Louisiana Governor Mike Foster recently signed a new law mandating all primary school children to address their teachers as either "sir" or "ma'am" or to use the appropriate title of Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms.
That's now law in Louisiana.
The idea, of course, is to teach school children the importance of respect. But this makes me wonder: Have Louisiana kids been calling teachers by their first names?
Say it isn't so.
I'm not exactly sure when people stopped addressing one another by their surnames. It must have been sometime after Leave it to Beaver. In those days, impish Eddie Haskell always addressed the Beaver's dad with a proper "Mr Cleaver." Not once did he dare call the old man "Ward."
There must have been a time, probably during the 60's counter-culture, when people craved a less formal, less restrictive civility. At the time, calling people by their first names, especially people in authority, must have seemed a linguistic revolution.
It must have been back in the early mid-70's when I first began calling my parents by their first names. This wasn't due to any disrespect nor any revolution- ary intent on my part. In my case, with my parents, it was the only way to get their attention. I could have called them "Mom" and "Dad" all day long. But unless I addressed them as "Irv" or "Elaine," they wouldn't pay attention to my childhood whining.
Kids learn fast.
Five years ago, when I became a college English instructor, I thought it would be cool to introduce myself to students as simply "Jay." No last name required. I thought it would create a more congenial atmosphere, a more bucolic bond between myself and the class.
Just the opposite happened.
While a few students felt comfort- able addressing me by my given name, most of them were visibly stressed, uncertain and confused. As a self- imposed comprimise, some of them called me "Mr Jay." Others never addressed me at all, preferring instead to grunt to get my attention.
Of course, like most other teachers, I addressed my students by their given names. But the congenial atmostphere I hoped to create never quite materialized -- not until a year ago, when I first began addressing students as Mr and Ms. That's when the class communication began to smoothly ebb and flow.
This new Louisiana law, if taken to its logical conclusion, would mandate all of us to address one another in terms of civil respect. And why not? After all, we all deserve it. Unless we permitted otherwise, people would address us as "sir" or "ma'am," as Mr or Mrs, Miss or Ms.
Just think: If a little civility goes a long way, where might a little more eventually lead us?
Louisiana Governor Mike Foster recently signed a new law mandating all primary school children to address their teachers as either "sir" or "ma'am" or to use the appropriate title of Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms. 
