I remember my (first grade?) teacher made a point to tell us that even though the name was written with an "a", it was read as an "e" to demonstrate how English

I remember my (first grade?) teacher made a point to tell us that even though the name was written with an "a", it was read as an "e" to demonstrate how English violates so many of its supposed rules. So thankfully I never struggled with the actual spelling and questioning my sanity over it.