How would you like it? E-mail use is becoming a problem for teachers

It is absolutely easy for recipients to misinterpret the tone of an e-mail that lacks the visual and aural cues of speech and the formalities of a letter. Consider the earlier scenario of the report card and school attendance. A response such as "will look into this as soon as I get time" can be read in several different ways by the parent, dependent on their state of mind or composure.

The potential risk of complaint by parents and students is high, and perhaps dangerously high in relation to 'stressed-out' Year 12 students whom teachers report are the greatest (and most demanding) users of teacher-student e-mail communication at this time.

Already, teachers report receiving e-mails from Year 12 students at all times of the day and night, including weekends and holidays. They expect to be answered … now! What will happen when the teacher is out, away, or just plain tired and fails to respond? What if the student feels their major assessment mark has suffered due to the lack of response by the teacher? Accusations of professional negligence?

These are the areas of threat to job security, especially in independent schools where some students/ parents have unrealistic expectations and/or undue influence.

The possibility of making errors with expression, tone and/or content compounds with the pressure for speedy, perhaps hasty, response. The expectation for quick response does not apply to other forms of communication between teachers and parents and students, it is part of the e-world mantra. Schools must question the e-mail expectation or run the risk of increasing complaint and decreasing staff morale.

And all of this raises the question of what type of student is being created? A student who takes responsibility for study and problem solving? Who develops independence in learning? Or one who becomes dependent, complacent and lazy because they can always get another assignment sheet, or answer, or direction, with just a few clicks of the finger?

It is time to think, discuss, and then to take action to achieve sensible and reasonable protocols in schools that allow the benefits of e-mail communication to be retained, but that avoid the risks teachers foresee if authorities refuse to listen.