Email: What is it good for?
Created for High School students
wishing to communicate with teachers efficiently
Author: Erik S. Heinemann
Teacher at
Introduction:
In today’s modern, high-tech world people often use email as a means of
communication. Although many schools
have policies against student use of email at school, you will often find that
students respond to email faster than other forms of communication. The problem is that email can be easily
misinterpreted or used in a way that is not efficient. This page was set up as a way of introducing
some tips for efficient use of email that students can use to communicate with
teachers.
These tips are not universal and there are some out there who
will disagree with me. As such, know
that I do not have all the answers, but thought this will be useful to some
students.
Tip #1: Use the subject
line
The subject line of the email is important. Use that space to communicate quickly what
the message is about.
I often get messages that have in the subject line that reads
mr. h this is ____(fill in the blank)___
This is generally not a good idea. I cannot speak for all teachers, but I have
186 students, many of which have the same first name. The best approach would be to include the
class period in which I teach. This
helps orient me to the class and the topics that were recently taught in
class. Something like this would be
better
Mr.
H this is Corey (2B)
Or even
Question
from Corey (2B)
This is good because it shows not only who, what class, but also
what the email is about.
Tip #2: Be clear
It is usually a good idea to include the specific homework or assignment
that you are working on in the email instead of just
I
need help on # 3.
As you see this is not helpful.
Tip #3: Use simple font and text
Not all computers read the same things. Most students will express this in a story
about a file or homework that was on disc that the teacher’s computer could not
read. Make email simple keeping in mind
that the receiver’s computer may not be as “up-to-date” as yours (especially if
the receiver is one that is owned by the school and is in the classroom that is
in need of updating).
Tip #4: Pay attention to grammar
This does not mean you have to have perfect grammar; in fact,
often with email you can deliberately use not so perfect grammar, but pay
attention to it either way.
Often with email you can get away with improper grammar. The language of email is usually less formal
than other times. This is OK, but
remember tip 2, your message needs to be clear, so do not get carried away.
Tip #5: Keep the lines short
Some email software does not wrap (like Microsoft Word does) to
the next line so well, keep your messages in short segments to avoid some
confusion with other software.
Tip #6: Choose your time wisely
Emailing a teacher at 10:00 at night for an assignment that is
due the next day may likely result in the teacher
responding at 6:30 the next morning when he/she arrives at school. This is too late for either of you to do
anything about it.
Along those same lines, an assignment that was given with a
week’s notice before the deadline should be discussed with the teacher prior to
the day before. Look over assignments
and email the teacher everyday for that week if need be, but choose your time
to email carefully.
Tip #7: Choose what you want to send
Sending a message for help or to get clarification on an
assignment is good, but sending homework to the teacher via the email is not a
good idea unless the teacher asks for it specifically. I know that some teachers use email to
collect homework, but there is a basic rule for computers:
They can and will break down, it is only a question of when
Teachers get a lot of email each day, from parents, from
students, from administrators, from other teachers, from guidance, from
attendance, from the board of education, and a great number of other places. Not only do papers get lost when servers go
down or the technology fails at some level, but homework collected on line when
not requested has a high potential to be buried among other email.
In short, be precise with the message.
Tip #8: Do not panic
Often students send email because they have waited until the
last minute for an assignments and realize something
has gone wrong. They send email messages
in a panic and the message is received in ways that are not good. I have received messages that where angry and
somewhat hostile toward me, the teacher, because something did not work or did
not get done on the student’s end. Your
panic affects the tone of the email and in turn affects how it is received.
Relax, take a breath, and send a calm email to the teacher for
help. This is received in a much better
light and will help your cause. A lot of
teachers, myself included, have late policies. Though I hate late work and it is a pain in
the backside to grade, turning in an assignment late and receiving late
penalties is better than not turning in the assignment at all. In emergency situations where something goes
seriously wrong, do not stress of the loss of 10%. Turn it in late, but get help or ask the
teacher.
Tip #9: Avoid pronouns
Often messages are sent regarding assignments that read
something like this
I
got the first thing for the homework, but not the second
I know that it sounds funny, but I have actually received mail
that way. Avoid using words like “thing”
and phrases like “the homework”.
Instead, use specifics.
I picked up the first paper for the
bonding packet but somehow missed the second.
This is much easier to read and understand. With this you can then ask your question or
address the concern you have.
Tip #10: Respond to email clearly
Often a student will send me an email that I will not read for
hours, or sometimes the next day since I do not always check my email outside
of school. A lot of time may lapse
before I respond and even more time before the student can actually read the
response. Writing part of the student’s
email in my message helps the student to reorient to the question asked. It is a good idea for students to do the same
in their responses.
Glen, You
asked about p.206 problem 71
Here is what you need to work that
problem…
This helps both me and the students know what is going on. It is always good practice.
Summary:
·
Be clear, both in the text and in the subject
line
·
Use grammar that is appropriate for the
message you wish to send
·
Use simple text with short segments of
information
·
Choose your time, text and tone carefully
·
Avoid pronouns
·
Include important information to responses
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