I can, and do, explain why I am not “Misty” to my current students. “Prof. Bastian” is a distinct social entity—a mentor, perhaps, but not one’s friend, not for the four years of our college interaction in the separate roles of teacher and student. “Prof. Bastian” represents a public persona who has authority based upon a certain social position, her educational attainments, and her decades’ worth of pedagogical experience. Once they graduate, my students are welcome to refer to me in the other register, although many of them find it hard to do. In terms of Victor Turner’s discussion of liminality, I’m the initiate, and they are the initiands. Absolute equality among the initiands, but not so much with the initiates.
I can, and do, explain why I am not “Misty” to my current students. “Prof. Bastian” is a distinct social entity—a mentor, perhaps, but not one’s friend, not for the four years of our college interaction in the separate roles of teacher and student. “Prof. Bastian” represents a public persona who has authority based upon a certain social position, her educational attainments, and her decades’ worth of pedagogical experience. Once they graduate, my students are welcome to refer to me in the other register, although many of them find it hard to do. In terms of Victor Turner’s discussion of liminality, I’m the initiate, and they are the initiands. Absolute equality among the initiands, but not so much with the initiates.