Toronto teacher uses first name as debates over formal titles in schools reach Quebec
A Toronto teacher asks students to call her Caitlin while Quebec has moved to reinstate formal teacher honorifics. Ontario boards are watching as educators and students weigh pros and cons.
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By Torontoer Staff
On the first day of class, Toronto high school teacher Caitlin Dacey tells students to call her Caitlin. Her policy is part of a school culture that emphasises shared expectations over mandated forms of address. At the same time, Quebec has introduced civility rules that require students to use formal address for teachers, and education officials in Ontario say they are monitoring the outcomes closely.
The contrast has prompted a wider conversation about how forms of address shape classroom authority, student comfort and social norms. Boards in Ontario set local policies on respectful communication, but none of the major Toronto boards mandate honourifics.
First-name classrooms in Toronto
Dacey, who teaches French and biology at Ursula Franklin Academy, asks students to use first names on day one and then facilitates a discussion about boundaries and expectations. She says the approach is deliberate and framed by shared rules that support learning and respect.
I feel very strongly that the discussion is held at the beginning of the course to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Caitlin Dacey, teacher
At Dacey’s school, the principal and visitors are also addressed by first name. She says that personal forms of address do not undermine authority, and that fostering a sense of community can coexist with clear behavioural expectations.
Quebec’s new civility rules
Quebec’s policy requires students to use formal second-person pronouns and honourifics when addressing teachers. The change reverses a longstanding trend toward informal address that gained ground after the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s. The shift is being presented as a measure to reinforce respect and civility in schools.
Ontario’s education ministry told the Toronto Star it has asked Quebec to share evaluation results to inform any potential approaches in this province. Ontario’s provincial code of conduct sets broad expectations for respectful communication, but it does not prescribe specific words for addressing staff.
Perspectives from students and teachers
Student reactions vary. Shengqun Zhu, a Grade 12 student and student trustee with the Peel District School Board, says she prefers formal titles. Her early schooling in China emphasised clear hierarchical markers, and she finds honourifics provide structure and comfort.
For me, formal titles don’t create barriers; they actually create clarity and establish a sense of structure and professionalism.
Shengqun Zhu, Grade 12 student
Other teachers draw a line at overly casual forms of address. Jo-Ann Mathon, a history and anthropology teacher in York Region, says she does not permit students to call her by surname alone because she finds it disrespectful. She uses a neutral honourific that avoids marital-status distinctions.
We’re not their buddy, we’re their teacher.
Jo-Ann Mathon, teacher
What researchers say
Linguistic anthropologists say forms of address do more than convey politeness. They situate people in relation to one another and to social institutions. Changes in address can reflect broader shifts in values and perceptions of social order.
Forms of address situate people with respect to each other and with respect to the society they are in, in terms of status and relations of power.
Monica Heller, linguistic anthropologist, University of Toronto
Heller links the recent push for more formal address in Quebec to concerns about social cohesion and public anxiety over changing norms. She calls the adjustment a symbolic measure that signals a desired reassertion of order.
Arguments on both sides
- For first names: promotes relational learning, flattens hierarchy, can increase student engagement.
- For honourifics: clarifies roles and boundaries, supports professionalism, aligns with some cultural expectations.
- Common ground: respect depends on modelling, consistent expectations and supportive school culture, not only on titles.
Beyond words: culture and resources
Educators interviewed say changing titles alone will not fix underlying issues in schools. They point to larger factors that shape student behaviour, including class sizes, mental health supports and sustained funding for professional development.
Using honourifics is a tool, but you have to have a complete toolbox.
Jo-Ann Mathon, teacher
School boards approach the topic differently. Some encourage honourifics as common practice, while others prioritise collaborative rules that teachers set with their classes. The province is gathering evidence from Quebec to determine whether a uniform approach would be appropriate here.
Across Toronto and the surrounding region, the debate is pragmatic. Teachers, students and researchers agree that respect is taught and modelled, and that forms of address are one element among many that shape classroom climate.
Concluding thought: Addressing a teacher by name or honourific reflects pedagogical choices, cultural backgrounds and policy priorities. As Ontario watches Quebec’s experiment, school communities will continue to balance clarity, authority and student comfort when setting their own expectations.
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