<p>My english teacher won't give me a recommendation because apparently since another one of her freshmen students are also applying to the schools im applying to and her own policy is that she "cant" write one for us. I'm pretty sure this is when i email all the schools but I feel like I've bothered them way too much.</p>
<p>What?! Who is she to decide which kids get to apply to which schools? If I were your mother, I’d be on the phone with the head of your school first thing in the morning. Be sure he sees her recommendation before it gets sent because she may take being made to write a rec out on you.</p>
<p>post that on ■■■ lol that’s mad funny</p>
<p>Talk to your headmaster/principal and hopefully everything will sort itself out. Good luck. :/</p>
<p>I agree with everyone else. Talk to your principal and if that doesn’t work have a parent get involved. It’s your teachers job to fill out the recommendation. They don’t get to just say “no, I don’t really feel like writing this.” </p>
<p>If it’s going to interfere with the deadlines I would go ahead and email the schools explaining the situation. It isn’t in your control that your English teacher is making things difficult. </p>
<p>Good luck getting things worked out!</p>
<p>Hmmm…while I agree with all of the above, I’d be very cautious about sending in a recommendation from an English teacher who doesn’t want to do it. English teachers know how to write. I’d see if last year’s teacher would be willing to do it, and then call or email my AO at the school to explain and ask if that would be okay. It’s too bad, though, that this is all happening at the last minute when the AO’s are swamped. Did you just ask the teacher recently, or was it a while ago?</p>
<p>You can’t leave us hanging on this one, we’ll need a follow up.</p>
<p>Ask the English teacher what she recommends. If she is your English teacher and she feels she can’t write it, what does she suggest? Maybe she’ll come up with a solution.</p>
<p>Get last year’s teacher to do it, then send a note explaining the problem. Also ask the principal to write a note on your behalf (or the counselor) explaining the situation. My daughter also included two non-required recommendations in her packages - one from a Latin teacher, and one from her tennis coach (who was her former Latin teacher). </p>
<p>Some teachers actually withhold recommendations because they think they are doing the student a favor. When my daughter was applying to schools teachers were commenting out loud (in class) that she was leaving because “her parents didn’t love her.” The reality is that the schools also feel “rejected” when their top students try to leave. They’re under the gun to keep their own stats up. And in my city, many people think of being “sent away” as being sent to reform school.</p>
<p>This year, I spent months convincing a young woman to apply to BS. She’s amazing. I just found out she didn’t finish the application because HER English teacher refused to fill out the recommendation and told her that she’d just bounce back like all the other kids do.</p>
<p>Most teachers are great and helpful. But some can be soul-crushing nimwits. </p>
<p>Might be time to get your parents to call the principal. Might also ask your interviewer for advice - or another Adcom. It will help in case the teacher is forced to write the recommendations and writes a glowing one for the other student and a lesser one for you.</p>
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<p>Funny. Sad and Funny.</p>
<p>my dad emailed the teacher asking for suggestions about what we could do but he said that she didn’t email back yet. I don’t know if it’s time to call the principal or to just give up on asking this english teacher for recommendations. If I call the principal, the teacher is bound to write me a questionable recommendation.</p>
<p>Running out of time, kiddo.</p>
<p>Be a warrior. Have parent go straight to the principal and if that doesn’t help - go straight to the school administration downtown.</p>
<p>Do you really want your success or failure to come down to a teacher? What happens when college students need the same thing? Does she blow them off too?</p>
<p>I shudder to wonder why people continue to teach who clear don’t want to advocate for their students.</p>
<p>My thoughts were this - getting my D out of this crappy PS district was like our version of the underground railroad. Only without Harriet Tubman to lead the way.</p>
<p>ahh I know. I think I will email my 8th grade english teacher and ask her to write one and then email the schools explaining why the english recommendation will be late.</p>
<p>An email is not enough. Please take the form to the 8th grade teacher and apologize for the urgent request. If that teacher is kind they will understand the importance and write a good letter.
I serve as an AdCom for a local medical school that primarily takes H.S. students. I screen applications and read all of the letters of recommendations. A negative letter really hurts an application in my view. So you don’t want the current teacher’s letter. It would hurt your application.
I feel that there are several teachers who don’t want kids to do well. In the minds of those sociopath teachers, they don’t want a student to fully achieve in their lives. They only want students who will be good burger flippers upon graduation. They may be secretly envious of students whose lives are on an upward track. So stay away from your current teacher.
However, your 8th grade teacher is doing you a favor. Take them a postage paid envelope, and make it as easy as possible for them to help you.</p>
<p>if your english teacher wont write you one dont expect one from her or dont bother asking her because if she is forced to she will probably write you a bad one. maybe your teacher is trying to send you a sign not to apply?</p>
<p>that assumes the poster is applying to 9th grade. In which case the 8th grade teacher is being a jerk. If that is the case, get the recommendation from the 7th grade teacher (i.e. which ever grade is last year’s teacher. </p>
<p>Again - Boarding schools just want validation from teachers that you’re a good student, fun to have in class, proactive in seeking help, work hard and deal well with difficult situations and participate in class.</p>
<p>Actually I’m applying to 10th grade so my 9th grade english teacher is the one to blame. I have to go back to my middle school and hope that my 8th grade english teacher can help. Now I think I’m going to send an email to the schools I’m applying to to explain why these recommendations will be so late.</p>
<p>Hold off on the email - nothing is “so late” yet. The schools fully expect that recommendations may take another week or two to arrive. Once they sort through all the application materials they’ve received (and this could take a while), they’ll send you an email telling you what is still missing. By then, you might have it all sorted out. If not, then that’s the time to send an email. But not today - they’re busy sorting through all the mail. Emails this week just slow the process.</p>
<p>Others may disagree, but that’s my 2 cents worth.</p>
<p>In the meantime, by the way, see if your current history teacher might be willing to send a rec for you. That way, you’d have not only last year’s English teacher (assuming he or she is willing), but also someone who’s able to evaluate your reading and writing skills this year.</p>
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What world do you live in? I was under the impression that teachers were hired to teach. Since when are they required to recommend their students for other studies or activites? I suppose you think they are obligated to make the recommendations positive, too?</p>
<p>The OP’s teacher has a dumb policy on recommendations. But that’s her prerogative.</p>
<p>@noimagination, thats a bit harsh, don’t you think? After all, teachers had to request recommendations from their teachers to get where they are right now. Isn’t the real issue here about teachers not wanting to help students? There are no rules as to how many recs a teacher may or may not want to write. But heres a thought, if a teacher wont right a rec, they maybe in the wrong vocation.</p>