Having your name pronounced correctly is a big deal. But, as I wrote a post over at the website for my outreach organization, ISAASE, it can be an overwhelming task for a teacher to be expected to perfectly pronounce an entire (or multiple) rosters of complicated, foreign names. If you’re interested, here’s an excerpt from the ISAASE Name Pronunciation Guide, (for context):

“Pronouncing names correctly is a big deal… So what’s a teacher to do during pre-service week, when she or he is handed a roster of difficult-to-pronounce names? And for the secondary education set — who are often responsible for over a hundred students — multiple rosters of difficult-to-pronounce names?”

The rest of the post is the actual guide to pronouncing names correctly, with practical strategies for getting names right the first time (and as time goes on), without having to memorize all the possible phonetic combinations in naming patterns of every culture you interact with. You can read the rest of the reasoning for why it’s important, plus the actual guide to pronouncing names correctly, here, or download a PDF of the file directly by clicking here.

P.S. – Here’s a post about the work of ISAASE, and here’s one about our “Be Inspired” project.

About the Author

Punita Rice

Punita Rice is the founder of the ISAASE.org resource-hub, and author of the research book "South Asian American Experiences in Schools: Brown Voices from the Classroom" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), the children's book series "The Adventures of Hunny & Sunny," and "Toddler Weaning." She holds a Doctorate in Education from Johns Hopkins University, and is a former classroom teacher, academic adviser, and researcher. She lives in Maryland.

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Pronouncing Students’ Names Correctly Should Be a Big Deal – EdWeek Tips for Teaching South Asian American Students The ISAASE Be Inspired Project Improving South Asian American Students’ Experiences (ISAASE)