Etiquette with Professors

Yesterday in the Writing Center, I helped an Asian ESL student with an assignment I thought was kind of interesting, though maybe it’s going to seem weird of me. It was for an Intro to Grad School class specifically designed to help ESL students with practical skills, and the aim of the assignment was to learn email etiquette through a variety of different scenarios. So, for instance, one was to write an email to the hypothetical “Professor Lyman” inquiring about a low grade. The student had written, “Lyman: I got a low grade. But I do not think it is relevant to my paper at this time. I will meet with you in class.”

Obviously, there were clear things to work on, such as how to address the professor respectfully and frame the request to talk about grades less abrasively. That’s what I liked about working on the assignment. It was kind of interesting to try to explain, as I figured it out on the spot, what degrees of asskissingness were required for each scenario. It seemed useful, too, so I felt like I was truly helping the student. In the scenario in which the student asks for a letter of recommendation, for instance, it would be better not to have written, as the student had, “Lyman: I am applying for jobs. A letter of recommendation is required. I hope that you can write it as soon as possible.” I could explain how it is necessary to frame such a request by expressing gratitude and an understanding of how busy the professor’s life is. (And, of course, it should seem as though the professor has an option to decline!)

But I was surprised by some of the scenarios the teacher had come up with for the students to write about. In addition to complaining about a low grade, they were supposed to ask Professor Lyman for help writing a paper for another class and ask to be excused from class on the grounds that they had a DMV appointment. I can’t think of many professors who would accept either scenario, regardless of how politely it was written.