Thread by @ekverstania

[THREAD]

#AskingAutistics, but others are also welcome to respond.

I have a weird question.

There's a school for autistic children who wants to name a classroom after me because according to the principal they've learned more from me over the years than from anyone else.

They want to use some of my artwork prints to decorate the classroom.

Other classrooms will also be themed and named after people.

I guess that this is like houses which we had at my own school, which were named after old men who played some forgotten role in the school history. Except this school is small, so it's classrooms, not houses.

Now... My instinct is to ask them to please not do this. I know this may sound cynical, but what if some kid hates school or hates that class teacher, or the whole school gets sold and turns awful, then my name is associated with their awful experience?

I know you could argue in the opposite direction too, like, what if they have a good experience?

But even that doesn't feel good to me. I think I just don't want anything named after me, except maybe a pet bird or something.

I don't even know whether I want my artwork on a classroom or walls. What if children don't like it, then they don't have a choice?

I understand that I have the right to say no (after all, the principal is ASKING me), but is my thinking wrong? I'm trying to use my name while I am alive to spread ideas and I want the ideas to live on in people, not my name.

Thank you for the input, @21stCeccentric, based on what you said, I asked the principal to rather democritise the name choice, so that the children can choose the name every year.

I will also send photos of my drawings so that the children can choose, and then have the principal's teenage artist daughter add colour.