Mom Locks Horns With Spanish Teacher For Insisting On Calling Her Daughter The Spanish Variant Of Her Name

When a teacher tried to change her name, Alexandra didn't back down. Here's how her mom joined the battle for respect in the classroom.

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• May 17, 2024

Names are more than just words; they’re mirrors that reflect our identity. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise when individuals are pretty insistent on what they want to be called—and our narrator’s (Original Poster’s) teenage daughter, Alexandra, was leading the charge.

This high school freshman had a strong preference for her full name—no nicknames, no shortcuts. Since the tender age of ten, Alexandra had been clear about her choice: Alexandra was Alexandra, not Lexi, not Alex, and certainly not Alejandra.

Family and friends learned to respect her wishes without any slip-ups. Even her middle school Spanish teacher graciously adapted, despite her initial preference for using the Spanish variant, Alejandra. 

However, high school brought new challenges—including a new Spanish teacher with a penchant for cultural name adaptations. 

True to form, she called Alexandra “Alejandra,” and the fiery teen corrected her immediately—only to be ignored. This led to a simmering conflict that finally boiled over after Alexandra came home visibly upset.

Now, OP wasn’t typically the type to shoot emails to teachers about classroom practices. But seeing her daughter’s distress was the push she needed to pick up the metaphorical pen—which was a keyboard in this case. 

The debate over what seemed like a simple name sparked a surprising standoff. Eventually, common sense prevailed, and the teacher agreed to revert to Alexandra. Victory? Absolutely.

At home, however, the debate lingered a bit. OP’s husband insisted the issue was blown out of proportion. Did she really push things too far by battling the teacher to secure her daughter’s chosen name?

The story in detail

A bit of background

Alexandra’s Spanish teacher kept calling her the Spanish version of her name despite the teen’s insistence to stick to her original name

OP had an altercation with the teacher, and there was no middle ground in sight. On the other hand, OP’s husband accused her of blowing things out of proportion

We gathered some reactions from the Reddit community:

This user doesn’t agree with the Spanish teacher’s logic

“This is absurd to be so upset about this. You both sound childish.”

If a kid doesn’t like you using the Spanish version of their name, then you should respect their preference

“YTA. Was prepared to say N T A thinking this was a history/math/English class, but this is pretty typical for a foreign language class.”

“NTA - but the teacher's reasoning was off.”

“A soft YTA. It's pretty common in language classes to pick equivalent names for students as a fun means of immersion.”

“NTA We certainly didn't do that when I took French in HS/college.”

“Yta, not because your wrong, but you're teaching your daughter that the world will cater to her every need and want.”

“YTA. It’s Spanish class… I got called Lucia instead of Lucy.”

“NTA. It probably grates on your daughter's nerves to be called something other than the name she wants used.“

“NTA. If I went to Japan, or Russia, or Iceland my birth-given name would still be my name.”

The majority leaned on OP’s side. Indeed, she proved that in her household, names weren’t just labels but identities worth defending.

This story reflects a broader lesson in respecting individual preferences and standing up for what matters. No one should be forced into a label that doesn't resonate with them. Small battles like getting a name right will always be worth fighting for.

What do you think about this story? We’d love to get your thoughts in the comments.

Jesse