Gaslighting kids is never okay, but the power structure of school can make it hard for the kids to change things.

Imagine a teacher insisting on calling you a name that’s not your name? It’s even worse if the teacher claims you’re lying about your name.

See how the student in this story finally got the respect all kids deserve.

My teacher thought they knew my name better than me

In secondary school (around 15 years old), we used to have form in the morning where the teacher would take the register and let you know about anything going on in the school before you went to your other classes.

My form tutor was a miserable old woman that was a renowned jerk.

This is the only time I got the better of her.

Her power trip seemed unbreakable.

My parents named me a shortened version of a posh sounding name, Alex which is short for Alexander.

Whenever this woman would call my name she would always use Alexander.

I brought up to her that it was not my name multiple times and asked her to please call me Alex as thats what my parents called me.

She would always get angry and tell me “Don’t be stupid, no one is named Alex. Your name is Alexander. Alex is just what you want to be called.”

No matter how much I insisted she refused. At one point she gave me a detention for asking her to call me my correct name.

But this punishment changed everything.

The school called to let my parents know I had been given a detention for arguing with my teacher.

When I told my parents I was supposed to have a detention for asking my teacher to call me the right name, they were not happy. So they gave me a trump card to use against her: my birth certificate.

The next day when she called my name, I once again told her that wasn’t my name.

She threatened me with another detention so I pulled out the birth certificate, put it down on her desk and said “My birth certificate says my name is Alex so thats what you will call me. Thanks.”

The look on her face was priceless, and she started calling me my actual name for the rest of the time I was in her class.

It’s so annoying when teachers won’t listen! Even if it were a nickname, just call him the name he wants to be called!

Here is what people are saying on Reddit.

Good for you! People are ridiculous.

I can’t imagine the headaches this causes…

Makes sense. Why deal with people who disrespect you?

Sometimes parents need to save the day.

That’s awesome. I’m sure they respect you for it.

Why are so many teachers like this?!

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