Time for some soul cleansing.
Sitting at my desk this morning, I am responding to school e-mail and notice I have yet to RSVP to an invite to take part in some district training. I hit the reply button and type my missive, explaining I will be a little late due to our school’s late release time.
Two Minutes.
That’s all it took before the e-mails started rolling in from across the county letting me know that I had inadvertently “Replied All.” I’ve unsent the message now. Anyone who hasn’t already seen it, won’t. What’s interesting to me is the mood of the response I got from many teachers. The few from around the county who know me and read the message were polite with their replies. Not everyone was.
One teacher, whom I do not know, replied:
WHEN YOU WANT TO RESPOND TO THE PERSON WHO CONTACTED YOU, GO TO MESSAGE, REPLY SPECIAL, REPLY SENDER. THAT WAY THE WHOLE WORLD DOES NOT HAVE TO READ YOU MESSAGES OR BE PART OF YOUR BUSINESS. JUST AN FYI….HAVE A GREAT DAY.
You’ve got to see the irony in using all caps and the “That way the whole world does not have to read your messages or be a part of your business,” coupled with “Have a great day.”
It’s amazing how snarky we can be to each other when there’s no person attached.
So, here I sit, replies rolling in from those teachers who already opened the message. Each one telling me just how to reply to an e-mail. Nothing like starting the day with humility brought to me by EVERYONE in the district.
More later.