Sir and Ma'am or Sir and Miss?

Now that strikes me as really odd, HollyDaze - an adult education class addressing their tutor as 'Miss'...

(Obviously I'm assuming they weren't special needs adults)

It might help to restore some element of respect towards teaching staff especially within inner city schools where I do have some experience.

Ana - it struck me as odd! The class where it happened the most was teaching Pitman 2000 shorthand and I can only assume that they reverted to type when trying to gain my attention quickly (they would chuckle over it as well). This same trio (it was only three of them that did it) I also taught free of charge in my home as they were struggling to keep up with all the of the others and in my home, they were happy to call me by my name but once back in the class, it went straight back to Miss.

The other class I taught was English to Adults with Learning Difficulties.

In the early 80s I was working at the Charing Cross Hospital; all but one of the medical students attached to our department called me by my first name (as did the doctors and my colleagues). The remaining student who came from one of the African countries (to my shame I forget which one) said he found this most disrespectful on the part of the students and explained to me that in his homeland married women were addressed by the name of their eldest son. I therefore became "Ma Steven" to him; I didn't find this sexist as it showed respect to an older woman.

Everyone calls my dentist by his first name yet he always calls me Mrs .... In spite of me suggesting its a reciprocal thing. I've been going to him for years and I've given up trying to change him - he's lovely; the best dentist ever