a girl called "it"

i'm still learning sign language. it's a long process, and i am trying to be patient with myself. when i actually understand a conversation in sign language, i get really excited. the other day, the conversation was a funny one. the only deaf teacher at my school is the sign language teacher. after class, we were standing around talking to a few students, and this teacher told a student she needed to change her sign name.
sign names are usually the initial of the person's name, signed at a particular place on your body. for me, it is a "j" signed on the inside of my left elbow. each person, ideally, has a different name.
anyway, this girl is in p6, so for at least six years, her sign name has been the letter "i" signed on the palm of the left hand.
which, the sign language teacher explained, is also the sign for "IT."
so for six years, she has been called "it."