Names, They Are a Changin' - Kristen

Another school year has begun, and another crop of young preschool students has enrolled at my school. Can I just say that the names get stranger and stranger with each passing year? Now, a little bit strange can be cool. I like creativity. I'm personally okay with Gwyneth's choice to name her baby "Apple". And doing everything in a socially-accepted way can be sooooo boring. For example, there are three "Kristens" on staff at my school. We have at least 50 "Julies" in a school of 500. Julie is a nice name. So is Kristen. But I would love to have a name that was a little more original. But maybe not quite as original as...Princess Asia-Amaya. I am not making this up.

I was engaging in a friendly poker game of weird names with a teacher on staff at another local school.
"Yeah, well, I'll take your Marzett and raise you one Uzayr."
"I'll meet your bet and raise you a Taoheed and a Jaquallious."
"I fold."

Please know that the following list of names I've compiled have owners of many different races and nationalities...yes, even Caucasian. Some of these kids, such as DaGinayha, Raha, Reynel, Risquat, Vinh, and AbouBend Odaiare, are first-generation Americans. Others, such as Naeje, Afsheen, Nauz Jhaela', A'synnsuz Thaela Nikienta' (the last two are siblings), have names that would lead you to believe they are from different countries, when in fact, they're as American as apple pie.

There are the names that are spelled in a much more complicated manner than the way they are pronounced: Chay'Requawa, Jashone, Tamiy'yah, Michciah, Quanyze, Quortney, and CiAira. And there are the names that just seem much more exotic than my own: Giovanni-Trevon, Saphire, Cavis, Sharai, Demetrius, Keandre, Ziara, A'mya, Gionna, Emol, Quian, Elexys, Doylesha, Sevda, Rhiannon, Aureal, Dushon, Fariah, Artez, Quandre', and Shwantez.

Whew! I have to make notes on some of these kid's health cards- a pronunciation guide of sorts. But- if this is the only price I have to pay to live in a world that's more culturally diverse- I will pay it gladly.

Comments

[Jennifer]

...and still, I fold.

I had a student drop from my class on Monday and emailed a friend "Tawau is gawau".

If you get the phonetic joke, you must be in education.

[Kristen]

That is so funny. Who would have thought there was an invisible (but NOT silent) "n"????