All About Teaching >> Parents & Volunteers >> Are emails as good as a phone call yet?
Are emails as good as a phone call yet?
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Posted 2 months ago Has the time arrived where an email is THE appropriate way to try to contact a parent, or at the very least, AN appropriate way to contact? Only a few years ago, I had to call my parents when I needed to contact them, even if they had email addresses. I could email them, but my principal wanted me to call them as well. Are we at a point yet where I can fulfill my duty to notify a parent by ONLY sending an email? I think that I reach less parents when I call because they are busy, unavailable, etc. as compared to the parents I do not reach with my emails. Obviously, I should call the parent for if there is an emergency or need for IMMEDIATE contact, but for everything else, is an email sufficient? "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible. " -T.E. Lawrence |
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| Posted 2 months ago How often do you check your email? I check mine several times a day, so you could notify me of things by email, but I don't know too many people who are as compulsive (my wife says addicted ) about email as I am. If the parents don't check the message may not be received in a timely manner. Besides, with email you really have no way to know if the email was read at all. I'd stick to the phone. I know that the parents of the students I teach generally do not have email, so the phone is usually my only option.
"There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no cause that I am prepared to kill for." — Mahatma Gandhi |
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| Posted 2 months ago I agree with Deven that it is uncertain whether or not the parent has read the email in a timley fashion. My suggestion is to let the parents know at the beginning of the school year how you plan on communicating with them throughout the school year. As for me, I still prefer using the phone to contact the parents, because I believe that it is more personal and a more respectful form of communication. It is an immediate two-way conversation that most of my parents prefer. |
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| Posted 2 months ago Although I LOVE e-mails, as they seem to be the fastestmeans of communication nowadays, I still prefer the telephone. I like to hear the parents'voices, and explain to them further. It is difficult to validate your words, or respond quickly to a question in e-mail, as you first have to wait for the parent to respond back. On the telephone, it is immediate. |
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| Posted 2 months ago Thanks for the suggestions. I guess I´m just going to have to wait a little longer for parents to be as addicted as I am to email before I can rely solely on email. "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible. " -T.E. Lawrence |
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| Posted 2 months ago I prefer to get notes/messages from the parents via email and respond via voice/telephone. It is tricky to phrase things properly in an email (unless it is a straight forward question), and misunderstandings can occur. I like to get their message in email because it is as if the note has already been written for me - I don't have to write down the name and phone number. Children are the living messages we will send into a time we will not see. – John W. Whitehead |
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| Posted 2 months ago Yes I have actually seen emails with a disclaimer that says something to the effect "Do not interpret this email beyond literal meanings. Inflection and tone cannot aand are not intended to be conveyed via email. any questions contact the author in person or via phone." |