Teacher Reccomendations

<p>I have a teacher that's... well how should I put it... not exactly the most sociable nor most amicable teacher out there (this is to put it mildly). She's just essentially a not a very happy person and it reflects in her (aggitated) style of teaching and such. However, I've had her for two years during HS, in VERY advanced classes that are equivalent to 2nd year college classes. </p>

<p>I received an A i nthe first class I took with her, this year it might be an A-/A. Essentially in such a difficult class, the grades should remain impressive especially given that almost every other person in my class are already seniors <em>magnet HS too b-t-w</em>. So the question is this. SHould I ask her for a reccommendation? I try to be nice to her. But she's just not a very nice person... to almost everyone so its just not me. It's not that shes mean... shes just not sociable. What do you guys think... too risky/worth the risk/doesnt matter that much? </p>

<p>Is there any validity in some people's comments that colleges prefer to see "two different sides" of a candidate as in a superstar in one class, and simply above average in another? I may also get it from my APchem/sophmore chem teacher which i receieved A-/A- in but shes much nicer (although not 'tight' with me). Thanks for any help guys. Any comments/tips about reccs in general works too =D</p>

<p>Here's my tip. No matter who you ask, including this teacher, be sure to ask them if they'd be willing to write you a strong letter of rec or if they suggest you ask someone else. This IS appropriate, phrased politely of course. Don't argue or ask why if they say you should ask someone else, just thank them and move on.</p>

<p>Just because you've done well in a class doesn't mean the teacher looks favorably on you. We all have people that grate on us for one reason or another, and teachers are people too. In the book "The Gatekeepers" is an example of what can happen if you don't ask.
[quote]
There were times, I must admit,that I thought Tiffany might have taken a stronger interest in mastering the material in our course. When I saw that Tiffany was a National Merit Semi-Finalist I was a bit surprised. While clearly bright and competent, I had seen in Tiffany neither an exceptional skill for testing nor a particular affinity for the subject.

[/quote]
The student did not get in.</p>

<p>mikemac's suggestion is a good one. Is this class related to something you might want to study in college? If so, and you've done well in the class and the teacher knows you over 2 years, she might be a really good choice. A teacher doesn't have to be a sociable happy person to recognize a talented student and want to recommend them. She might be very happy to write you a strong recommendation so it can't hurt to talk with her.</p>

<p>Maybe, talk to your GC about this teacher. If she has been teaching for a while at the school, your GC may have more of a sense of what type of recommendations she writes.</p>