tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233413034415992317.post8689130879560742965..comments2020-12-30T12:56:45.883-06:00Comments on ye olde republicke: Things I learned from teachingGabriel Conroyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027746942101340042noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233413034415992317.post-45625288427191331182012-06-14T06:16:36.127-05:002012-06-14T06:16:36.127-05:00Yes, you're exactly right. For me it's mu...Yes, you're exactly right. For me it's much easier to have a conversation on phone or in person. I think, also, I spend so much of my day typing into my damned computer that email just means more typing. :)<br /><br />OK, today when I get an email I don't feel like answering, I'm going to try this reply:<br />"Call me".<br />:)Jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11482287963154155068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233413034415992317.post-63855371558227224192012-06-12T07:21:01.193-05:002012-06-12T07:21:01.193-05:00Hi Jon,
Thanks for commenting!
I think I agree t...Hi Jon,<br /><br />Thanks for commenting!<br /><br />I think I agree that it's a good thing to discourage email communication for most things other than for housekeeping questions, yes-or-no questions, or to set up appointments. Almost anything else is better answered in person or by phone.<br /><br />I don't teach at the moment any more, but when I did, a good number of my students were either non-traditional and they had other obligations that may have prevented them from coming to office hours or set up appointment. In those cases, I can understand the use of email, but I would prefer to talk to them over the phone.<br /><br />When I first encountered email, it was when I enrolled as an MA student in 1997. Then, I actually had no qualms about emailing professors. It *seemed* to me (and I imagine it so seems to many students nowadays) less intrusive than face-to-face encounters. Of course, as you point out, it can be an intrusion, especially because a thoughtful answer often requires much more work than a conversation.Gabriel Conroyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17566193099628849226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233413034415992317.post-18341867942328802562012-06-12T06:44:09.761-05:002012-06-12T06:44:09.761-05:00I agree with all of this, and with the attitude be...I agree with all of this, and with the attitude behind it. It struck me, though, that one of the standards of professionalism is responding to email within a reasonable period of time. That's a pretty new requirement. When I was an undergraduate student, I can't imagine having emailed a professor except perhaps to ask for a letter of recommendation for graduate school. But otherwise it felt like an intrusion into their lives. I know that nowadays students have different expectations about it. I teach a course with 200 students, and I have to admit that I don't encourage email communication - although I'm thrilled when students come up to ask me questions after a lecture (and happy to see them during office hours).Jonhttp://brain-and-mind.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com