyway? In the rest of the world "Mrs." is a polite term denoting respect. Even the ones who call me by my first name mean no disrespect.''

When I taught freshman I used to include a little 5 minute "What do I call my professor?" unit in the first days orientation talk. Students seemed to appreciate it.

I'm with Larry. They think they are being polite and don't know the difference. It's not like they are saying, "Yo, dogg, I need to ask a question." Tell them what to call you.

I don't like the presumption that I'm married, which is what "Mrs." implies. That's not a rule of academic nomenclature, it's a general social rule that you don't address women whose marital status you don't know as "Mrs."