Happy almost Friday, students!
Finals week is almost over! As you are finishing up your studying, take a minute or two to look over the etiquette I am expecting to be in place for future emails. If your email is not aligned to these requirements, I will email you back with the etiquette below. I will not respond to your email until all criteria below are met. Please ensure your email gets answered in a timely manner and have everything listed below included in your initial email.
Failure to follow the guidelines below will result in the following email:
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. We have discussed in class the proper and improper way to email. Please reference the January 17, 2019 blog post on email etiquette. I have added below some guidelines to follow.
Thank you for valuing your professionalism,
All emails sent by students to Fordson staff should come from your Dearborn Schools account (xxxxxxxx@dearbornschools.org)
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 Ms. McCombe,
- Hello Mrs. Lichocki,
- Mrs. Yaldo,
- Good evening Mrs. Kassem,
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 general 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!
o 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 your educational career and beyond, please take the time to communicate effectively.
