(non english) names upon entering kindergarten

[eagle]

so our son and daughter both go by nicknames derived from their middle names. their first names are korean. im filling out paperwork for kindergarten registration. im thinking it might be easier if i just use their nicknames, but is it really important to use their full, real names that they dont use? i suppose it will be easier to transfer school records between grades/schools, but i dunno, ive found that at the hospital i wished id just used his nickname bc nurses/drs cant pronounce his name even if i pronounce it and id just rather have given them his nickname. its easier for everyone at the hospital.

i feel like this is a really dumb, dumb question. maybe ill be pleasantly surprised to find out that it doesnt matter, since some kids change their last name or their first name over the years...

[SnuggleBuggles]

I'd put the full name but write in somewhere "but goes by X". Or, just tell the teachers. I've only ever gone by my nickname (which is a traditional short form of my full name) and I always just told teachers on day 1 to call me that.

[Cam&Clay]

I would think that whatever name is on their birth certificate is what the school will enter. I know that we had a student years ago who was registered as "Richar" instead of "Richard" because his parents spelled the name wrong on the birth certificate and the county told them they had to follow suit. Of course, we called the child "Richard."

We have many Asian families at our school. Their legal names are on their records but many of them go by an American sounding name. We just had two children come from Vietnam and at registration, the parents asked that they be called "Jeff" and "Amy."

[anonomom]

Our school's registration forms have a space for you to say what the child is actually called, if it differs from their given first name.

[trales]

This reminds me of Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake. On that note, I have plenty of Asian students, I always ask on the first day, what do you go by. I have one student with a very traditional vietnamese name who went by Vanessa, that is what I changed my grade book to reflect. Most teachers understand that there is a large population of children who have never gone by their given name.

[candaceb]

Definitely put their names as they appear on their birth certificates on the registration. It will follow them all the way until they go to college and it is a nightmare if it is messed up. I go by my middle name and my parents put my middle name on my registration and I had to untangle it when I was in high school.

[Green_Tea]

Definitely put their names as they appear on their birth certificates on the registration. It will follow them all the way until they go to college and it is a nightmare if it is messed up. I go by my middle name and my parents put my middle name on my registration and I had to untangle it when I was in high school.

This. Teachers will call them whatever you tell them to. Definitely register under their legal names to avoid a nightmare down the road.

[megs4413]

I'd wished I'd gone with the nicknames, fwow.

[kdeunc]

Our situation was like anonomom's...First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, Name used (or some wording like that).

[daisysmom]

I'd wished I'd gone with the nicknames, fwow.

Me too. We were all set to name our daughter after a favorite great aunt who always went by the name, only to find out a few days before thatbthebgreat aunt's real name was something different snd that the name she went by was a nickname. I felt pressure, so followed suit. But we really only want our dd to go by the nickname. When she is older, she can choose. But for now, I am always wish I could insert her nickname in the slot that says "full legal name".
My brother has always gone by his middle name but I don't think society was so form-centric in the 70s as I dint remember him ever having to correct a teacher. Everyone always knew him as the name he went by.