Stupid rule about sending school an email

[Winebomb]

So preparing to write an email to my sons school about snack times (see my other thread) but just remembered we got a newsletter the first week of school stating:

"If you want to email the class teacher it must be sent between the hours of 8am and 5pm, any emails sent outside of this time will not be responded to"

Now I get there are some parents who are batshit, and think that if they email the teacher at 11pm they will have a response personally at the school gates the following morning, when they drop off their precious little snow flakes.

But isn't sending emails like writing a letter. I will write it at a convienient time, it may have been written at 11pm at night. But I am not batshit and expect it to be read either the next working day or at least the next working day afterwards after it's been delivered.

I work in the private sector and receive/send loads of emails post 5pm, and the same rules apply. Who are these parents who are just being bonkers???

All I can think of is writing my email and timing it in Outlook to be sent within the allotted time. But it just seems pointless.

Sorry probably answered my own AIBU and this is turning into more of a rant! But really!?!? Who are these people...

And it's the loud minority

So tackle the minority who cause the trouble and don't make ridiculous rules that impact on the majority who don't.

The thread has made me wonder if those having a pop at teachers (not those responding in a sensible manner to the OP) are the same ones that expect teachers to respond immediately to the drivel that they send their children's teachers.

Yes, and the ones who feel free to speak to teachers as though they're unsatisfactory childminders.

I work in a school (admin - I'm not a teacher). Last year, one of our parents made a formal complaint because her daughter's form teacher hadn't replied to her (ridiculously unnecessary and unimportant) email within 24 hours - his wife had gone into premature labour & he was at hospital with her. Apparently this wasn't a good enough excuse. I fully understand why some schools feel the need to regulate emails.

Probably boney.
Also likely to be the people who have a chip on their shoulder about teachers and schools.

Kazzyhoward
I wouldn't go about it the way the school has but if that's what the school need then that's what they've decided.

Unfortunately (as you only have to see on threads on here) there are increasing numbers of people who seem to think they should have a direct line to a teacher for any number of tiny things.

strumpet
A friend of mine had something similar.
He hadn't replied to (yet another) email from a well known parent who struggled to get their head around what 'revision for exams' entailed for homework. Apparently a funeral wasn't a good enough reason and he should have caught up once he got back.

Let's just remind ourselves what the school tries to do: discourage bollocks parent emails.

OP wishes to send a classic bollocks email: Her PFB (aged 4) is hungry and she wants to know exactly what he eats. She is too busy to feed a big dinner. School is supposed to switch fruit snack to egg.

School has hundreds of kids, all get fruit. Have been for years. Teacher is not in control of snack policy or funding. No eggs to be had. It is exactly the sort of email the school tries to protect the teachers from.

@MSLehrerin And you obviously have no clue how stressful other jobs can be. Why is teaching different from other high-pressure jobs that require working in the evenings, including access to emails, with idiot members of the public sending idiotic emails? Why would these teachers need a special rule that others can't email them outside working hours? Just don't open the email FFS.

RaspberryIce I expect my year 7's upwards to email me regarding issues regarding thier work. ie issues with the work, issues with online systems, sometimes I can resolve instantly other times its come and see me at xxxx times.

The one I had today was from a parent about a student in yr 9 struggling with her work - I would have expected that from the student or for them to ask to come and see me. The way it is written makes me sound unapproachable where as I spend hours with individuals if they don't understand and come and find me. My response will be something along the lines of thanks for letting me know I will speak to the student in question.

By secondary I firmly believe 95% of the issues can be dealt with direct between student and teacher - I encourage students to go and talk to staff if there is an issue instead of get 'mum' in to sort it out!

The one I didn't respond to I mentioned previously that I had a complaint about due to not replying over the weekend when I was having my appendix out - was an email from a parent saying her child didn't know a load of information about his controlled assessment. He did know all the information as he had had it all emailed to him, never listened in class and put in zero effort in class but mum and dad would never believe this fact even though all his teachers said the same!

This was not a priority email to reply to - when I did the following week whilst I was signed off sick - I apologised for the delay, told them why and the reply I got was 'I'll speak to xxx', nothing else.

Thank you for doing that, Noodledoodledoo. I teach medical students (grown ups!) and have to deal with parent emails at times. Really odd to have daddy sit in on meetings. Sadly no longer impossible. Go knows how many emails their poor school teachers got.

And you obviously have no clue how stressful other jobs can be. Why is teaching different from other high-pressure jobs that require working in the evenings, including access to emails, with idiot members of the public sending idiotic emails? Why would these teachers need a special rule that others can't email them outside working hours? Just don't open the email FFS.

Has anybody said that teaching is more stressful than other high pressure jobs? It probably is different but I haven't seen any teachers say that they have it harder than everyone else. I also haven't seen teachers day that they uniquely need a special rule about emails.' Most - if not all- have agreed that the rule from the school is daft and that we should take responsibility for dealing with our own workloads but explained why that can be difficult.

It seems that people are inventing things that teachers haven't said and are then berating them for the things that they haven't said.

I don't think it matters whether we think the rule is stupid or unnecessary.

This primary school, for whatever reason, has implemented it. Maybe the teachers would only agree to direct email contact if it was in place. Maybe they have had a problem with late night drunken emails.

Who cares what the reason is? They've every right to implement it. Don't forget can still email the office at any time.

I don't think parents contacted teachers very often in the 70s/80s.

Some did. It was not unusual for me to have to deliver a letter to the school office where my mother had written "by hand" in the corner of the envelope where a stamp would usually go.

Who cares what the reason is? They've every right to implement it.

It's a stupid rule, because it's not how the technology works. Email is asynchronous. Even if every single mail to the school is sent between 08:00 and 17:00, there are no guarantees it will arrive between those hours, and that's what they really want. Network problems, server problems, all sorts can delay emails. And there are lots of people who will find it very difficult to send mails to school at times when they are working themselves, which is why something like email should be ideal - you send it when convenient for you, they read it when convenient to them.

There are plenty if things they could do to manage mails, such as managing expectations about how quickly or not mails will be responded to, setting up filters and so on, which would probably be far more effective in achieving what they want, rather than relying on error-prone, forgetful humans.

And I'd like to think that schools, who will be teaching the techies of tomorrow should have at least one or two people around with sufficient knowledge to set it all up as they want.

Ebearhug. You could always just send the email to the school office, at any time.

Just draft an email and send it between those hours?

It is only the teachers' direct emails they are trying to restrict.

And who can blame them, when op's urgent communication is asking them to give her child an egg when the other 500 children have fruit.

My angry, late-night, pissed-parent email this week was berating me because their child had put a half-eaten yoghurt back in their lunch box and it was really messy to clean.

ivykaty, you've opened a can of worms now. Someone suggested that about 300 posts ago, but lots of angry posters said they don't have access to their email even to press 'send' between 8-5.

So I think they should just email the office then, which can be done at any time, job done.

Tw1 there was one teacher up thread indicating that no one would know how hard it was unless they teach

I have my work email pinging through whenever, including evenings and weekends. If it is genuinely urgent I reply when I see it, if it isn't (even if the sender thinks it is) I reply as appropriate the next day/in a few days. Like pretty much anyone who works in a corporate environment. Doesn't make me "tense" even if it is a bit ranty or on a stressful subject. Unclear why teachers (who are adults and can presumably set their own boundaries) need to be "protected" from emails outside of a very tight limited timescale. I'd assumed (I hope rightly) that teachers were professionals like any other so surely they can manage expectations without a blanket ban. Seems pretty bizarre.

Rainy April

Then they can send in a letter on paper written in pen.

If someone is stupid enough to expect a reply to their ranty email at 11 at night I can guarantee you they won't have the ability to send an email in a designated time slot. I can only see it causing more stress and work as they will then get angry their email hasn't been read etc etc

Teaching is different to other professional high pressure jobs as they are educating children. If they cock up its potentially children's futures their effecting. Also they're responsible for people's most prized possessions (hopefully) which adds the pressure. Not to mention cut backs meaning they have to fund things themselves and spread themselves thin over too many children in one class and more paperwork requirements behind the scenes

It is only the teachers' direct emails they are trying to restrict.
Exactly.
Whilst I wouldn't choose that rule myself, they aren't limiting email contact to school.

If someone wants to email on an evening they can email the office at any time and the admin staff will pass it to the appropriate member of staff.

(I almost like the office filter because it might stop people emailing form tutors to ask why David has a detention in maths - how would I know!? I've been the other size of school all day)

The only reason I can see people would be annoyed at communication out of hours going through the office is if they were wanting a reply out of hours from the teachers.

And who can blame them, when op's urgent communication is asking them to give her child an egg when the other 500 children have fruit.
And that's the crux of it.
It's an unrealistic request (why should one child be more special than all others) and it is in no way urgent.

@Tw1nsetAndPearls Did you not see that I responded to MSLehrerin's comments there who said exactly that by including her name in the post like I've done with yours?? Maybe you should put your reading glasses on?