How Do You Address Your Kids Teachers?

I also call them Mr. or Mrs. unless they tell me to call them by their first name. I don't think it matters if they are younger than you. It is more about respect.

I would give honor to their job, and go with Ms. or Mrs. or Mr. I would be communicating with them in their career capacity, not in a social capacity. Their age doesn't matter. (Although I understand what you mean. Teachers are kids themselves these days! How did that happen?!)

As a teacher, I have to say I expect to be called Ms. Lastname. It's my professional title. T. is the name I use in social or family situations. Now, if I knew the parent outside of school, that's be another story, but if our only relationship is at the school, I'd expect the parent to call me by my school name.

As for the age thing: I am also younger than most of my students' parents (getting to be less and less so year by year... man time flies) but I don't think age has anything to do with it. I'm not expecting them to call me ma'am or anything. Your child's pediatrician might be younger than you too. Would you feel uncomfortable calling them "Dr. Suchandsuch?"

Anyway, just my two cents.

T.

As a teacher, I like it when my student's parent's address me as "ms." I normally ask them after that to call me by my first name, but it's just a nice way to show respect for the fact that I'm working with your kid. I always feel, after all, that we're not friends. I always address parents as mr. or ms. so-and-so as well; it is a professional relationship.

This is a person who is guiding and teaching your child. It's not weird to address them with the title they deserve- call them Mr. or Mrs. or whatever they prefer. It is not an age thing, it's a professional thing.

Funny. It actually bothers me to call them by their first name and I'm WAY older that most of them. If I become friends with them (as I have with my daughter's orchestra teacher because we do lots of things with the group outside of school) then I call them by their first name. I don't call our pediatrician Al, but rather Dr. Smith. I feel the same way about addressing teachers.

I call them whatever my child calls them, unless they tell me/sign off on an email otherwise.

Even as a teacher, I refer to other teachers by Ms./Mrs. or Mr. in front of students, so definitely in front of your child you should refer to them as that. On the phone/email, most parents still referred to me as Mrs._ and I always address them as Mr./Ms., but that's not to say it would bother me if they called me my first name, they just didn't.

In emails I always address them as Mr, Miss, Ms, or Mrs. However my child addresses them is how I do. I've never felt weird even though up until this year all of her teachers were younger than me. I have never called any of her teachers by their first name, but that's just me!

I tend to call them Mrs. or Ms. or Mr. until they address me by my first name either in person or by e-mail. Also, if they sign their e-mail with their first name then I address them in e-mail by first name. Always, in front of students I use their surname.

I have to disagree with most of the posts, I am a teacher, I am not an authority figure to the parents - they can address me by first or last name, it doesn't matter to me.

What I do, is I simply ask the Teacher, how they want to be addressed.
Some say first name is fine, others say it should be "Ms. Smith" etc.
but after your child is not in their class, then it can be first name basis.

Just Ask the Teacher.
That is what I do and it cuts to the chase and gets to the point much quicker and you don't have to guess or feel awkward about it all year. I always ask my Daughter's Teacher, in the first week of school.
each Teacher, is different.

all the best,
Susan

I call them Mr. or Mrs. "SoandSo" until they tell me otherwise. I have become more friendly with a particular teacher since we have had this same teacher for 2 years running. In her email correspondences with me she signs with her first name only. To me, this indicates a willingness on her part to be addresses in a more familiar tone.

Unless the "teacher" is a teen (as might be the case in a daycare, camp counselor setting), I would still use Mr. or Mrs. unless directed otherwise, regardless of age. It's cleaner and less chance for offending someone.

I refer to them as Mrs., Ms., or Mr. unless they ask me to call them otherwise. (Even so, in my kids' hearing I still refer to them as Mrs. Thomas, Ms. Smith, etc.)

I refer to my son's teachers as Mr/Mrs/Ms Last Name until they give me permission to call them by another name. Even after they give permission, I still call use that title in front of my son.

His preschool teacher asked me to call her Ms. First Name. I called his kindergarten teacher by her first name (after she gave me permission). His first grade teacher is still Mrs. Last Name.

I have to agree with most of the other posts... ask the teacher. If they want you to address them other than Mr/Mrs Last Name, they will let you know.

Of course you should ask the teacher what she prefers, just like you would any other adult that you expect to have a close working relationship with.

When in doubt, and until told otherwise, always address a person by Mr., Miss, Mrs., or Ms. It is just common courtesy and a gesture of respect.
The easiest time to find out what a person prefers is at your first meeting;
"Hello Ms. Smith, I am Mrs. Jones, but call me Mary, please." At that point they will usually greet you and then ask you to call them by their first name also. If they do not do this, it is a good indication they want to continue to be address by a more respectful title.

I'm a teacher and unless I know the parents well, I would prefer to be addressed as Mrs. It would feel weird to me to have a parent, whom I've never met, to refer to me by my first name. Not saying it is wrong; just saying it would feel weird.

I have always address my kids teachers as Mr. or Mrs. with the exception of the ones I have gotten to know well while volenteering. Even then I use Mr. or Mrs. during school hours when there are students present.

I am of the opinion that you should call the teachers Ms.Smith or Mrs. Jones or Mr. Brown. You do now want your children to be calling them by their first names.
My children are all adults now, and a lot of the teachers who had them in school MANY years ago are customers at the pharmacy where I work, and I still call them Mrs. Ms and Mr. ( Of course I speak to ALL of my customers that way so maybe that isn't such a great example...lol).
To me it is just a matter of respecting their position.
Of course, if any of these teachers are personal friends that would put an entirely different spin on things!!!

Mr. or Ms. is appropriate. Even when I work at a school, I often call the teachers by their surnames during school hours.

Always start off with Ms. Mrs. Or Mr. Unless they give you permission to call them by their first names.. At school, I always tried to use, Ms. Mrs. or Mr. in front of the students..

Our daughter was very good friends with many of the teachers children so when they came over to our home or she went to their home, she still called them Formally, until she graduated from High School and now they all asked her to call them by their first names.. Of course it is hard for her to do that.. We laugh about it..

I had the same issue last year when my son started kindergarten. I didn't know if I should call his teacher by her first name or not, so I simply asked her! That way, there was no guessing. She told me to call her by her first name (I'm sure most or all teachers would want that).

I think it depends on the teacher. My son's teacher last year called me by my first name and would sign her first name to emails. I still called her Mrs. so-and-so because she was my mother's age. His teacher this year calls me Mrs. so-and-so and signs her emails with her first and last name. His teacher this year is closer to my age, so I could see calling her Stacy--in time. I think it's what the teacher prefers.

Updated

I think it depends on the teacher. My son's teacher last year called me by my first name and would sign her first name to emails. I still called her Mrs. so-and-so because she was my mother's age. His teacher this year calls me Mrs. so-and-so and signs her emails with her first and last name. His teacher this year is closer to my age, so I could see calling her Stacy--in time. I think it's what the teacher prefers.