An interesting op-ed appeared over at The Chronicle of Higher Education this week that deals with how students address their teachers over email. The author provides the text of a short email she recently received in which the student begins the greeting of the note, “Hey!” The student then offers a variety of other instances of overly casual language that is certainly indicative of immaturity and even borders on disrespect. The author is concerned with the level of inappropriate discourse that she sees in students’ correspondence and wonders how we arrived at such familiarity when talking/writing to authority figures. I agree with her aversion, and this serves as a good reminder to all young people out there: when communicating, especially with someone older, smarter, and more accomplished than you are, even in what you believe to be a casual email, it’s always a good idea to lean toward formality and politeness. And this doesn’t solely apply to teachers. Your boss, a networking acquaintance, or even your grandmother would appreciate the consideration it takes to use words/phrases such as “Dear...,” “Sir/Madam,” “Sincerely,” “Thank you for your time,” “Best regards,” and other niceties.
That being said, the author of article eventually and unfortunately veers away from the valuable lesson in etiquette and heads down a path of victimhood, which defeats much of her intention for student correction. She believes she receives casual emails because her race and gender have led to disrespect from her students, that they see her as more “laid back” or not a sufficient authority figure. Here’s a bit of news for the author: this happens to everyone, even white dudes like me. The difference is, unless it’s egregious, I don’t always take it too seriously. And, it doesn’t happen very often because I’ve earned students’ respect from day one. Yes, young people today can be inconsiderate and think everyone is their buddy. However, it may also be because a tone has been set in class that informality is acceptable, that seriousness isn’t as important as you would like it to be.
The author then allows colleagues chime in to give their advice, and it’s sad to see the touchiness and pretentiousness of teachers who insist on being addressed as Dr. or Professor. “Because I’ve earned it,” they always say. (Though I’ve earned the titles as well, I encourage my students to simply use Mr. Some students even chose to use Coach when I worked simultaneously in the classroom and on the basketball court. Still, some prefer to use the formality of Dr. or Professor, which is fine. As long as it’s respectful, I absolutely could not care less.) Trust me, no one cares about fancy teacher credentials except teachers. And students really don’t pay attention to race or gender as much as teachers think they do. They only begin to think those things are important after spending too much time with overly sensitive teachers. Students will behave as teachers allow them to behave, and a teacher’s professionalism goes a long way in rubbing off on students.
Here’s the real lesson the author should have highlighted for students: Always try to use proper etiquette in an email, but not just because you are trying to appease someone’s race, gender, or any other attribute. Use proper etiquette because it’s the right thing to do—for anyone.
That being said, the author of article eventually and unfortunately veers away from the valuable lesson in etiquette and heads down a path of victimhood, which defeats much of her intention for student correction. She believes she receives casual emails because her race and gender have led to disrespect from her students, that they see her as more “laid back” or not a sufficient authority figure. Here’s a bit of news for the author: this happens to everyone, even white dudes like me. The difference is, unless it’s egregious, I don’t always take it too seriously. And, it doesn’t happen very often because I’ve earned students’ respect from day one. Yes, young people today can be inconsiderate and think everyone is their buddy. However, it may also be because a tone has been set in class that informality is acceptable, that seriousness isn’t as important as you would like it to be.
The author then allows colleagues chime in to give their advice, and it’s sad to see the touchiness and pretentiousness of teachers who insist on being addressed as Dr. or Professor. “Because I’ve earned it,” they always say. (Though I’ve earned the titles as well, I encourage my students to simply use Mr. Some students even chose to use Coach when I worked simultaneously in the classroom and on the basketball court. Still, some prefer to use the formality of Dr. or Professor, which is fine. As long as it’s respectful, I absolutely could not care less.) Trust me, no one cares about fancy teacher credentials except teachers. And students really don’t pay attention to race or gender as much as teachers think they do. They only begin to think those things are important after spending too much time with overly sensitive teachers. Students will behave as teachers allow them to behave, and a teacher’s professionalism goes a long way in rubbing off on students.
Here’s the real lesson the author should have highlighted for students: Always try to use proper etiquette in an email, but not just because you are trying to appease someone’s race, gender, or any other attribute. Use proper etiquette because it’s the right thing to do—for anyone.