I know I ought to be grading midterm exams right now, so just shut up about it, okay? I've graded a bunch. I have a bunch more to grade. They'll wait. Meanwhile, I'm thinking up names.
In Cold Mountain (which I'm getting ready to teach tomorrow for the very first time), the names of familiar places and plants act as incantations reminding the wanderer of home, but I'm aiming at more practical names: what shall we name our granddaughter?
Of course I realize that we are not, technically, the ones who will do the naming in May when our granddaughter is due to arrive, but a grandma can dream, can't she? I've been sending my daughter names drawn from her favorite fields: music, flowers, and fungi. So far my contributions include Melody Harmony Hilary Williams, Trillium Lilian Williams, Lily Zinnia Williams, and Chanterelle Morel Williams.
Oddly enough, these charming names have been met not with open arms but with laughter. I can't imagine why. Come on, get creative! How many more Chelseas does the world need?
I keep stumbling upon names in the oddest places. Used car ads? Lumina Volvo Williams. Mapquest? Xenia Marietta Williams. Yesterday a student paper referred to a literary character as the "affable oddball Oreo," which isn't a name you hear every day. Hey, let's combine more of our favorite things: Oreo Oriole Williams!
Stop me before I name again!
1 comment:
Congratulations on your grandchild it is a marvelous occasion and will give you great joy.
You might want to think about the name thing. I taught for 29 years and after a dozen or so years I thought I saw a pattern developing with my students. I made an observation that was surely not scientific but only personal but I mentioned it to a few colleagues and some agreed. It seemed to me that very often when a student was trouble or a low achiever that same student also had a strange or very different first name. I can't remember the exact figures but it I know it was very high at least exceeding 50%.
I also remember reading much later that a study was done and my perceived idea was validated. I can't remember the title of this study but I think it may have been in an issue of a periodical like Psychology Today . Now in the seventies and eighties first names that were strange then may today be popular. But you might want to do a little research into this before you tempt your son or daughter into a name that may handicap their child.
Post a Comment