The Teacher Did Not See That Coming
My family moved from a small, traditional island community to a bustling city when I was really young because my parents were offered an opportunity they couldn’t afford to miss. This meant changing schools, meeting new friends, etc.
It is the first day of secondary school for my older brother, and he is nervous, to say the least. His name is Natsei, pronounced “Nat-say,” but everyone calls him “Nat” or “Nats” to avoid the obvious. He is in his first class of the day, English, where the teacher is doing attendance.
Teacher: “Erm… Mr. [Our Last Name]?”
Brother: *Raises his hand* “Here.”
Teacher: “Could I ask, how do you pronounce your name?”
Brother: “You can call me Nat; a lot of people do to avoid what I know you’re thinking about.”
Teacher: “For future reference, however, how do you pronounce your name?”
Brother: “Nat-Say.”
Teacher: “I bet your parents didn’t think that one through, did they?”
Brother: “Considering that it’s a traditional name handed down through my family, I would say they did.”
The teacher ended up calling him by our last name for the rest of his time in school.