My daughter is applying to local elite private schools. She has one teacher who did not respond to my email about the recommendation and has done something else that has me thinking she may not give a good recommendation. My daughter has a very high score in her class. This teacher always tells me how sweet she is but never says anything about her academically other than she is doing “good.”
Has anyone been in this predicament before? What do you do if a school requires a recommendation form from a Math teacher, English teacher and principal but one of them is either elusive or reluctant to do it? How heavily do schools weigh teacher recommendations? And what if one or more of the recommenders just says stuff like the child is so nice and sweet? I keep getting this vibe that as a girl, this teacher thinks my child should be focused more on being likable. Any suggestions or stories?
It’s possible the teacher has not gotten your email. I’d call her to ask about doing the recommendations. You can also ask the counselor to help you by talking to the teacher. I had no issue with teachers completing the forms, they did seem to complete the forms at a different pace. In fact I gave them out Nov 30, and one form was just received today.
The forms are due the second week of February. I guess I could wait another week or two. Maybe the teacher didn’t think a response to me was necessary since I also sent the recommendation separately through the application system. But if we need a backup plan, I want to have enough time to line that up.
Last cycle I sent the initial requests via email (after a meeting with the principal) but then DC followed up with the teachers in person. One teacher had difficulty with the online system and DC stayed after school to help her out.
It can be helpful to provide the teacher with reminders about the student’s performance in class. For an English teacher, you can photocopy the comments section of graded essays. Have your child think through specific moments, achievements or projects in class and meet with the teacher (or send an email) to talk about it.
I agree with the comments above saying that there is still plenty of time, and most teachers have just finished grading final exams and preparing first semester grades, in addition to enjoying winter break with their families.