Whether educators; caregivers; or students may like it or not, email is ubiquitous—it’s one of the essential forms of communication used in schools; by schools; and for schools to share-out information and to read or respond to updates; questions; or requests by other staff members and students and families alike. These days, many of us are writing far fewer handwritten notes and letters to others, so, perhaps, those traditional letter-writing skills; rules; and expectations that were historically-taught to students—many of the same skills; rules and expectations with email—also need to be taught either in school or at home (or a combination of both) for our students.

For school counselors; teachers; and administrators, the volume of emails can sometimes seem daunting—and, many times, it may be important to prioritize which emails get responded to first (or in which order). For newer school counselors and educators, I will also provide a couple of handy tips and reminders for you as well, later on.

So, if you are a student, how can you be best-assured that your email gets read and responded to in a sufficient, timely manner? You will want to review these important reminders below to find out how. Firstly, though, remember: When it comes to email, always think formal. Formal means following the rules; it means carefully crafting your email message in a manner that looks and feels professional, courteous, and clear.

Let us now look at the different sections of an email; later on, I will share a few handy examples that can easily be modified to your liking.

Using a Greeting:

Perhaps the most important aspect of an email–for me, at least–is the Greeting. I consider it essential to a courteous and respectfully-sounding email. On the other hand, a Greeting-free email can give off a vibe of carelessness and lack of courtesy. The Greeting should contain the words Dear; Hello; Hi; Good Morning; Good Afternoon, etc., for instance, then the recipient’s name (and title if appropriate)—and with each world capitalized. Students, you will want to practice always including a Greeting in your emails—while you are in middle and high school–so that when it comes time for college, or applying to jobs, it will be completely second-nature to you. Using a Greeting also helps build a connection with the email recipient. It helps recipients feel known; connected; and appreciated.

What is more, using a respectful, professional Greeting may even get your email responded to in a quicker manner, to boot. Educators pour out a lot each and every day, and if they feel respected and appreciated—including by students—they are that much more likely to respond in kind. But what may happen if a student does not use an appropriate Greeting (or no Greeting at all)? Possible delays or no responses are what is possible. If you are a student sending an email (and wanting a response), always remember the importance of a proper email Greeting: It might just be the most important part of your email.

Subject Line:

While I may not be as particular about using a Subject Line—as I am with using a proper Greeting—using a Subject Line in your email is still important because it gives the recipient a great initial idea of the content that will be contained in the Body of your email (or, in other words, a sneak-peek preview of what your email will be about). But brevity, here, is also totally OK, too. You can feel free to keep the Subject Line brief and right to the point. Inputting a Subject Line can also result in–just the same as including a proper Greeting—a quicker email response (if you are hoping for the email recipient to email you back). For the Subject Line, you will also want to use proper capitalization, as well.

Body Sentence(s)/Paragraph(s):

The main thing here is to be clear and to the point. The Body sentence(s)/paragraph(s) of emails do not have to be lengthy at all, but you will want to include all pertinent information needed for the recipient, and to proofread everything before hitting the Send button. Students, remember: Brevity and clarity of thought helps email recipients more than you might think (because the volume of emails received by educators can be quite large). Be clear; be concise; and get right to the point.

Closing:

Very similar to the Greeting at the beginning, when you are ready to finalize the last parts of your email, you will want to use a brief, courteous Closing, with words such as, Thank you, Best; Sincerely; Regards, etc., then sign your name on the line below. If you are not sure which Closing to use, I will show you a few examples in just a moment.

Spacing and Punctuation:

Now that you have included a proper Subject Line; Greeting; Body of content; and Closing, you are ready for the final part: Double-checking your spelling; grammar; spacing; and making sure you are writing in complete sentences. With an email, you should always include at least one line of blank-spacing between the Greeting and the Body sentences/paragraphs; and then another blank line of spacing before the Closing. Formatting matters, and you do not want to fire-off an email that looks or sounds like a text message. Emails, remember, should always be professional in appearance.

Email Addresses and Email Account Pictures:

Quick reminder, here, when selecting an email address handle and uploading an email account picture: Make sure that it reflects well upon you as a student. If you are not sure, err on the side of caution. Keep things on the more professional end if at all possible. If you want to have a separately fun and whimsical email account for friends and families, you still can, but just keep it distinct from your school and academic correspondence.

Now, here are a few email template examples that you can use in school:

Hello, Mr./Ms./Mrs. School Counselor,

I had some questions about graduation requirements and tips for my 9^th Grade year. I am also interested in some clubs and sports. Can you help me look at all my options?

Thank you,

Student name

Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs. School Counselor,

I am really interested in starting to look at colleges but I don’t know where to start or what would be a good fit for me. Do you have any ideas for how I can get started?

Sincerely,

Student Name

Good Morning, Mr./Ms./Mrs. Teacher,

My goal is to pass/improve my grade for class, but I really need some help with the current unit and how to best study for the next test. Do you have time to meet with me in the next week or so?

Best,

Student Name

Good Afternoon, Mr./Ms./Mrs. Teacher,

I am having some difficulty accessing where all of the resources are for class and am wondering if we could meet before class? so that I can make sure that I stay organized.

Cordially,

Student name

Two final email reminders (especially for school counselors):

If you are brand-new, you may be initially surprised  by the sheer volume of email messages. Emails from staff; caregivers; students; colleges; entities trying to sell you educational-based products and services—you name it—it’s ubiquitously constant. How to keep it all organized?

• I always like to ‘Star’ all emails that I either want to come back to or will need to respond to. This helps me to not forget or have an oversight with an email that needs my attention. Creating separate email folders can also be very helpful, too, for clustering together like-minded emails for later quicker retrieval.

• I also place a special emphasis on timely email responses to students—firstly. I want students to not only practice their email and writing skills, but also their self-advocacy skills and to know that if they email me, they will get a response. I want them to know that their email requests matter just the same as adults and that I owe that professional courtesy to them. Providing reliable and dependable communication and support, hopefully, can be one small thing that can help students be the best that they can be.