Rethinking Dear Me Letters

For years, teachers have assigned Dear Me Letters to their students during the first week. It's a great first week activity for kids and teachers to get know each other, but I think they have the potential to do much more. I think it's time for us to rethink the Dear Me Letter and recast it as Dear Me and Dear Teacher Emails.

The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards include writing procedural and work-related documents at every level. Email is mentioned specifically in English I and II, although I would argue it should probably be addressed at each level. The lack of appropriate, professional comportment has become a nuisance at many colleges, universities, and workplaces. In her article "U Can't Talk to Ur Professor Like This", New York Times' Molly Worthen writes, "And I suspect that most of the time, students who call faculty members by their first names and send slangy messages are not seeking a more casual rapport. They just don't know they should do otherwise- no one has bothered to explain it to them." Game on, Worthen. Challenge accepted.

Since Northside is fortunate enough to be a Google for Education district, some of our students have been working in 1:1 environments since they were in elementary school. Some have only used devices for learning sporadically. An easy way to gauge their level of experience is with a quick mini-lesson:

• Journal Prompt: Write about your experiences writing letters, notes, texts, and emails. Would you use the same language to write something to your parent, grandparent, or guardian, to your principal or teacher that you would use to write something to your friends or siblings? What is the difference between them? 
• Debrief: Discuss with an elbow partner, then whole class debrief. What are the do’s and don’ts for writing to a peer and for writing to an adult?

If you are teaching more advanced learners, we recommend using the New York Times' Learning Network's post, How Formal Should Students Be When Interacting with their Teachers and Professors by Shannon Doyle, The New York Times Learning Network. Students can read an excerpt or the whole article U Can’t Talk to Ur Professor Like This and annotate for the most important idea(s) and supporting details. Debrief: Share your notes with an elbow partner and then the whole class.

I could lecture about email etiquette guidelines, but I'd rather let my kids do the thinking and discovering here. Using Kelly Walsh's 8 Examples of Transforming Lessons through the SAMR Cycle as our guide, we came up with four options for student work time and skills assessment.

Substitution  Students read an online article discussing Email Etiquette concepts and guidelines. Suggested resources:  7 Useful Tips on How to Write a Perfect Professional Email in English,  wikiHow to Write a Formal Email,  How to Write a Perfect Professional Email in English in 5 Steps (ideal for struggling students),  Effective E-mail Communication (ideal for advanced students).		Augmentation  Students read an online article discussing Email Etiquette concepts and guidelines that include links to examples. Students create a list of the 5 most important Do’s and Don’ts for writing an email to a friend or peer and for writing an email to a professional adult. Students share their list in a Google Classroom discussion (Create Question, assign to all students, and allow Students can reply to each other and Students can edit their answer) and respond to the comments of two peers.
Modification Students review resources discussing Email Etiquette concepts and guidelines. After reviewing the guidelines, students use their social media accounts to share their top 5 lists, using a designated hashtag or a class hashtag to follow the discussion.  Barbra’s note: I used Instagram with the hashtag #bloomysb107. This was an optional enrichment step since some of my students did not have Instagram. Lisa’s note: If the student doesn’t have the social media you are using, you can post for him/her.		Redefinition After reviewing online resources, discussing their ideas with peers and the class, and writing their Do’s and Don’ts, students compose two emails: one Dear Me email addressed to themselves and their teacher (this is a good opportunity to teach them to CC you) and one Dear Teacher email. Students demonstrate their understanding of Email Etiquette by writing versions that are appropriate for a peer and for a professional adult. Teacher rubrics use the Do’s and Don’ts as the criteria for assessment.

Some of my favorite versions of the Dear Teacher Email ask students to share things they wish their teachers knew about them at the beginning of the year. The results are often sobering, but giving students a voice is always powerful. Another teacher asked his students what they need to be successful. Asking simple questions such as "What do you hope your teacher will do this year?" and "How do you learn best?" can give teachers valuable windows into students' thinking. By the time they reach high school, our students are very aware of what works for them.

What are some of your strategies for getting to know your students at the beginning of the year? We would love to hear from you.