<p>How am I supposed to ask them for recommendations? I don't talk or participate in class unless the teacher calls on me.</p>
<p>I don't talk to them outside of, before, or after class other than standard stuff like "Do you have a stapler, tape, a pen, etc. that I can borrow?" or "Can I go to the bathroom?" or "I wasn't here yesterday, what did I miss?".</p>
<p>Is this a big deal? Or am I just overreacting?</p>
<p>But I can't possibly be the only person in the world who's ever had this problem, right?
What am I supposed to do?</p>
<p>This is what I would do. Which teachers do you have the best relationship with? Even if you don’t talk and are shy or something like that, you can usually get a vibe for which teachers like you and which teachers don’t. Worst comes to worst, ask the teachers that you’ve done well in their classes for recs (agh, bad sentence, sorry). If you’ve gotten As or even Bs in their classes, been pretty well behaved, and not disrupted class, odds are they’ll write you at least a satisfactory recommendation. IE, they’re not going to write you a BAD recommendation if you’ve paid attention in class and gotten good grades.</p>
<p>Sophistry, you sound just like my son. He’s a sophomore in HS, very shy (but intelligent), does not speak up in class. This has hurt his grades in the past when some percentage of the grade was based on class participation. </p>
<p>Here’s what I suggest: every day, in every class, raise your hand ONCE, either to ask a question, to offer an opinion, or to answer a question posed by the teacher. This will not only force you to pay closer attention to the discussion, but it will also force you to speak up. And the more you speak up, the easier it gets. If you stick religiously to the once/class/day regimen, I’ll bet that by the end of a month, speaking up will be second nature. And this will help you later on in the real world, trust me-- in your future job, if you sit quietly in meetings and never speak up, everyone will think that you don’t have anything substantive to say, which may not at all be the case. But that will be the perception. Go for it, and good luck!</p>
<p>Yes, it is a big deal. You’re not going to have a teacher that can write you a glowing letter of recommendation. However, you’re not the only one to ever be in this situation. Fuzzyfirebunny’s advice is right on: try to ask the teachers that you think like you the best. While they’re not going to write that you’re the best student they have ever had, they can at least attest to your work habits and say that you’re a good student, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone, you’ve been really helpful.
The question has been weighing on my mind for some time now.</p>
<p>BfloGal: Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Most of my past classes haven’t really included participation, but with the ones that did, I certainly could have gotten a higher grade if I participated more.</p>
Most of my past classes haven’t really included participation, but with the ones that did, I certainly could have gotten a higher grade if I participated more.</p>