At the beginning of each semester (or new class), I pass around a sign in sheet for the students, with a spot for them to place their "preferred" name, such that a Joshua may preferred to be called Josh, and so forth. I had one student write a particularly funny name "Father Pellagrino". Being that I love to have a little bit of humor, I told the student that if he could write a one page paper and convince me, I would happily call him by his preferred name. He proceeded to write the following (two page) paper, discussing why I should NOT call him by that name. He has given me permission to share it, and I have marked out his real name. Enjoy.
A Defense of Father Pellegrino/i
Through the experiences bestowed upon us as a whole, one quickly learns that there is no greater dishonor than deceit. I bring this up because in the spirit of honesty, the name “Father Pellegrino” as a whole means very little to me. I had seen it in one image and thought it was quite humorous, so when I saw the option to name myself in my hospitality class, I decided I’d enter the first name that came to mind, which also explains my error in submitting “Father Pellegrino” instead of the correct “Father Pellegrini” as seen in the image. However, I beg you not to mistake my lack of attachment to the name as a lack of care and dedication for it.
The name itself is quite ridiculous, and just the idea of a doctored professor addressing a student of his as “Father” is, to put it bluntly, unacceptable. I’d like to think of myself as reasonable, and I recognize that you can’t just address me as Father Pellegrini. However, I also recognize that without the word “father”, the name loses the initial charm that drew me to it initially, so after an excessive amount deliberation considering the subject matter, I decided that the most effective argument I could employ to convince you that I am indeed worthy of bearing the name “Father Pellegrini” would be to show you the name from my perspective.
As I stated before, the name itself means very little to me. Meaning I don’t care if you actually call me “Father Pellegrini”. In fact, I’d prefer if you didn’t, and just stuck to my birth name, XXXXXXX. Still, it would mean a great deal to me to have the name written on a tent and placed on my desk. Imagine the reception some people would have to this joke when they saw it. Were it only written and not spoken, it would be subtle enough to maintain humor throughout these next eight weeks, but still stand out enough to match my personality and allow people to know a key cornerstone of my personality, my humor.
Placing the name “Father Pellegrini” on my desk would effectively give me one of the best experiences I could ever hope for at this institution of learning. It’d be a story that I tell for years, perhaps even decades to come. I know that it’s a stretch, Dr. Mc Keown, but please, consider the possibility of bestowing me with the honor of a name tag that reads “Father Pellegrini”.
Through the experiences bestowed upon us as a whole, one quickly learns that there is no greater dishonor than deceit. I bring this up because in the spirit of honesty, the name “Father Pellegrino” as a whole means very little to me. I had seen it in one image and thought it was quite humorous, so when I saw the option to name myself in my hospitality class, I decided I’d enter the first name that came to mind, which also explains my error in submitting “Father Pellegrino” instead of the correct “Father Pellegrini” as seen in the image. However, I beg you not to mistake my lack of attachment to the name as a lack of care and dedication for it.
The name itself is quite ridiculous, and just the idea of a doctored professor addressing a student of his as “Father” is, to put it bluntly, unacceptable. I’d like to think of myself as reasonable, and I recognize that you can’t just address me as Father Pellegrini. However, I also recognize that without the word “father”, the name loses the initial charm that drew me to it initially, so after an excessive amount deliberation considering the subject matter, I decided that the most effective argument I could employ to convince you that I am indeed worthy of bearing the name “Father Pellegrini” would be to show you the name from my perspective.
As I stated before, the name itself means very little to me. Meaning I don’t care if you actually call me “Father Pellegrini”. In fact, I’d prefer if you didn’t, and just stuck to my birth name, XXXXXXX. Still, it would mean a great deal to me to have the name written on a tent and placed on my desk. Imagine the reception some people would have to this joke when they saw it. Were it only written and not spoken, it would be subtle enough to maintain humor throughout these next eight weeks, but still stand out enough to match my personality and allow people to know a key cornerstone of my personality, my humor.
Placing the name “Father Pellegrini” on my desk would effectively give me one of the best experiences I could ever hope for at this institution of learning. It’d be a story that I tell for years, perhaps even decades to come. I know that it’s a stretch, Dr. Mc Keown, but please, consider the possibility of bestowing me with the honor of a name tag that reads “Father Pellegrini”.
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In case you are wondering, I made him the name tent the way he asked, but his real name is forever marked in my brain.
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