Email Etiquette for Teachers
How to Professionally Reply to Parent or Colleague Messages
Oct 30, 2008
Email is a popular tool for sending both personal and professional messages. Personal messages can have a casual tone, but professional messages should be written conservatively and with careful attention paid to accepted etiquette rules. As more teachers correspond with each other and parents through email, it is advisable to become familiar with email etiquette.
Why Use Email Etiquette
Professionalism is the primary reason for using proper etiquette. When messages are written to parents or colleagues without regard to tone, spelling and other etiquette rules, they come across as unprofessional and unconcerned. If students are expected to use correct grammar and spelling then parents expect teachers to do the same. Colleagues may find it concerning when another does not hold himself or herself to the same standards of written communication to which a student is held.
Another reason is liability. Electronic communication does not convey facial expressions or tone of voice. It is important to be aware of how what is written could be misunderstood, similar to when a note is written to be sent home. Misunderstandings can be time consuming and difficult to reconcile.
Basic Etiquette Rules
When writing the email message, there are several important etiquette rules to keep in mine. First, keep the message short and to the point since reading a message on a monitor is more difficult than print on paper. Second, use the subject line to identify the subject of the message and do not leave it blank, since some email servers might identify it as spam. Also, use proper grammar, punctuation and spelling, since these mistakes are common ones teachers expect students to correct. Finally, read the message once more before sending to proof read the message for mistakes.
When responding to messages, be prompt to answer any questions or, if an answer is not readily available, inform the sender that the problem is being addressed. Then, follow up with another response as soon as information is available. Delaying the initial response gives the sender the impression that the message was either not received or is being ignored. Also, keep the original subject and do not use “Reply All” when responding to only one person, especially if the response is not necessary for all of the original recipients to receive.
Overall, email is an effective and convenient tool for teacher to teacher or teacher to parent communication. By paying attention to details and considering email a similar tool to written notes teachers can maintain a professional tone and image.
Reference: Email Etiquette
