What Can I Do About This?

Show her birth certificate to the teacher. Her name should be spelled as she and you spell it on the certificate.

I don't even believe this is a real question. I can't imagine any teacher doing this and the principal saying to work it out with the teacher. There is nothing to work out. Her name is what it is. I made up my daughters name. It has been mis-pronounced and misspelled her entire life. However, once the teachers hear it correctly and see it spelled correctly, it's not an issue. If this IS true then go to the school district and file a WRITTEN complaint. Sorry, but I just don't believe this.

This is what you get when you choose a unique name or make up a spelling for one.
Show the teacher her birth cert - and keep it handy because you'll be showing it to everyone else who needs to know that this is the way you spell it (especially for her diploma and other official documents like drivers license when she's older).

Alizée is a French singer/dancer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliz%C3%A9e

I would like to think this isn't real for so many reasons not the least of which in California oddly spelled names are the norm. I don't think the teachers out there remember how to spell Christine.

Second Alizée is the French name.

Third, my daughter is named Genevieve, she goes by Genna, people spell it Jenna, she simply says, it is short for Genevieve, no one questions it after that. My point is all a child has to say is my mom spelled it this way and there is nothing to see here. See your name is spelled how it is spelled on your birth certificate, right?

Oh and apparently Alizae is an alcoholic beverage?

Is this for real?

What is the spelling of her name on her school registration papers? The end.

This is what happens when children are given unique, original names at birth. They spend their lifetime pronouncing and spelling their name every time they are introduced. Pretty sad.

As a teacher ( substitute) I would never tell a child they spell their name wrong. Class rosters are given to each teacher with student info including names, spellings, and pronunciation. The teacher should address your child by her name.

We see a lot of odd and unique names and sometimes I really feel sorry for the children who were on the receiving end of the name.

As for pulling your children out of the district... That's extreme. What are you going to do?? Change school districts every time things don't go your way? You need to rethink before making impulse moves. . Grow up, be the adult and learn to communicate with teachers and others effectively.

I totally think the teacher is correct and you need to stop spelling your kid's name wrong. What's wrong with your parenting skills? Of course the teacher knows more than you do about spelling names. Geeze.

I will say that there are some teachers who are adamantly insistent, regardless of the proof, of their errors. My son took a test in 8th grade, and he scored almost perfect except for one response. His answer was Tanzania. The teacher corrected his answer to Tasmania. He challenged her on it (the question involved labeling a country in Africa on a map) and she reported him for impudence and rudeness, after he requested that she correct his test. I know that this sounds incredible, but it does happen. And it did happen. I feel that she knew she was wrong, but she was fairly new at teaching and hadn't learned to admit a mistake. (My husband and I met with the teacher after the dispute and we found out that what our son reported to us was correct.)

I also know and firmly believe that most of our children's teachers are dedicated, patient, knowledgeable and kind. They want the best for our children.

But, as with every profession, there is that one who's stubborn and unbending.

It doesn't matter how you've spelled your child's name. It's her name.

However, as we told our son, there will always be that person who says that 2 + 2 = 5, or that blue is not a color, or that he shouldn't study a particular profession or career choice, or that being a Christian or a Jew or a Hindu or a Catholic or a Mormon is wrong, or that if you're Irish you're half leprechaun, or that eating apples makes apple trees grow in your stomach, or that you can catch measles from bumblebees, or ... on and on and on. Our kids must learn to ignore the obvious (the 2 + 2 = 5 people), and politely disregard the others (the opinions about religion or college choices or ethnicity or careers), and to respectfully defend themselves if they're challenged about a name spelling or a religious choice or a political party or their decision to join the debate team when all the "cool" kids are trying out for the pom pom squad. It's a good time to learn a life lesson.

Help your child explain that her parents proudly named her Alizae, and it represents either her heritage or the trip you took to Paris or your love of French literature or whatever, and smile and say adieu.

Another name question today! One about Annabel I think it was and this one Alizae. Kind of hope these aren't true questions, but if it is ... obviously there's only one solution here. You speak with the teacher and ask her what her problem is. Then you go higher (than principal) if needs be. I can't imagine a teacher would be this disrespectful or quite frankly, care. Never heard of such a thing.

I would write a letter to the superintendent of the school district with a copy to the principal and teacher. You can spell your child's name any way you want. If it's on the birth certificate that way, then it's correct. The teacher and principal are idiots! I recall having a summer school teacher who pronounced by name Chair-al because it starts with a "ch" No matter how many times I corrected her, she insisted that that was the correct pronunciation because of the spelling. I'm 56 and I clearly remember cringing every time she said my name so I get that this is really bothering your daughter. Like another poster said, if the principal refuses to get involved and straighten out something this simple, I would have absolutely no faith that he would handle anything else either. He's just taking up space and money, IMHO.

This is your first question. Because proving how a name is spelled is easy and it's unlikely that a teacher would think she knows more about spelling a sixth grader's name than the student knew, I wondered enough to look at your profile.

Why dI'd you post this question?

Tell your daughter to start misspelling or misprounouncing the teachers name

I think you may be a little over sensitive to this if you are thinking of pulling your kids from the school over it. You gave your daughter an unusual name, and that will cause certain issues from time to time. There is nothing wrong with unusual names (my kids names are not completely common either) but you have to accept that it means some people will mispronounce and/or misspell it. Unless the teacher is taking points away from her work for how her name is spelled tell her to ignore his comments about the spelling because it won't be the first or the last time someone messes up her name and she needs to learn to handle it without overreacting.

yes, the teacher is out of line. that's stupid. i'd be exasperated too.

there would be no 'multiple' times with me. i'd be very courteous and calm, but also so direct and no-nonsense that it would be put to rest.

as for pulling kids out of the school district over it, that seems like complete drama. the principal's reaction sets off red flags for me. if he's disinterested in getting involved in what seems a clear violation of common sense by his teacher, i'm wondering what's being left out of this story.

do you have a history of Whirling Dramatics?

i mean, yeah, you always have the option of homeschooling. but i'd hope that most people who take that important step have a better reason that because their nose is out of joint over the spelling they picked for their kid's name.
khairete
S.

I think you should change your daughter's name to please the teacher and reduce the stress on your daughter. I agree with Osohapi. Fake. (90210 is the trolls' favorite zip code…)

I think taking your children out of the school and/or district is completely over the top. I do think you have a valid concern. The initial issue of making sure your daughter is spelling her name correctly is understandable (don't want them learning it wrong) and even a comment of "I've never seen it that way" is understandable. However, by 6th grade it is safe to assume she is spelling it correctly (even if you had misspelled it on her birth certificate that is still now the correct spelling of your daughter's name. PERIOD).

I would request another meeting with your daughter's teacher and explain to her again that your daughter's name is spelled xxx and is pronounced as xxx. It is french and while the other spelling is a valid spelling of a name it is completely irrelevant to your daughter's because it is not her name. Ask her why she continues to tell your child that her name is spelled wrong. Tell her again that you are not happy that your daughter is continually being told her name is spelled wrong because it is not...she is spelling it as it appears on her birth certificate. She can think anything she wants but she is NOT to comment on it to your daughter again. Put her on notice that you and your child considers it bullying and expect it to end immediately.

I would have this in writing to document and submit a copy to the principal as well. Be sure to note that it has been addressed multiple times and to the principal as well.

Then if it happens one more time, you can go to the principal and basically say "I've addressed it with the teacher and principal before, you've addressed it one final time with the teacher on 10/02/15, and notified the principal on same date. Bullying has continued and you want to know what action will be taken immediately". When nothing happens, go to the school board (or the local news outlet...that gets their attention with other means fail).

Well, yanking them from school over it seems a bit much.

I would write to both the teacher and the principal and reiterate that you have met with/spoken to/emailed the teacher on x and y occasions that your child's legal name is Alizae and it is spelled Alizae and it is pronounced x. That you expect that going forward the staff, teachers and administration will properly address your child by her given name and cease telling her she is wrong. If this does not resolve the matter, you will be requesting an in person meeting with the teacher and principal present.

Which teacher is this? Is it her homeroom teacher, a major subject, etc? Is it a class she can be moved from if the name game is the tip of the iceberg with how she relates to your child?

show the teacher the birth cirtificate and tell her to leave your daughter alone about how her name is spelled.

C., Welcome to mamapedia!!

I don't know how many times people have complained that their child's name is being mispronounced or there is some other problem. You chose a unique spelling for your daughter's name - this is what happens when you choose a unique name.

What to do? Tell the teacher to get over it. Tell her that if she cannot handle how YOU chose to spell your daughter's name - the problem is with YOU and NOT your daughter. HER JOB IS TO TEACH not state her opinion on the spelling of a name.

Have you EVER asked the teacher WHY she believes it's spelled wrong?
Have you EVER asked her WHY she's taking time out of her teaching day to fret over this??

Have you thought about going to the next PTA meeting and making a spectacle of yourself? Or go to the school board and have them listen to you and your complaint about this teacher?

Basically, you ignore the teacher on this. Tell her you agree to disagree on HOW YOU CHOSE TO NAME YOUR DAUGHTER - when she has a daughter - she can spell her name however she wants.

Good luck!

Go to the principle and tell the principle the teacher is bullying your child, making fun of her name and the spelling. Tell the principle that if it happens again you will speak to your attorney. Then have the principle call the teacher in and tell her, in front of you, that this sort of behavior from an adult is childish and uncalled for.

You could spell her name BOB and it be pronounced George and that teacher would have to respectfully call your child by the name she goes by.

This would get nipped in the bud immediately in our school district, where we have so many students from so many backgrounds that there are innumerable names with spellings that may be difficult for teachers, but are perfectly normal names in other cultures. The teacher is showing a real cultural ignorance here, and if she were in our schools and persisted over and over "multiple times" as you describe, she would have been called up by the principal once you complained. I see you're in southern CA so I'm surprised she's doing this -- it should already have gotten her into trouble. I can't imagine a teacher here querying a spelling for an Indian or Chinese or Mexican name "multiple times" as "wrong" and not being accused quickly of being culturally idiotic or even biased. Even if you totally fabricated a name out of thin air and it had no cultural significance, it's your kid's name, and yes, she'll have to spell it for others all her life, but no one--once they learn it--should repeatedly tell her it's wrong.

I'd try ONE more time to get through to the teacher. I would go to her in person (don't do this by e-mail; did you talk to her in person before when you discussed it, or was it by phone or e-mail?) and calmly, even sweetly, say, "My daughter told me that you've questioned the spelling of her name more than once and I've mentioned it to you before this. I do realize that her name seems unusual and difficult, but it is a traditional French name (if you are of French descent, mention that too -- say that it's significant to your family because you are French). I can certainly see how it is difficult at first but it seems to come up more than once. So I have brought you a copy of her birth certificate here to reassure you that the spelling you have on the class roster is the correct one and the one the school should use. Okay?"

Then wait and see. Most teachers would drop the subject after a parent came to them in person and basically said, read the blasted birth certificate. Give it time. But if she persists, then write a letter (not an e-mail, a letter) to the principal and copy it to the teacher and the superintendent of the school system. Be sure that the letter has a line that says "CC: Ms. Smith, Superintendent" or whatever it takes so that both principal and teacher are on alert that the superintendent has this in his or her hands too. Enclose a copy of the birth certificate. Say that this is a traditional spelling and that you have spoken to the teacher in person about this, but the correcting continues, and you are sending the copy of the certificate as final proof that the name is correct as it appears on the class roster. Leave it at that -- don't go into a written rant about the teacher or anything else. Keep it cool and calm. Seeing the superintendent's name on a letter tends to get some people to shape up and clam up fast.

One important point. I really do hope your statement about pulling all three of your kids out of public school over this one issue is just a heat-of-the-moment exaggeration. That would be a huge overreaction. This one teacher is being a dope but that does not mean every teacher that all three kids have is bad and wrong. Pulling them all out of school over this single issue would send them a message that when someone is wrong and annoying, just walking away is a viable solution. And as someone posted below, it would be a very dramatic thing to do, unless there is a lot more going on that's worse and it involves all three children. Go to the teacher again, document in hand, and don't leave that meeting until she agrees that yes, your child's name is spelled how it's spelled.

There is no way a teacher is going to argue with the spelling of a name that is on their roster. Sounds like your daughter may be spelling her name wrong or you provided the wrong spelling on her school paperwork.

That is very strange! Go meet with the teacher and show her your daughter's birth certificate. Tell her this is proof and that you would like her to drop the subject now and not say another word to your daughter about it. Some people absolutely hate differently spelled names. I know a woman who despises parents who do this...why she is so vehement about it I do not know. It's none of her business. Maybe this teacher is a jerk just like this. If she keeps bugging your daughter about it tell your daughter to completely ignore her and just keep spelling her name the way she knows it is spelled. Or if nothing works and the teacher insists on continuing this, meet with the principal about it again to state everything you have tried to work this out yourself, and insist your daughter be moved to a different class.

That teacher is nuts. Send her (and the principal) a copy of your daughter's birth certificate and social security card.

I was going to pass this by, you have plenty of good answers and good advice, which I highly suggest you take - but whatever you do - DO NOT SEND A COPY OF HER BIRTH CERTIFICATE AND SOCIAL SECURITY CARD!!! a.) she doesn't deserve it b.) you're handing over your child's entire identity to someone who will probably throw it out and leave your daughter's ID in the trash somewhere to be stolen.