Writing Professional Emails
- Jan 23
- 2 min read
My students frequently ask me to look over the emails they’re sending to colleges or teachers, and thank God they do because many, MANY of them look like this when we start. All of these are real errors I’ve seen this year.
Hi tom
im sick and need an extension. Also can u plz let me no when ull have graded the paper i sent in last week
thx
john
If you read this and went ballistic, imagine reading it and having to keep your cool in front of a teenager. As a catharsis for myself and to emotionally process the number of times I had to go through this in the last year, I’d like to present the rules I teach my students about professional email writing.
Nathaniel’s Rules for Professional Email Writing
Address the email with proper respect. Even if you’re on a first-name basis with your teacher, make sure that you capitalize their name and put a comma after it.
Always capitalize “I” when talking about yourself. Make sure that you use an apostrophe for “I’m” and other contractions.
Do not use abbreviations for common words. For example, fully write out “you,” “you’ll,” and “your.”
Teachers are under no obligation to automatically grant you an extension. If you need one, ask nicely. If possible, list the date you are sure you’ll be able to turn it in by, preferably not more than a week late.
When asking a question or requesting an update, be respectful. Ask politely. For example, you could rephrase this like so: “Thank you for taking the time to read my paper on The Scarlet Letter. Since my grade is currently a B+, I would really like to know what grade I’ll receive so that I can either incorporate your notes and turn it in again or complete an additional extra credit assignment. Thank you!”
Always take responsibility for yourself. Don’t blame the teacher, and don’t get mad at them. The more respectful you are, the more likely they are to help you.
Fully write out your closing and put a comma after it. To make this feel as respectful as possible, try “Thank you for your time and understanding” or a variation.
Always capitalize your own name.
That was exactly as cathartic as I hoped it would be; thank you for indulging me. I believe email- and letter-writing are important communication skills that everyone should have proficiency in, and it honestly breaks my heart to know that someone was nearly on the other end of those misspelled, rude emails I helped my students with. I’m sure there will be more in the future.
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