I’m a rising sophomore in high school. I was wondering how I can connect with my teachers, other than getting good grades. I’m a bit shy in class since I don’t participate in raising hand when teachers ask the class questions. I know the teachers’ impression of me is that I’m reserved, but I actually have a good sense of humor. But I can’t crack jokes in class if I’m trying to focus on my learning and I don’t want to crack jokes just to appear humorous and animated. I guess it doesn’t help that I wear a mask all the time due to Covid. What should I do so I can build good rapport with the teachers so I can get good letter of recommendations for college admission, scholarship, summer programs, etc?
Are there classes or teachers that you are drawn to? I understand that some people are naturally shy, but at some point to succeed, you have to be proactive. That doesn’t mean you need to be the class clown. Start with meeting the teacher(s) before or after classes to talk about what you are learning in the class, maybe ask for supplemental readings. If the teacher is a sponsor of a school EC (e.g. academic team, newspaper/journal, student government) that you are interested in, join that and be an active participant. It is about developing a relationship with a teacher so that they can favorably comment on desirable attributes with factual substantiation.
Your teacher recommendations will be based on your performance in their classes so do continue to put your best foot forward in that sense —work hard to get good grades, turn in your homework on time, be respectful, take extra credit opportunities, etc.
I hear you that you are shy, but it is to your benefit to try to participate in class if you can. At least on occasion. It will be worth it. A well-thought out answer to a teacher’s question will make a good impression (no need to crack jokes or overthink it).
Do your teachers have office hours during or after school? It would be a good opportunity to connect one on one. Pop in to discuss class work, or maybe seek advice on your college search or an extracurricular activity. Perhaps an English teacher can talk with you about potential college essay topics?
Don’t make yourself a pest, but one or two office hour visits during a semester is very appropriate and will allow teachers to get to know you outside of class.
Good luck!
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Does your school have parent/teacher conferences? Do your parents have any ideas about what your teachers think about you? We were constantly told by teachers from the time my daughter was little that they wished she’d participate in class more. After a few years of encouraging her we finally just stopped. We figured if she asked questions when she had them, was polite, and worked hard that we were not going to push her to be more extroverted which was just causing her anxiety. BUT, some teachers, especially as she got older, appreciated her for being who she was and for being a good student. We had a math teacher sophomore year tell us she wished her whole class was made up of students like our daughter. My daughter ended up asking her for a reference. It started to become obvious to us which teachers really liked her and which ones thought she was a good student but definitely preferred the more extroverted types.
That all said, you do need to make some effort to connect with your teachers. Ask questions, go in for help when you need it, participate when required, etc. Getting involved in some school clubs and activities is good too since at most schools teachers are involved in those. Another great reference my student got was from a teacher who actually never taught her but was the advisor of the robotics team by daughter joined. She got to see a different side of my daughter and wrote a great recommendation.
I would say that at your age my daughter would have had NO idea who to use as a reference but started to make more connections with teachers as she got older. It’s good you’re aware of it but I wouldn’t stress about it TOO much just yet.