Image source: https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7493/15741576451_c8b4d35b2b_n.jpg by Skley
Sure, email can be evil, especially the way the inbox is like a cup that runneth over and left a stain on the cloth.
But today I’m going to write about good email. The negative title grabs attention and has a nice alliteration and rhythm about it. The email examples I’m providing are only from today.
Not that we use textbooks much in Year 7 Geography, but part of my checklist of ensuring the students have everything they need to learn is that they have online access to their textbook. Enough students were saying that there wasn’t one with their order that I knew something was wrong. Like many schools, we use an online supplier to, well, supply required textbooks and equipment to students (parents) just before they commence the school year. For Year 7 Geography they had the option of a combined physical/digital textbook or just a digital version. It appears the majority of my class went for the digital version but some never received the email from the supplier with the access code (I suspected it was in their spam folder). I was just trying to persuade someone with a little more power to do something about this when two emails from the same parent arrived. The first email was that there wasn’t ever a Geography book on the order and then the second corrected that and said that she had “sorted it” and now had the access code. I replied a thanks for both emails, that she wasn’t alone in the predicament, and by the way, how did she “sort it”. A response was quite prompt that she was glad she wasn’t the only one and that she contacted the supplier and they admitted that they had overlooked sending the email out. A discussion with the Head of Faculty and he called the supplier who quickly sent out the access codes for all our students. Problem solved. Yay!
Today I was also checking the first piece of work Year 7s completed on a Google Doc. A precious boy listed with Learning Support as having literacy needs had the most atrocious spelling I had seen in a very long time but when you looked closely it was phonetically quite accurate: koockaburra, oxegen, visical, envirament. He also happens to be one of the more disruptive elements in the class. I shared via email the Google Doc to the Head of Learning Support for some advice and she responded within minutes. Awesome!
The Head of Social Sciences Faculty and I emailed each other quite frequently today. We seem to have opposing timetables which makes it hard to see each other in person , although we also managed to meet during lunch today. The emails were mainly to notify of where particular students are up to in their PIPs for HSC Society and Culture, Year 7s with technology issues and other student matters. They also serve as action prompts when they are flagged. I think these emails save time rather than create problems.
A Year 11 student emailed this afternoon to say her photo of the homework on the board turned out to be a little blurry, could I please send her the last two questions. Easy!
Finally, emails of a broadcasting nature when directed to the correct people are very useful. On Monday I’m attending the ‘U-Turn the Wheel’ Driver Training Program with Year 11. An email was sent with the instructions and itinerary for the day to those involved. This saved the need for calling a meeting, an impossible event to organise to coincide when all teachers are not on class, nor playground/bus duty. A perfect use of email.
Well there you have it, my simple 28 minutes of writing on a Friday night.
