School asking parents to only email teachers during working hours

[cautiouscovidity]

We've had a message from DCs' (primary) school respectfully asking parents to only email the head and class teachers between 8:30-5:30 on school days and not during the evenings / weekends / holidays, for staff well-being reasons (they deserve protected downtime etc.).
AIBU to think that this is ridiculous? I work in a job where I don't always have access to a phone / computer during the working day and so, on the rare occasion that I need to contact a teacher, I tend to email in the evening at home or first thing before I get ready to leave. Obviously I don't expect them to reply out of working hours, or even to read it there and then, but I had never considered that it would be intrusive. In my job I get loads of emails at all times of the day and night and they just sit in my inbox until I am working!
Surely if it's impacting on their downtime so much, then they should just not check their emails in the evening and turn off notifications etc.

There's not a generic strategy, no. I expect teachers are at the mercy of how effective their SLT is. If I ever got a stroppy email (or planner remark or any message really) I would forward it straight on to my HT and let her loose with it! She likes a fight!

If it contains foul language or is personally abusive or accuses me of incompetence, I usually forward it to the key stage manager. If it's the usual - the homework is too hard/too easy/you told her off for no reason/you aren't stretching her/you never explained the work etc etc I just give a clear explanation of the situation. You know what? 99/100 the parent is ok and says thanks.

Interesting. I'm glad there's a least a strategy in place especially for rude and abusive messages. I can definitely see though that in secondary when you're teaching so many students it would be time consuming to have to respond to hundreds of parents with minor concerns.

I usually get in at 7.30 and whip through them, it usually doesn't take long. They mostly are solved quite easily. Sometimes it's just an anxious parent, so a quick - she's fine, she's happy and working ok - is enough. Sometimes they're funny though. I had one mum of a yr11 boy who had done zero in lockdown ask me if I could spend lunchtimes bringing him up to speed! 😂 😂

Sorry, I don’t want to derail the thread, but in most schools do the parents have the individual teachers email addresses then? Here there is an email for school admin and that’s it. Kids can contact their teachers through internal email, but not parents. Parent-school communication is at once per year parents night, or by phoning the office, or we can leave a remark on the twice-yearly report.

I had one mum of a yr11 boy who had done zero in lockdown ask me if I could spend lunchtimes bringing him up to speed!

Sounds totally reasonable to me....actually though he works better on a full stomach so if you could bring him in some lunch to eat too it might be more productive. I'll pop you over a list of the stuff he'll eat!

We don't use email with parents but we do have a messaging system which works in a similar way, parents can message the class teacher, admin staff or Head. Most staff have an out of hours message.

Usually the subject teachers are available through - initial +surname @bonkersschool etc. As are year managers and SLT. It's very common.

How bizarre!
You should send your email whenever you want, but the replies will be between certain hours. We have a 48 hour reply policy.
I think the school is being unreasonable.

Interestingly, @Nik25 the more abusive stuff has diminished with the 7pm cut off. No idea why, but it does work.

That's stupid! I email when I think of things otherwise I'd forget again - doesn't mean they have to read them or act on them until they see fit to do so!

I had one mum of a yr11 boy who had done zero in lockdown ask me if I could spend lunchtimes bringing him up to speed!

Oh dear. That explains the undergrads I get who sleep through their alarms, miss their seminar, and request a one to one catch up session. I think they think they’re demonstrating enthusiasm.

Equally funny.

@HandfulOfDust 😂 😂 😂

@Maireas

Interestingly, *@Nik25* the more abusive stuff has diminished with the 7pm cut off. No idea why, but it does work.

Alcohol consumption.

How ridiculous! It's up the teachers themselves to choose when to check their emails - if they don't want to see emails in the evening or weekend then don't check them!? Equally, they have no obligation to respond immediately so I don't see their problem. Given most parents are also at work during their proposed business hours when exactly do they think parents would have time to email them? A lot of workplaces don't like personal email time or allow phones during working hours. Similarly, my work send emails all evening and weekend (global, some time zones don't match) and I simply check when I get back to the office. No problem there!

Equally, they have no obligation to respond immediately so I don't see their problem

Unfortunately, not all parents appreciate this.

I’ve had parents complain that I haven’t responded to them immediately when I have been -

Teaching all day
At home

And on one particularly ironic occasion:

At a parents evening until 8pm for a different year group.

Ridiculous. We live in a 24/7 society - move with the times.

And people wonder why we are raising "snowflakes"

School has been a bit silly I think. Its about managing expectations, not creating obstacles in comms channels. Send emails when you can, a teacher can answer when they can. This is a partnership.

OchonAgusOchonO

Most of the teachers posting on here seem to think it's as ludicrous as I do.

I find it more ludicrous that parents think that they shouldn't use the schedule send function that email accounts have.

And people wonder why we are raising "snowflakes"

What do you mean?

My ds was doing homework earlier, and said he asked the teacher about something he didn't understand.

Reading this thread earlier, I said to him, " Don't expect the teacher to reply, it's weekend."
He said the teacher already replied to him, like few minutes later. Hats off to the teachers. Thank you for all the hard work, really appreciate it.

Thanks, @pastandpresent. Even though my work emails are switched off, I can reply to homework queries through the homework site anyway. I'm glad your child got a prompt answer!

Some of the responses about emails from some of the alleged teachers explains why teachers have such bad press.

If a teacher can get so stressed by getting an email out of hours - unable to self time manage, ignore, or read the subject line - in case it is a missing child! - then is it any wonder they find teaching so stressful and are leaving in droves!

Indeed, when a teacher reads an incredibly abusive email outside of school hours and is understandably upset by the contents, it is their fault for working in the evening and opening their emails.

smileeachday what do you think I mean?

As many previous posters have said if some teachers get so stressed about receiving emails out of hours, when they can easily choose to ignore them until a time of their choosing, then there is no hope for the generation they are teaching/nurturing/advising.