A Question of Etiquette

[flydye8]

I have been in college for a while now and have had many teachers;  I usually address my teachers as Mr./Miss/Mrs so and so and have never been corrected till today. 
I typed and email to my teacher for my World Cultures class, and his reply back to be was odd; before even answering my question he said I should address him as Professor or Doctor. 
Now I have been taught that addressing a person by Mr/Mrs/Miss was respectful and appropriate within the classroom environment; but now I wonder how many teachers I have offended by not addressing them by Doctor/Professor.
So if anyone knows the proper way to address a teacher in college please let me know so I don't offend another teacher during my tenure at my university.

Thanks

Comments

[sandyosullivan.livejournal.com]

I think anyone who is sad enough to correct you is probably a bit of a worry. It's typical here (and in the US I can say, since I've worked there), to be addressed Dr or Professor depending on what they are. Having said that, I can't imagine anyone calling me anything other than Sandy if they knew me, in class or in email. But I do frequently have both students and staff call me Dr O'Sullivan and I suppose I answer to that too. I use Dr for most things because I live in hope it'll get me an upgrade, no professional snobbery!

The thing I'd say is that if you are saying Mr or Mrs or Ms and they're a Dr, yeah, I'd call them Dr, but... really? Does anyone have grown-ups that they already met (they teach you, right?) by their last name and with a formal address?

In answer to how many you've offended, probably none. For a start, if you are saying Ms or Mrs (with women), then their info on the website or wherever you are getting their email addresses from, probably says Ms or Miss or Mrs (cos, presumably you don't guess at it?). Basically I'd go by whatever their title is, IF you are using their family name.

Mind you, I have used the 'call me Doctor' line before, remember when I was at that museum in London - no names, no packdrill - and the woman on the front desk said something like 'I'm sorry Miss O'Sullivan, the curator can't just drop what they're doing and see anyone'... to which I said, that's Doctor O'Sullivan... but that was me being angry because she had clearly just read my card that *said* Dr O'Sullivan.

So, yeah, I think it's about how they've described themselves. Same as in life, I suppose!

[sandyosullivan.livejournal.com]

What I wanted to say when she said Miss O'Sullivan was Donna's line, of course! Do I look single?

[annissamazing]

In college, I assume "Professor," unless they've got the letters at the end of their name that mean "Doctor." I've gone so far as to outright ask how they prefer to be addressed, but that's because I'm usually the same age as my teachers and it's awkward to address them as Professor/Doctor/Ms./Mr. Awkward for them and me. One of my teachers, Dr. Kellner, preferred to be addressed as simply "Kellner."

[redknightalex.livejournal.com]

When I was an undergrad, so I was even younger than you are, I'd always address my professors as Professor [Last Name] unless they hinted otherwise, ie email, in class discussion, face-to-face contact. I figured that high school was for Mr./Mrs. and college was for professor. Just something I assumed and I never got called out on it. Sorry that happened to you though; some people can be a little testy about their name and their titles. I mean, they worked a lot for it so I suppose they are allowed to be snobby at times.

But I'm sure you'll be fine. Must happen a lot.

[lumalit.livejournal.com]

What redknightalex said is basically what I was going to say. I'd say Professor is the safest way to go in a university setting unless told otherwise.

On a different note, I remember reading somewhere that people who get that testy about their titles tend to be mocked by others with the same titles. But that was one person's opinion, so one can't make generalizations either way. :/

*snugs* Don't feel badly about it, though. You are neither the first nor the last, I'm sure! *cuddles*

[noblegirl91.livejournal.com]

I was told that it depended on the teacher's degree. If they have a doctorate then it's Doctor/Professor. But usually I wait for them to tell us how to adress them.

[sandyosullivan.livejournal.com]

I was just thinking about this again (in lieu of doing actual work, you understand?!), and I remember in the first few *weeks* of being either a professor, or of getting my PhD, wanting people to call me Doctor or Professor... but, like everyone else in the world, I got over it - just being all excited about a new title. It's a bit wankerish to demand it. Maybe he's a new academic?

[bas_math_girl]

I called all my university lecturers "Dr", seeing as they all had doctorates, if that helps?

[sandyosullivan.livejournal.com]

BMG, I'd like it if you'd address me by Dr from now on, if that's okay (now I'm worried it will be Dr Auntie). Thanks, Grandma.

[sandyosullivan.livejournal.com]

To add to the joke, I managed to put in an inappropriate comma. Mmmm... levels of education don't mean much, do they?

[lenozzedifigaro.livejournal.com]

Oo, this is such a good question- And you have loads of good advice. I wouldn't worry that you offended whomever it was that corrected you, it's just typical academia to refer to your profs by the titles deferred by their degrees. In this case, I used to assume the opposite and always addressed them as Doctor, then it was up to them to dress it down if they didn't have a PhD (and a lot of times they were happy to correct me, tickled that I'd assumed the Dr, ha!). But yeah, like most everyone said, don't worry about the offense portion of anything. It's just academia and its ivory towers, that's all. They'll get over it. :)

[sykira]

Definitely err on the side of caution, and go with Professor. If they are not a professor they will correct you, but you will have earned brownie points by assuming that they had achieved that rank.

I have spent almost my entire life in academia, and I would never call someone with a PhD "Mister" or "Miss" -- not in the US or UK, and to be totally honest, doing so would be seen as offensive. Kinda like not calling a superior "Sir" or "Ma'am" in the military -- a mistake I make daily and am trying to correct.

In my current job I am "Ms", as all females are, and I would not correct them because doing so would create a barrier between my colleagues and I, as few of them have PhDs. But I would not let one of my college students in my classes call me "Missus" -- it would feel inappropriate, I ask them to call me Doctor. If I knew them well they could use my first name.

[sandyosullivan.livejournal.com]

Dear Dr Sykira,

Best. Icon. Evah!

Kind Regards,

Dr Sandypoo