So I’m not exactly sure how to start with this because my situation is really awkward. Basically, I emailed my AP Bio teacher last month to ask for a letter of rec. He responded and said that he’s happy to write to a rec letter for me and that it’d be very easy to write.
The problem is, thinking back on it, I haven’t been a great student in his class at all. I copied a lot of the reading guides first semester through Quizlet. One day in class, he asked everyone who did the reading guides legit to raise their hands and only around a handful of kids raised their hands. He said that he wouldn’t be taking reading guides for credit if they were taken off of Quizlet. I did them all legit afterwards. I’m not sure if he’ll remember this, and currently I’m in possession of all the reading guides.
Also, post COVID, he assigned a test in three parts (two MC, one FRQ) on AP Classroom and told us to take it. I cheated on the first MC part by looking up some of the answers on Quizlet. There’s a notable percentage discrepancy between the part I cheated on and the parts I didn’t. Later, he posted an announcement on Google Classroom saying that he wouldn’t enter the test grades because a good number of the students very obviously looked up answers, talked with other students, or read from the textbook. I’m not 100% sure, but I’m pretty sure that if he did enter the test my grade would’ve lowered.
The main reason I asked him for a letter of rec is because I think he knows me well outside of class and he’s my favorite teacher. First semester, I approached him and asked him if he was willing to help oversee a neuroscience competition. He referred me to another teacher, ultimately, that didn’t end up happening because the teacher wanted a psych prof from a uni to help and I couldn’t contact one in time. I’m planning on trying again this year though since now I’ve contacted a teacher for research. Second semester, I approached him for a biology competition and asked if he could post on Classroom and get around 5 kids interested. I checked in with him about a week later, a day before the deadline, and he told me that 0 kids had been interested. I’m planning on trying again next year. I ended up doing well in his class both semesters, although my performance on the tests first semester was rough and I probably wouldn’t have gotten the grade I did if he didn’t offer test corrections. My performance on second semester was better, and on the final meant to simulate this year’s AP exam I got a score that placed me in the high 5 range. He ended up commenting on my grade that I was “reliable, responsible, and hard-working.” It is also worth mentioning that I was on my device for a good portion of class. First semester, I was off-topic. Second semester, my device was usually turned toward the slides that he had on the board because personally I liked having slides on my computer since it’s easier for me to follow along. I’m not sure if he knew this. The majority of kids in his class also have their devices out. I did attend every Zoom session he held post COVID.
If I’m really being honest, I don’t know if it’s safe to ask him for a letter of rec. I’m considering asking my Calc teacher instead, whose class I’ve performed very well in (A+ both semesters), and who I’ve academically just been a very great student. I’ve asked her questions in class and I’ve done well on all the tests and the homework.
I’ve been considering my AP Calc teacher for my letter of rec instead, but since it’s already been a month, I’m worried that it’ll be awkward if I email my AP Bio teacher to tell him to stop writing one for me. I’m not really sure what to to do in this situation. I’m aware that I messed up, and I really do regret it, but there’s honestly nothing I can do at this point. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks for reading all this!