I don't get this- vent

MesmrEwe · September 2017

SNS - when I get bombarded with the email requests I decide the priority level first before deciding which one to give out. Especially with some churches, I may not be inclined to give out my business email because I don't want my business email cluttered up. OTOH, I do have the "clutter" email address that once a week I sort based on emails and delete 400 junk/spam messages..

That said - LW has a case of "Holier than thou" syndrome... That class is a higher priority for her than it is to the parents of the kids in it. I don't care what denomination is involved, I'm guessing a high percentage are merely there out of obligation to drag their kid there so they don't have to face the wrath of Grandma/pa... js...

Ro041 · September 2017

I am the volunteer coordinator with a local pet food pantry. All of our communication with volunteers is by email. I make it a habit to respond to each and every email, even if it is to say, "I have you on our volunteer list for Sunday. See you there!" Everyone knows that if they do not get an email back from me, I DID NOT GET YOUR EMAIL. I feel like it is common courtesy to respond to someone who is taking their time to help.

In that same vein, even if a Sunday School teacher isn't an "actual" teacher (which I don't necessarily agree with), it is common courtesy to respond to anyone who is caring for and keeping your child safe for an hour. So even if you view this teacher as "less than" - they are, at a bare minimum, free daycare for you and an email response is literally the least you can do.

mrsconn23 · September 2017

Do you have these parent's cell numbers? What about asking if e-mails or texting is easier? I mean, if it's more involved...you could send out a mass text that says, "Party on xx/xx/xx, please check email for details"?

Our school system has started sending out short burst text messages and then following them up with an e-mail. I appreciate it because it's a quick way to grab attention about certain events.

southernbelle0915 · September 2017

Ro041 said:

I am the volunteer coordinator with a local pet food pantry. All of our communication with volunteers is by email. I make it a habit to respond to each and every email, even if it is to say, "I have you on our volunteer list for Sunday. See you there!" Everyone knows that if they do not get an email back from me, I DID NOT GET YOUR EMAIL. I feel like it is common courtesy to respond to someone who is taking their time to help.

In that same vein, even if a Sunday School teacher isn't an "actual" teacher (which I don't necessarily agree with), it is common courtesy to respond to anyone who is caring for and keeping your child safe for an hour. So even if you view this teacher as "less than" - they are, at a bare minimum, free daycare for you and an email response is literally the least you can do.

I totally agree with being respectful to anyone who cares for your kid, to volunteers, and really just anyone in general. I also think the "less than" attitude is a little insulting.

However, I don't think it's reasonable to think that, if you ask everyone to reply "got it" that every single recipient is going to do it. Especially when you aren't even sure if the email was received (e.g. never got it, went to spam, etc.). Honestly if only 3 families don't respond and two of them make changes to better communicate next time, that seems like a pretty great batting average, if you ask me. It's just going to happen that not every single person responds or makes things a priority. It's the nature of busy parents and people in general.

So the only options (IMHO) are to decide: 1) if it is important enough to warrant additional communication to ensure message receipt (e.g. paper copy, another email, a phone call, etc.) or 2) if it's "on them" and you won't be doing additional follow up. If #1, then figure it out and do it. And if #2, then let it go.

GBCK · September 2017

I do hate to give my real email address to anything related to church and school, because I swear, it's 'well, it's for a good cause' related, but the number of 'hey, don't you want to buy pizza kits?' or 'remember the other school is having it's sleepover next week' emails makes me drown.
So I reluctantly give the real one.

ALthough, I confess that I don't always check my real one daily amymore.

MissKittyDanger · September 2017

I have 3 emails for this exact reason.
Gmail - professional. Ebilling, contact with certain companies and in future it'll be what school/daycare has for kid. Linked to my phone.

Yahoo - My mum's fb is attached to this one, but also for coupons and offers.

Hotmail - facebook and sephora.

I check them all, but Gmail gets checked quickest because it's the email set to my phone

lovesclimbing · September 2017

I'm actually sort of on @STARMOON44's side with this one.

If someone asks for a response, yes, it's polite to respond, but I don't think it was necessary to ask in the beginning. Especially if you're talking 800+ students! I know I wouldn't want to get 800+ "got it" responses cluttering my inbox!

In this day and age, everyone should know to check their spam folder on occasion and make sure nothing that shouldn't be in there is in there. And everyone should know to print their info clearly on forms. And everyone should know to double check as they're typing email addresses in.

If the parents complain they're not receiving info, they should be told emails are being sent, double check they wrote down and you inputted the right email, and it's on them if they're not getting them. If they gave out their email, duh, that means they'll be getting communications via email and should expect it.

6fsn · September 2017

I only have 15 students. 3 out of 15 is 20%.

MobKaz · September 2017

STARMOON44 said:

banana468 said:

STARMOON44 said:

I wouldn't respond to that email. Why? Idk maybe I'm just the worst but it strikes me as completely unnecessary. Like, no I'm not going to email you just to tell you I got your email and it's weird you are asking me to. You're just teaching Sunday school. And if you're the one who's so concerned about critical emails going through stop using an account you know often gets sent to spam.

So if a school teacher said, "Please just let me know that you got this so I know my emails are reaching you," you plan to be THAT parent who just doesn't respond because you're too good to respond? Yeah, maybe you're not the worst but if that was the attitude displayed to me as a teacher I'd put you in the "one of those parents" categories in my head.

FWIW, I'm the parent who had issues receiving mass emails from my daughter's elementary school when she was in K. It was the district's email account and teachers had no choice about what account to use. And still DH would have to forward me emails that he knew I wasn't getting because something was wonky.

An actual school teacher? Sure I'd reply. But Sunday school? Why all the fuss about emails? I'd prob reply eventually but I think it's really weird to be this insistent people confirm receipt of an email.

That attitude is insulting and offensive. Judge much?

flantastic · September 2017

So I'm a DRE, meaning I run these programs that 6 volunteers for. I think it almost makes it worse not responding to the volunteer teacher. For me, it's my job to deal with you. For school teachers, it's their job. It's a tough job (I'd say more so for the school teachers) but they are getting paid to do it.

Meanwhile, you can't be bothered to respond to the person who is not at all getting paid to watch your kid for (in our case) 37.5 hours a year, and teach them something that is supposed to be of vital or at least equal importance to you as any other topic? It's your job as the parent to teach them this stuff anyway - PSR programs are purely supplemental, if anything's going to stick - and they are being so kind as to help you and be in charge of your kid(s). On their own time, for free.

I get thinking the request might be silly, but how hard is it to type the words "got it" in your iPhone and hit send? Then you're not making the volunteer teacher's day unnecessarily harder by having to track you down via paper handouts (which often doesn't make it to the parents unless they physically have to come to the classrooms to pick up, and depending on the age, they don't in many programs), or whatever other means they have to take. They may track you down, because they care - but the point is that the parent should too.

MobKaz · September 2017

flantastic said:

So I'm a DRE, meaning I run these programs that 6 volunteers for. I think it almost makes it worse not responding to the volunteer teacher. For me, it's my job to deal with you. For school teachers, it's their job. It's a tough job (I'd say more so for the school teachers) but they are getting paid to do it.

Meanwhile, you can't be bothered to respond to the person who is not at all getting paid to watch your kid for (in our case) 37.5 hours a year, and teach them something that is supposed to be of vital or at least equal importance to you as any other topic? It's your job as the parent to teach them this stuff anyway - PSR programs are purely supplemental, if anything's going to stick - and they are being so kind as to help you and be in charge of your kid(s). On their own time, for free.

I get thinking the request might be silly, but how hard is it to type the words "got it" in your iPhone and hit send? Then you're not making the volunteer teacher's day unnecessarily harder by having to track you down via paper handouts (which often doesn't make it to the parents unless they physically have to come to the classrooms to pick up, and depending on the age, they don't in many programs), or whatever other means they have to take. They may track you down, because they care - but the point is that the parent should too.

So true! We only place value on things that have a monetary cost attached?

ahoywedding · September 2017

I get your frustration, but honestly only 3 people not responding is pretty good. I lead a Girl Scout troop, and we have about 12ish girls. At one point, we had a Facebook group, emails AND a website through the church most of the girls were affiliated with. Guess what? We still had people who never responded. If the information was minor, we'd just let it go and try to catch the parents at a meeting, but if it was something super important, one of us calls the parents.

Does the church require you to use Hotmail? If not, I would use something else that you know doesn't get stuck in spam filters. If you already have Gmail, you can add another Gmail account and link them so checking two accounts isn't much extra work for you. Giving it a name like XChurchSundaySchool or something would help even more.

And I will admit I'm one of those people who suck at checking email. I look at a computer all day and don't want anything to do with it after 5.

banana468 · September 2017

I'd more roll my eyes at the people who were required to give an email and then said that it was a junk email that they never check.

But I'd also advise using a different email address for this. Even consider creating a Gmail account that you can use specifically for religious ed purposes.

flantastic · September 2017

banana468 said:

I'd more roll my eyes at the people who were required to give an email and then said that it was a junk email that they never check.

But I'd also advise using a different email address for this. Even consider creating a Gmail account that you can use specifically for religious ed purposes.

Yeah, we give everyone a parish Google account. Some prefer to use their personal email knowing that they'll never remember to check the other, some prefer to have it separate or more "official" looking and use it often.

I don't get this- vent

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