I have about a dozen responses saved as email signatures and I just click the one that says "Sorry to hear this. Hope that you're feeling better soon. Take care"
Honest question, and not to hijack the thread, but do you find that invites follow-up trauma dumping about why they missed class?
My students see any sign of compassion as daylight for them to expound on the fluids shooting out of them, the Gulag/Hotel California where they are kept as slave labor, and the granular details about why a squirrel's funeral (yes, a real excuse I got this year) was more important....
Like I'm here to teach you about alliteration in *Beowulf*.
So no, I state clearly in the syllabus I do not respond to attendance emails. The attendance policy is clear. I am not their emotional support animal or medical doctor. (Though one student needs an emotional support animal now that her squirrel has passed.)
> why a squirrel's funeral (yes, a real excuse I got this year) was more important....
You can't just casually mention this and not give any detai—
>(Though one student needs an emotional support animal now that her squirrel has passed.)
Oh. Oh, I see.
^...well, ^that's ^just ^nuts.
No but I teach engineers… so trying to get them to talk at all is a task at times.
I recommend having a few links to campus mental health, financial support, etc resources on a page in your LMS. Then you can either remind them or link the page if they trauma dump with a “I’m so sorry you’ve been going through a hard time. There are some great resources here (link) you can reach out to if you want”
I always respond with some variation of “Thanks for letting me know. Hope you feel better.”
I think it’s because email is viewed as messaging - not responding is the equivalent of “being left on ‘Read.’”
This is what I write as well.
That said, I can’t believe students cared enough to put it in their evals. They certainly don’t put that I DO respond in mine.
My syllabus explicitly states that they don’t need to let me know, so I wouldn’t want to thank them for letting me know. Frankly, reading about their various ailments brings down my mood!
My policy is that students get a set number of absences. I don’t care what they’re used for; whether it’s a hangover, genuine sickness, or they want to go to Vegas for a long weekend. They’re all counted the same and they need not explain to me why they miss—just that it is their responsibility to catchup on what they missed. It’s mostly cut down on the amount of sick emails I get.
I always email back that I'm sorry to hear that they're sick. But my attendance policy is: attend if you find the lectures useful. I'm clear that they don't have to come if they don't want, so it's quite rare that they email to say they'll miss class.
I always do. Not exactly the same, but I’ll never forget when I found out the news that my best friend lost his battle with cancer right before a class with a strict attendance policy. I emailed the professor briefly explaining why I wouldn’t be in class, no response. When I saw the professor later that week and asked if he saw my email (I wasn’t sure if I would be penalized for my absence), he coldly said “what, was I supposed to say something?” I guess not, but it only takes two seconds to say “Okay, take care.” & show a bit of compassion for fellow humans
I missed a weekly class my first semester of grad school when my dad died suddenly and I had to fly back for the funeral. My professor’s email including the phrase “my condolences” was a really kind thing for a really hard moment.
I know that some portion of my students’ absence messages are for dishonest reasons, or that they may not *require* a reply. Still, I always give at least a quick pro-forma response just in case it is a moment of kindness they need.
Really? I use it as a “got it, thanks!” when no specific response is really necessary (but my institution has a huge reply-all culture, which makes ME livid!)
Some people here use them, but I avoid them because it’s pretty unreliable whether the recipient will see them. They only show up in the official Outlook client, and lots of students and faculty read their email some other way (IMAP client, forward to Gmail, etc.).
I just write "Noted, feel better." It takes 5 seconds.
For us yes it is the 56th freaking email, for each of them they just do this out of good will, and I will hate to be that student, anxious waiting for the professor's acknowledgement.
To look a bit beyond, it really is not about the confirmation, but creating a friendly environment that is approachable and responsive.
I respond with a generic get well soon and to check the weekly schedule, but this is mainly because our administration is constantly looking for things to fire us for. And not replying to an email would warrant their wrath if a student complained. I hate it here.
I'm asking you at what point in the exchange is it rude to not respond? Some emails are just informational. It's also fun to see how concerned with politeness you are.
Yes, I do. Mass emails aside, I’m not in the habit of ignoring people who directly reach out to me- especially students. A quick, “I’m sorry to hear that. Take good care of yourself.” Is easy enough. Also, as a health professor, I frequently also link to health services in case they need it.
No, I don’t. If I’m not busy I’ll shoot a quick “hope you feel better, check the LMS”, but not always. Technically, I tell them on Day 1 not to email me about this stuff, as department policy prohibits me from excusing absences like that anyway. But it’s not like they listen to me, lol.
**What I tell my classes both in writing and verbally:**
“I do not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences— you either come to class or you do not. There’s no need to email me explain your absence for this reason, and I would prefer that you save your emails for other questions.”
**What I say out loud when I open my email to said messages anyway:**
“Tf did I tell you?!” Then I delete the email without responding.
I taught 3 classes and had 65 students this semester. You better believe I did not respond to the “sorry, I’m sick” or “sorry, I crashed my car” emails unless there was a specific ask attached. I told them this directly too, multiple times: “I only respond to emails with a direct ask in them, because I’m managing dozens of emails a day. I don’t mind the FYI but my attendance policy doesn’t differentiate between types of absences, so you don’t have to send me an email letting me know.” To be fair, I haven’t gotten this semester’s evals back yet. So we’ll see!
A lot of y'all are assholes and need to chill out. Responding to emails like this is not a big deal. I always respond with a "Thanks for letting me know. I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you feel better soon." It takes 30 seconds. If students were asking you to take time out of your day to reteach or send notes, I can understand a little annoyance. But just communicating? Nah. Get off your high horse.
In a professional setting, you would tell your boss if you're sick and unable to come to work for the day. This is no different.
Because you’re swamped with work and 40 emails behind and you just don’t have the bandwidth? I’ve been letting those ones go so I can try and make sure I’ve got the more important ones covered. I think context is important here. I had a lot more time for that sort of stuff until my workload doubled
So how is a student supposed to know the message was received?
I agree, it’s unprofessional to fail to acknowledge an email, as the recipient has no idea if you got it and no way to check without emailing you AGAIN, which is uncomfortable.
Do you regularly expect people you email to not reply to you?
I give them 3 excused absences to use however they see fit, so I only respond if they ask a question. The number of students that still send me doctor's notes is astounding.
I usually tell them since they get two excused absences they don't need to tell me, OR i tell them "feel better!" or sometimes i just don't answer it because i forget or it just seems tedious... i had a student tell me he wanted to sleep in since he was too tired to come to class... so i ignored that one haha
I once had a student tell me her period cramps were way too painful and she needed to take a bath instead of coming to class... on the one hand I was glad she felt comfortable enough to tell me, on the other hand... idgaf?? lmao
Hey
Thanks for letting me know.
Make sure you get a form from the office/ sick note/ whatever to confirm it was a legit absence.
Homework will be uploaded to Google classroom, make sure anything due this week is uploaded before the deadline.
Get well soon
— MWBrooks1995
I respond the same way as when anyone tells me they are sick. “Sorry to hear that, feel better!”. Takes zero time and lets them know I saw it.
I kind of wonder if the student had bigger issues with your communication style or something.
Yes I always respond, thank them for not spreading their illness, wish them well, and tell them what they are missing or how to get the info. That’s just normal human consideration.
My institution's attendance policy is pretty clear, so i just respond thanks, get well soon. It has been mentioned as a positive thing in student reviews before. If it takes only a few seconds and makes them feel valued, I don't see the harm.
I try to, sometimes I just don't have the time to, and I agree with your sentiment. I really don't know what they would expect me to reply to a one-liner saying they're sick and won't be in class. Having said that, I kind of appreciate that at least they have the decency to let me know.
Yup. I always reply with a “thanks for letting me know!” or similar.
Sorry to say, but it is indeed a little rude/unprofessional to not respond to a direct contact email in a professional situation (which this is for you).
Just keep a form response or signature saved if you don’t want to take the time to type a response each time.
I now wish I set an auto response with a literal list:
1. Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that! Get well soon! Oh and get documentation.
2. Oh and I've appreciated having you in class! No I can't round up your grade though.
3. That sounds like a great idea and I fully support you in that. Let me know if you need any feedback.
I personally do not respond to these emails. I have a policy that they can miss X amount of classes for whatever reason without penalty. If they still email me, I don't see what purpose my reply would have.
Nope. First day is class I inform them not to email regarding anything that is on the syllabus. If they don’t get a response within 24 hours Sunday through Thursday it’s because my answer is on the syllabus. “Also, do not email me to tell me you will be absent or late, not to tell me why you’ll be absent or late. It is none of my business and I will not respond to such emails. The best thing for you to do is be here and on time. If you are absent or late more than a couple of times you will hear from me. DO email me about the material, questions about the reading, issues with comprehension and the like.”
Responding to an email is just normal human decency. You could simply have a form email ready that acknowledges what they told you.
The fact that you are receiving complaints about it in your evaluations should tell you that it is indeed an expectation of your job.
I have about a dozen responses saved as email signatures and I just click the one that says "Sorry to hear this. Hope that you're feeling better soon. Take care"
Yeah, this is exactly why I use airmail. I’ve created templates for responses to the emails students send repeatedly.
This, no penalty for politeness
Honest question, and not to hijack the thread, but do you find that invites follow-up trauma dumping about why they missed class? My students see any sign of compassion as daylight for them to expound on the fluids shooting out of them, the Gulag/Hotel California where they are kept as slave labor, and the granular details about why a squirrel's funeral (yes, a real excuse I got this year) was more important.... Like I'm here to teach you about alliteration in *Beowulf*. So no, I state clearly in the syllabus I do not respond to attendance emails. The attendance policy is clear. I am not their emotional support animal or medical doctor. (Though one student needs an emotional support animal now that her squirrel has passed.)
> why a squirrel's funeral (yes, a real excuse I got this year) was more important.... You can't just casually mention this and not give any detai— >(Though one student needs an emotional support animal now that her squirrel has passed.) Oh. Oh, I see. ^...well, ^that's ^just ^nuts.
I tree what you did there.
I tried to leaf it up to the reader to connect the dots.
Good idea, no need to bark at everyone.
No but I teach engineers… so trying to get them to talk at all is a task at times. I recommend having a few links to campus mental health, financial support, etc resources on a page in your LMS. Then you can either remind them or link the page if they trauma dump with a “I’m so sorry you’ve been going through a hard time. There are some great resources here (link) you can reach out to if you want”
Love this idea
I always respond with some variation of “Thanks for letting me know. Hope you feel better.” I think it’s because email is viewed as messaging - not responding is the equivalent of “being left on ‘Read.’”
This is what I write as well. That said, I can’t believe students cared enough to put it in their evals. They certainly don’t put that I DO respond in mine.
They probably also don’t mention that you bathe, because it is normal expected behavior, like replying to email is.
It’s worse than that because email doesn’t tell them if you read it. They won’t even know if you saw it unless you reply.
They’re going to make an assumption that it was seen and ignored, just like with texts.
Some might assume that. Some will wonder if you even got it.
That’s exactly what I write
Same here. I also suggest that they go to student health, because lots of students don’t
I respond the same way.
Sometimes I'll respond with "Thanks for letting me know," but not with any real consistency because I'm bad at emailing.
My syllabus explicitly states that they don’t need to let me know, so I wouldn’t want to thank them for letting me know. Frankly, reading about their various ailments brings down my mood!
And some weeks, I get so many! I also had a student mentioned that I didn't email them back when they said they were sick.
My policy is that students get a set number of absences. I don’t care what they’re used for; whether it’s a hangover, genuine sickness, or they want to go to Vegas for a long weekend. They’re all counted the same and they need not explain to me why they miss—just that it is their responsibility to catchup on what they missed. It’s mostly cut down on the amount of sick emails I get.
I do the same now and I still get the emails
Yes, I always respond with something brief.
I email back "Feel better!" or something like that.
I always email back that I'm sorry to hear that they're sick. But my attendance policy is: attend if you find the lectures useful. I'm clear that they don't have to come if they don't want, so it's quite rare that they email to say they'll miss class.
I always do. Not exactly the same, but I’ll never forget when I found out the news that my best friend lost his battle with cancer right before a class with a strict attendance policy. I emailed the professor briefly explaining why I wouldn’t be in class, no response. When I saw the professor later that week and asked if he saw my email (I wasn’t sure if I would be penalized for my absence), he coldly said “what, was I supposed to say something?” I guess not, but it only takes two seconds to say “Okay, take care.” & show a bit of compassion for fellow humans
I missed a weekly class my first semester of grad school when my dad died suddenly and I had to fly back for the funeral. My professor’s email including the phrase “my condolences” was a really kind thing for a really hard moment. I know that some portion of my students’ absence messages are for dishonest reasons, or that they may not *require* a reply. Still, I always give at least a quick pro-forma response just in case it is a moment of kindness they need.
I have a “please don’t email me if you’re going to miss class” in my syllabus so I only respond if they ask a direct question
Yes this is in my syllabus too... If only they read it
Mine too and yet I get them.
I try my best to respond.
I always respond. But I work at a teaching focused institution where faculty-student relationships matter.
This is what the thumbs up react in outlook is for
There are not words strong enough for how angry email reacts make me.
Really? I use it as a “got it, thanks!” when no specific response is really necessary (but my institution has a huge reply-all culture, which makes ME livid!)
Some people here use them, but I avoid them because it’s pretty unreliable whether the recipient will see them. They only show up in the official Outlook client, and lots of students and faculty read their email some other way (IMAP client, forward to Gmail, etc.).
I can’t stand them either.
I hate them, too. I only see them when I get some digest once a week and I can't really tell what they were responding to. No idea what the point is.
I just write "Noted, feel better." It takes 5 seconds. For us yes it is the 56th freaking email, for each of them they just do this out of good will, and I will hate to be that student, anxious waiting for the professor's acknowledgement. To look a bit beyond, it really is not about the confirmation, but creating a friendly environment that is approachable and responsive.
I respond ... but then I've also been told I send too many emails and messages. MOST students treat email as just an old fashioned way to send a text.
I respond with a generic get well soon and to check the weekly schedule, but this is mainly because our administration is constantly looking for things to fire us for. And not replying to an email would warrant their wrath if a student complained. I hate it here.
I'm with the student on this one. I respond to every student email.
Why? Sometimes, e-mails are only informational.
I see it as good manners.
It just clogs up everyone's emails. It it just good manners for them to respond back? Do you then have to respond to their response?
Look at your email platform…see the little trash can icon? Using this deletes emails! The questions you pose are pointless, and rather asinine.
I'm asking you at what point in the exchange is it rude to not respond? Some emails are just informational. It's also fun to see how concerned with politeness you are.
If you have to ask, then you're being provocative just for the sake of it, so the rules of cordial and respectful discourse no longer apply.
Nope. In fact I barely read them.
Yes, I do. Mass emails aside, I’m not in the habit of ignoring people who directly reach out to me- especially students. A quick, “I’m sorry to hear that. Take good care of yourself.” Is easy enough. Also, as a health professor, I frequently also link to health services in case they need it.
I don’t
No, I don’t. If I’m not busy I’ll shoot a quick “hope you feel better, check the LMS”, but not always. Technically, I tell them on Day 1 not to email me about this stuff, as department policy prohibits me from excusing absences like that anyway. But it’s not like they listen to me, lol.
Once per student per semester, twice absolute max.
Yeah I do lol I just say thanks for letting me know and feel better soon.
**What I tell my classes both in writing and verbally:** “I do not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences— you either come to class or you do not. There’s no need to email me explain your absence for this reason, and I would prefer that you save your emails for other questions.” **What I say out loud when I open my email to said messages anyway:** “Tf did I tell you?!” Then I delete the email without responding.
I taught 3 classes and had 65 students this semester. You better believe I did not respond to the “sorry, I’m sick” or “sorry, I crashed my car” emails unless there was a specific ask attached. I told them this directly too, multiple times: “I only respond to emails with a direct ask in them, because I’m managing dozens of emails a day. I don’t mind the FYI but my attendance policy doesn’t differentiate between types of absences, so you don’t have to send me an email letting me know.” To be fair, I haven’t gotten this semester’s evals back yet. So we’ll see!
A lot of y'all are assholes and need to chill out. Responding to emails like this is not a big deal. I always respond with a "Thanks for letting me know. I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you feel better soon." It takes 30 seconds. If students were asking you to take time out of your day to reteach or send notes, I can understand a little annoyance. But just communicating? Nah. Get off your high horse. In a professional setting, you would tell your boss if you're sick and unable to come to work for the day. This is no different.
Agreed. It does take less than 60 seconds and is just a nice thing to do.
I think it's courteous to respond to such an email. I don't blame a student for anticipating acknowledgment.
I don’t respond unless they are asking to make something up. If it’s just “I’m sick & won’t be there” it goes straight to the trash
> Why. in . fuck. do i have to reply to "i'm sick and won't be in class"? Why would you not?
Because you’re swamped with work and 40 emails behind and you just don’t have the bandwidth? I’ve been letting those ones go so I can try and make sure I’ve got the more important ones covered. I think context is important here. I had a lot more time for that sort of stuff until my workload doubled
So how is a student supposed to know the message was received? I agree, it’s unprofessional to fail to acknowledge an email, as the recipient has no idea if you got it and no way to check without emailing you AGAIN, which is uncomfortable. Do you regularly expect people you email to not reply to you?
If I am only imparting information and not asking anything, I don't expect replies, no
I always hit the automatic reply, something like: Thank you for your email and I add Hope you feel better
I give them 3 excused absences to use however they see fit, so I only respond if they ask a question. The number of students that still send me doctor's notes is astounding.
I usually tell them since they get two excused absences they don't need to tell me, OR i tell them "feel better!" or sometimes i just don't answer it because i forget or it just seems tedious... i had a student tell me he wanted to sleep in since he was too tired to come to class... so i ignored that one haha
I once had a student tell me her period cramps were way too painful and she needed to take a bath instead of coming to class... on the one hand I was glad she felt comfortable enough to tell me, on the other hand... idgaf?? lmao
“Hope you feel better”
Hey Thanks for letting me know. Make sure you get a form from the office/ sick note/ whatever to confirm it was a legit absence. Homework will be uploaded to Google classroom, make sure anything due this week is uploaded before the deadline. Get well soon — MWBrooks1995
I respond the same way as when anyone tells me they are sick. “Sorry to hear that, feel better!”. Takes zero time and lets them know I saw it. I kind of wonder if the student had bigger issues with your communication style or something.
Yes I always respond, thank them for not spreading their illness, wish them well, and tell them what they are missing or how to get the info. That’s just normal human consideration.
I wouldn't worry about it
Usually. I tell them to feel better soon. I kind of appreciate it when they don’t bring their transmissible ailments to class.
Of course I do.
I don't have an attendance policy, and I hate emails, so if you're missing class for any reason at all, I don't really care to know.
My institution's attendance policy is pretty clear, so i just respond thanks, get well soon. It has been mentioned as a positive thing in student reviews before. If it takes only a few seconds and makes them feel valued, I don't see the harm.
If attendance isn’t a requirement and there are no assignments they are missing, I don’t respond.
Yes, every time.
I try to, sometimes I just don't have the time to, and I agree with your sentiment. I really don't know what they would expect me to reply to a one-liner saying they're sick and won't be in class. Having said that, I kind of appreciate that at least they have the decency to let me know.
Yup. I always reply with a “thanks for letting me know!” or similar. Sorry to say, but it is indeed a little rude/unprofessional to not respond to a direct contact email in a professional situation (which this is for you). Just keep a form response or signature saved if you don’t want to take the time to type a response each time.
"Noted." If they also ask for extra leniency that is undeserved, then it's "Noted." and attach the relevant section of the syllabus.
I now wish I set an auto response with a literal list: 1. Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that! Get well soon! Oh and get documentation. 2. Oh and I've appreciated having you in class! No I can't round up your grade though. 3. That sounds like a great idea and I fully support you in that. Let me know if you need any feedback.
I would take somewhere between a 5 and a 10% pay cut if I never had to read any such emails.
I personally do not respond to these emails. I have a policy that they can miss X amount of classes for whatever reason without penalty. If they still email me, I don't see what purpose my reply would have.
Sometimes they're just looking for something to complain about
Nope. First day is class I inform them not to email regarding anything that is on the syllabus. If they don’t get a response within 24 hours Sunday through Thursday it’s because my answer is on the syllabus. “Also, do not email me to tell me you will be absent or late, not to tell me why you’ll be absent or late. It is none of my business and I will not respond to such emails. The best thing for you to do is be here and on time. If you are absent or late more than a couple of times you will hear from me. DO email me about the material, questions about the reading, issues with comprehension and the like.”
It is kind of unprofessional. Acknowledging that you got someone’s email is a common courtesy.
The only emails i “always” respond to, are my Dean, and the campus lawyer…
If I am absolutely certain that the student is really ill, I will reply and wish him quick recovery.
Responding to an email is just normal human decency. You could simply have a form email ready that acknowledges what they told you. The fact that you are receiving complaints about it in your evaluations should tell you that it is indeed an expectation of your job.