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Writing Professional Emails


Laptop on a carpet with Gmail loading screen. Gray, geometric patterned pillows in the background. Bright, tech-focused mood.

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


  1. 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.

  2. Always capitalize “I” when talking about yourself. Make sure that you use an apostrophe for “I’m” and other contractions.

  3. Do not use abbreviations for common words. For example, fully write out “you,” “you’ll,” and “your.”

  4. 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.