Christophe-Hand Bullying

(We are lucky enough to have an actual French woman teach us French. The only problem is that she and I clash over my name. The French equivalent of my name is Christophe. The teacher, being “authentic,” calls out my name this way when taking register. Despite me asking her to call me Chris, she refuses.)

Teacher: “Christophe.”

Me: *I just stare blankly at her refusing to answer*

Teacher: “Christophe.”

(We stare at one another as she repeats the name twice more.)

Teacher: “Okay, Christophe, if you don’t respond to your name, I will take you to the head teacher!”

Me: “I’ll respond when you say MY NAME!”

Teacher: “This is the French way of saying your name!”

Me: “That’s great; were my parents French, they would have called me that. However, they are English and they called me Christopher! You call every other student in this room by the name they have asked you to. Yet I have repeatedly asked you not to call me that, and you have refused. This is bullying, and if you want to go to the head teacher, I’ll go with you, and we can tell him how you have singled me out and refuse to call me by a name which I like and is appropriate.”

(There is a sort of stunned silence while everyone takes in what I just said.)

Teacher: “Okay, then, I’m marking you as present, but we shall discuss this after class with the head of the language department.”

(After class we both went to see the head of the language department, who took her side. When I got home later, it turned out my parents had been phoned. Thankfully, they backed me up fully saying that it was bullying and unfair to use a name I had repeatedly asked not to be called. I later got an actual apology letter from the teacher, and the remaining months of lessons with her were very pleasant – even if I only BARELY passed French.)