write:duringrollcallIwouldhearalongpause sighor‘sorryifIcan’tpronounceyourname’withoutevenanattempttosaymyname. IfIwasluckymylastnamewouldbecalled. IoftenwishedIhadanEnglishfirsta

duringrollcallIwouldhearalongpause
sighor‘sorryifIcan’tpronounceyourname’withoutevenanattempttosaymyname.IfIwasluckymylastnamewouldbecalled.IoftenwishedIhadanEnglishfirstandlastnametoavoidbeinglaughedatbymypeerswhenmynamewasnotsaidorbutchered…RatherthantakingthetimetolearnhowtosaythenameChiamaka
teach-erswouldinsteadavoidattemptingtopronounceit.Whilethismaynotseemovertlylikeracism
wouldteachersactsimilarlywithaWesternname?HowoftenareElizabethsorChristinasavoidedbyeducatorsinaschool?Whenteachersavoidnamestheyfeelareunfamiliarordifficulttosay
itcancauseastudenttofeelinvisibleorthattheircultureislessimportantorinferior.Duetoracializedschoolingexperiences
Chiamakeusedtowishawayherculturallymeaningfulnamewhenshewasyoung.InadditiontoChiamaka’savoidancebyteachers
shealsohadissueswithpeersinregardstohername.SheandanotherNigerianAmericanpar-ticipantwholivedacrossthecountry
Oyekunle
bothsharedthattheyexpe-riencedsevereteasingoftheirnames
withpeerscallingthem‘AfricanBootyScratcher’withrareinterventionfromteachers.Studentswilloftentakethecueoffearingorcelebratingdifferencefromtheclimatesetupbyteachers.Whenyouconsidertheavoidancethatteachersdisplaywithnamesoutsidetheircomfortzone
asdemonstratedwithChiamaka
itisnothardtoconceiveofstudentsshowingintolerancetowardsnamesandculturestheyseeasunfamiliar.Elaine
aLatinaenrolledinateachereducationprogram
observedateacherwhowouldconsistentlymispronouncethenamesofherrecentimmigrantfirstandsecondgraders.TheSpanish-speakingstudentswouldnotrecognizetheirskewednames
andthuswouldnotrespond.Thislefttheteacherangryandyellingatthem.Elainesharedanexample:TheteachercalledsomeonewhosenameisFidel
‘Fiddle
Fiddle
’andthestudentdidnotrespondbecausethat’snothisname.You’renotgoingtorespondtoyournameifyoudon’trecognizeit.Andthensheberatedhim
yelledathimlike
‘Whyaren’tyouansweringme?Whyaren’tyouansweringme?’andofcourseimaginehowconfused[hewas].Itwasclearthat[hewasthinking]…‘ThisteacherisyellingatmebecauseI’mdoingsomethingwrong.Idon’tknowwhatI’mdoing
butI’mbeingbad.’Inaninterview
Elainearguedthattheteacherwasnotsensitivetothestu-dents’names
theirrecentarrivalintheUS
ortheirlimitedEnglishskills.WhiletheteacherinthisexampledidnotintentionallymispronounceFidel’s454R.KohliandD.G.Solórzano