Teachers Receive Aggressive E-mails from Parents after Work Hours

A study revealed that teachers in the United Kingdom often receive e-mails from parents after work hours. The study, done by the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), surveyed 1,572 teachers. Results revealed that over 50% of the respondents are bombarded with e-mails from parents during weekends, at night, and early in the morning. Some teachers receive e-mails during the wee hours of the morning like one a.m. These e-mails tend to be aggressive, with parents complaining about the need to fill out school forms or questioning teachers’ disciplinary methods. Teachers pointed out that an upsurge in the use of school management apps like ClassDojo is a factor behind parents’ intrusive way of communicating. This is because such apps allow parents to send queries and complaints, demanding immediate responses from teachers. Additionally, around 70% of the teachers said their e-mail addresses were given to parents, mostly without their permission. Teachers also disclosed that some schools require teachers to have e-mail access on their phones and that school management monitored their e-mails. More than half of the teachers admitted that they felt obliged to entertain e-mails during their time off and guilty if they failed to respond. As a result of this phenomenon, teachers’ mental health and work-life balance suffer. Some teachers even consider resigning from their jobs. Education Secretary Damian Hinds responded to the issue and asked schools to reduce teacher workload and to eliminate the communication practice. On a similar note, NASUWT General Secretary Chris Keats believes that schools must have appropriate practices in place to promote consideration and respect for teachers’ work-life balance.