The Lance: Student Edition
"Take Care of Yourself...Each Other...Your Place!"
Hello Lancers!
Below you will find information on a couple items that are based on recent experiences from LMS staff, myself included. You are learning valuable lessons right now in how to participate appropriately in digital meetings as well as communicate via email correspondence. Two activities that are without a doubt going to continue to be part of your K-12, college, and work experience going forward. Check out the information and implement the practices today!
Norms for Digital Meetings
Since March 16, the likelihood that you will be engaging in a Google Meet or Zoom with your teachers has increased exponentially. Up until this time, I'd guess that the majority of your virtual "face to face" dialogue has been largely informal using IG live, FaceTime, Snap, etc. It is important to you remember that you are engaging with your teachers and there needs to remain the formality of that relationship. If you wouldn't act or engage in a way that wouldn't at school, then it shouldn't be done in a digital meeting.
If you are logging into a teacher's office hours, remember that this is a time for students to ask questions regarding work that was provided earlier in the week. While it's okay to check-in, this time is set aside for support and questions and your teacher needs to keep this time open.
Below are some helpful tips for your Meets and Zooms to run smoothly.
- Set up an intentional space where the class is going to happen. This should be a quiet yet public place. This is a meeting with a teacher, not a friend, and needs to be treated as such.
- Make sure you’re muted when not talking
- Be yourself and respect others
- Ask questions using the chat feature
- Use reactions to engage with your fellow attendees
- Utilize the raise your hand feature if wanting to ask a question
- Appropriate dress is required
Thanks for your attention to this matter in advance and keep doing great things.
Sending Effective and Appropriate Emails to Teachers
1. Include an appropriate subject heading.
2. Always include a greeting. "Hello Mr. Swegles" if it is the initial email. Once a back and forth continues, a greeting is no longer needed.
3. Be brief and concise. "I hope you are doing well. I am wondering if I will be able to get my calculator out of my locker soon."
4. Be polite. "Thank you for any help you can provide."
5. Check your tone. The difficulty with email/digital correspondence is that you cannot tell another person's tone. There are apps/extensions that can help you determine the tone of your email. Have another person read your email to assist with this.
If we truly want something, the probability of you getting it depends on how you ask for it. When approaching your teachers via email, use the above tips to engage in a higher level of conversation than you would with your peers.