Marked? What Would a Child be Thinking?

When I was young, I loved going to school (I know right?). I would miss school during summer break and would yearn to find out who my teacher was going to be. I was so happy when I found out who my teacher was (so much so, I would run around the house a few times). Yet, when I was told who my teacher was, I was not imagining a teacher's characteristics from the prefix and surname that they presented to my parents and I.

Take me… a kid that was 7 maybe 8 at the time. All I cared about was that I had a teacher. Never did my child-like mind think one way or the other that Mrs. Smith would be better or worse than Ms. Smith or even Mr. Smith. I was just happy to see a new face teach my friends that I could learn from.

In Deborah Tannen’s essay There is no Unmarked Woman, Tannen mentions the men and women marking themselves, but never does she mention children doing the same. I thought that this was interesting. As children grow and develop, they become more accustomed to labeling people and marking peers in their own way. I find myself today judging teachers and teens based on if I have seen them in the halls, if I have seen them coaching a random sport, or if they Mrs. instead of Ms. without intention. 

There had to be a transition period where labels became the norm in my life and people were marked more than ever, but I cannot remember. I think that would be an interesting perspective. A perspective that could see people how they truly are and not how your brain perceives them to be.