Or is this terrible etiquette!!!

[lizrta]

I feel terrible.

I drafted an email for DS' reception teacher at 20:40 this evening - but accidentally pressed send! I was hoping she'd pick it up in the morning, but she has just replied.

This is really bad form isn't it. Should I say something at drop off tomorrow?

Other than as a passive aggressive swipe, how is any of that relevant to my post?

Shame your experience was so poor. That is not the experience our students have (as evidenced by feedback). The vast majority of my colleagues put huge effort in to teaching, with many of us having won teaching awards. Generally though, as a student you get out of it what you put in to it.

@moomoomoo27 I don't know what you have in for universities but my lecturers and tutors were almost all absolutely excellent. And several absolutely went above and beyond to help me out when life dealt me several sharp tragedies in a row whilst at university

Its bizarre to generalise about an entire profession

Wow, @moomoomoo27 You seem to have a big chip on your shoulder there, and are stating your opinions as if they were true about all lecturers, which they clearly aren't

@OchonAgusOchonOh 's post at 0:35 this morning, on P2, is spot on.

She didn't have to open it tonight.

Did you not know that teacher work in the evening?

Teacher here. That's not the point. At my school we're not really even supposed to receive emails from colleagues in the evening or at the weekend, never mind parents. This is part of the school's commitment to reduce workload and improve work-life balance, though it's a drop in the ocean tbh. Yes of course we work out of school hours, but we can decide when we do that.

Don't feel bad, OP. Just try to avoid doing it in future.

Why should the op avoid doing it in future? If you are not supposed to deal with email out of hours, just turn off notifications. Don't try to dictate to others how they choose to use the email tool.

It's up to each individual to manage their own email in a way that works for them.

I think it's fine OP.

I might send an email to nursery or school in the evening as that's when I have time but I choose not to check work emails in the evening or look at my work phone. She didn't need to check her emails or reply.

*Teacher here. That's not the point. At my school we're not really even supposed to receive emails from colleagues in the evening or at the weekend, never mind parents. This is part of the school's commitment to reduce workload and improve work-life balance, though it's a drop in the ocean tbh. Yes of course we work out of school hours, but we can decide when we do that.

Don't feel bad, OP. Just try to avoid doing it in future.*

I don't agree with this.

We are discouraged from emailing colleagues outside working hours but wouldn't expect clients and third parties to know this and most people outside our organisations (whether school or nursery or whatever) are emailing in their own free time and can do so when they like.

It's your obligation to manage your own time and when you read your emails.

Surely just use ' Schedule Send' !

Why? It's up to the recipient to use email in a way that suits them. Most of us manage it quite easily. It is an asynchronous tool.

Why not ? Makes absolutely no difference to the sender but MAY make a difference to the recipient .

Of course it makes a difference to the sender. You have to remember to do it. Then if it's not something you normally do, you have to figure out how to do it. Of course you then also need to know the preferences of the recipient. Maybe they prefer to deal with email in the evening.

The onus is on the person who doesn't understand the nature of email to figure out how to deal with it in a way that suits them rather than expecting the world to adapt to their preferences?

I wouldn't mind when a parent sends an email, but I wouldn't reply until the morning (if I even saw it before then).

My school tells staff not to send emails between 7pm and 7am... because if even a few teachers do, that sets a parental expectation. ("Why don't you reply overnight, when Miss X does?")

It’s very poor form to send a message to a professional outside of their work hours because you cannot use a function as simple as ‘Schedule Send’ !

It's very poor form for a professional not to be able to figure out how to use a tool as simple as email in a way that suits themselves and to instead expect the world to adapt to their preferences.

Also just wondering why it's only professionals it's unacceptable to send emails to outside their business hours? What about the plumber? Is it OK for me up email him when it suits me? Or my cleaner?

Agreed

You’re just being obtuse now ! Learn how to use it . It’s easy 😎!

I use it. But I also know to only check my emails when I want to deal with them, as I don't expect others to remember to.

It's not a binary thing

I send emails when it's convenient for me to send emails.

If teacher doesn't want to answer emails then presumably she just won't check her inbox.

I have no idea who has emailed me since 4pm. I haven't looked.

I'm afraid I think it's you who is being obtuse. I never said I can't use it. I can but I generally don't.

I don't expect others to adapt their perfectly normal use of a tool to suit my preferences as I am capable of using the tools in a way that suits me. Equally, it is unreasonable of others to expect me to adapt my perfectly normal use of a tool to suit their preferences.

Quite aside from anything else, your diktat assumes that professionals prefer to only receive emails during business hours and that their working hours fit in to a pattern that matches their business hours.

I tend to assume "professionals" are smart enough to know when they do or don't want to check their work emails

I couldn't care less when someone emails me.

I am a 'professional' I work nights.
It's poor form to send me emails during the day.

?

Why should the op avoid doing it in future? If you are not supposed to deal with email out of hours, just turn off notifications. Don't try to dictate to others how they choose to use the email tool.

Exactly.

When I am at work, I don't have time to think about any issues with my own dc nor have the time to be able to e-mail any of my dcs' teachers if I needed to. So I do that, at a time when I am not at work and therefore am able to do things for my family. Obviously, as I am sending an e-mail and not phoning someone or knocking on their door, it is designed that the recipient can choose to read it when it suits them. I don't expect anyone to read it just because I sent it at a particular time.

When I was teaching, sending me an e-mail in the morning wouldn't have a hope of me seeing it until that evening anyway - I'd be prepping for the day when I got to school.

We're having big conversations in our school about whether emailing outside work hours should be banned.
But my take on it it this...nobody has to reply to an email immediately, that's the beauty of them. Read it, have a think and get back when you're ready.
But
Many people choose to reply to emails in the evening because it's easy (I often reply to emails in my phone in bed) and it stops work piling up (well helps a tiny bit)

As long as you're not firing off multiple emails every day and expecting an immediate answer then I think you're fine 😊

😁