I am in constant awe and amazement at anyone who chooses to be a school teacher.  I love my children dearly but the idea of spending all day every day with 30 of them would drive me insane.  Nevertheless, I do find schools highly amusing and entertaining places.  It is the only environment I know of where taking part (rather than actually winning) can be seen as an achievement worth celebrating.  They can make our antiquated court system look positively space aged (you can pay by credit card in court but my youngest son’s school will still only take cash or cheque) and their spelling and communication skills sometimes make me wonder if it’s actually the children sending the messages.
 
This afternoon I received a text from the school saying that due to good behaviour yesterday, four classes can have a non uniform day.  My son’s class is one of the four, which did make me doubt the authenticity of the text, knowing what my son and his friends are like.  However, what was conspicuous by its absence was confirmation of WHEN the non uniform day was going to be.  Is this a credit that you can cash in any time, children could turn up on random days in their own clothes.  How would you keep track of who was wearing the right clothes on the right day.  If someone turned up in their own clothes on the wrong day, could the school send the child home.  You can see chaos ensuing, especially if I have anything to do with it.
 
Nevertheless, it does emphasise the importance of clearwording and the risks of using texts, which can be used to send binding instructions.  The message in question has been sent to a few hundred people which is not something that can be undone that easily.  If your communications are ambiguous or contain errors, it could backfire on you, and there may be nothing you can do about it.  Make sure your contracts are clear, and don’t send important details out in a hurried text.
 
If you need some advice on text exchanges, contracts or business law generally, drop me a line and we’ll meet for a coffee and a chat.  If you don’t mind me being in my jeans, let’s do it on a Friday.  That’s our dress down dayrather than a reward for good behaviour! 
 
Kleyman & Co Solicitors.  The full service law firm.  Advice on all matters in all types of clothing!