Every semester, it is important to learn at least 50 names of students entering my classrooms. Somehow, there is no difficulty remembering all these names within a week. Recently, however, a student with the first "Hitler" entered the classroom. The first impression was - what parent with good intentions for their child would give them the first name, "Hitler". Was that parent not aware of the actions of Adolph Hitler in Europe during the 1940s. Could this be a question of illiteracy on the part of parents from a country with great poverty for centuries. Of course, a name should not define a person, so the naming others "Hitler" should bear no conceivable connection to a man who was responsible for the murder of millions of Jewish people. However, just thinking about the name without even mentioning the name brought a chilly feeling. And so, the decision was made to call the student by his last name which the student greatly appreciated more than calling him by the first name, "Hitler".
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