Every name has a story.
It’s something special and it’s one of the first gifts we receive from our parents.
Often times, when a name is unique, most of us are highly interested to know the story behind it. However, there are also times when a name is too unusual, and we tend to mispronounce them.
Have you experienced this scenario? How did you feel about it?
Well, a student from Japan was not so happy about it when she experienced it from her English teacher.
But there was something that made her sadder about it, to the point that she needed to tell her parents about it. And when her dad heard it, he immediately took action.
In fact, he shared the whole story on Reddit.
The father was not fuming mad because the teacher mispronounced his child’s name. What he did not like was the teacher whom he expected to respect it was refusing to pronounce it the way it should be pronounced.
He wrote:
“My daughter’s English teacher refuses to pronounce her name correctly. She has a Japanese name and we live in Japan. Her name is Kanae, pronounced Kaa-Naa-EH. Recently, Kanae told me that her English teacher (an expat from America) at school calls her “Kah-Nye”.
What he feels is truly valid.
According to the dad, his daughter already told the teacher about how it should be pronounced. The kid even explained that her name has three syllables.
Sadly, the teacher told her that she was wrong.
We all know that feeling. It doesn’t feel right when someone doesn’t want to say our name properly even though we already told them about it. In fact, it downright smacks of disrespect!
So, the dad courageously talked to the teacher to explain his daughter’s side.
All he wanted was for the teacher to respect his daughter’s name and how they want it to be pronounced.
The teacher’s reaction when the parent confronted is truly surprising.
According to the Reddit post, the teacher just laughed about it and told the father that she would try her best to not forget about it.
“During my daughters sports day I “confronted” the teacher . I explained that my daughter would like the be called “Kaa-naa-eh”. But she laughed and said she was pronouncing it the way it’s “supposed to be” but will try her best to remember.”
However, it seems like the teacher has totally forgotten about it.
The child informed her dad that her teacher was still calling her “Kah-Nye” instead of “Kaa-naa-eh”. Sadly, the child no longer had the courage to correct her teacher again, as it took her a lot the first time she did.
The father had a question- “Would I be the A**hole if”…
“WIBTA if I reported my daughter’s teacher for not pronouncing her name correctly?”
He was wondering that if he does, it might be an overreaction. So, lots of Reddit users gave their opinions to help the father. Many of them commented that he should report the teacher.
After many complaints and apologies that were issued, the dad gave a final update.
He shared that he finally met with the “school board, principal, the dispatch company, and the teacher in question”. The teacher also gave a sincere apology.
He wrote:
“I don’t remember it word for word but it said ‘I sincerely apologize to the (our family name) and most sincerely to Kanae(she said it correctly). I now realize how important names are to the Japanese people. Please accept my dearest condolences(yes this was actually said).’ The teacher promised to treat Kanae with more respect. She also apologized for not respecting me during the sports day.”
Thankfully, the teacher already did her part. But what do you think about it?
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