Inappropriate Use Digital Media

In a previous school, their was a 'reply all' culture to email.  I had been the chair of the Language Arts Curriculum Review committee and had been working very hard to create positive change in terms of our instruction and assessment practices.  I thought we had created policies that were research based, best for kids, and had been build by consensus.  When the principal (who happened to be the husband of the biggest resistor) sent out an email saying that we would ONLY be administering the decoding portion of the reading assessment and not assessing comprehension, I immediately shot off an email to the entire elementary school outlining all of the reasons why I thought this idea was absurd.  Needless to say, I certainly should have taken a moment to breathe, organize my ideas, and walk across the hall to discuss this decision in person.  Email was definitely not the appropriate forum for this conversation.

I have been tempted to send out e-mails when I am upset or frustrated and have actually typed them out but wait to send until I have more time to think about it. It's tough not to be able to vent your feelings. I have also received e-mails about subjects that should be handled on a person to person level and was uncomfortable to receive it.