If you email me and do not use proper formatting, I will not be able to answer your question.
I will respond with the following:
“Hello ________,
While I appreciate you emailing me, you have not used proper email formatting. Written communication is incredibly important for your future success. I will not answer your email until such time that you can use proper formatting. I will include a link to the 6 September 2019- Email Etiquette blog post for your reference. You may then rewrite and resend your email
Thank you for valuing your professionalism,
Mrs. McCuean-Lough”
All emails sent by students to Fordson staff should come from your Dearborn Schools account (xxxxxxxx@dearbornschools.org), I will not respond to personal accounts. I welcome emails from parents and their personal accounts.
A subject line is required; include a few words about the topic of your email: Research Paper Question, Concern about Grades, Event in Class. Do not type your entire email in the subject line. Also, avoid vague terms: “essay thing,” “question,” “thoughts,” etc.
A greeting should begin your email. Always acknowledge the person you are addressing. Do not just begin typing your question/concern. Use the greeting and the person’s name followed by a comma:
- Good morning Mrs. Lough,
- Hello Mr. Holly,
- Mrs. Korogiannis,
Dear, Hello, Hi, Good morning/afternoon/evening, or just the person’s name is acceptable. Do not use slang. Teachers are not your friends, address them appropriately.
Begin the body of your email with a generally positive statement:
- I hope you have been enjoying the nice weather.
- I hope you had a relaxing weekend.
- I really enjoyed what we did in class the other day.
- Thank you for always answering my emails so promptly.
The tone of your email is important, keep emails positive and professional. Consider your words carefully; “when I complete the assignment” sounds much better than “if I complete the assignment.”
Some general tips for emailing:
- Never send an email during times of extreme emotion
- Never have an attitude!
- Rude emails do not encourage people to help.
- Always proofread the email for spelling and grammar.
- If you are comfortable with the email being read out loud in court, then it’s good to send.
Use lead-in statements to pose your question/favor:
- I have a question about…
- Could you please help me with…
- Would you mind…
- This factor is giving me trouble. Could you advise me how to…
- I am struggling with…
- What can I do to…
- I noticed that…
If you are including an attachment include the format of what you are attaching and the name of the file attached.
- Attached as a…(PDF, image, Doc, Slide)…, please find my research paper… “______.”
End every email with a closing phrase followed by a comma and then your FULL name:
- Thank you,
- Thank you for your time/consideration/support/understanding/patience/flexibility
- Kindest regards,
- Sincerely,
- Best wishes,
- Have a good day/night/weekend,
Written communication is crucial as you advance in your educational career and beyond, please take the time to communicate effectively.
