It is an individual decision. Some write for nobody because it is extra work.
Personally, I write for anyone who asks because it's a small gesture that can go a long way. Not everyone gets the same glowing letter, though, but I don't trash anyone.
How did you act in class? I have some straight-A students that I would not write a recommendation letter for because of their attitude and behavior. Some of them would disrespect me/other kids, complain about every assignment, call their parents about every minor inconvenience, and whine at me when they made a 97 instead of a 100.
And on top of that, when did OP ask? Ask me a week or less before you need it at the end of the year when I’m drowning in report cards and end of the year stuff? Nope.
Ask me earlier in the year so I have plenty of time and I know you are treating my time with respect? Probably a yes.
I don’t think grades necessarily have everything to do with it. The best recommendation letter I have ever written was for a C student that never, ever gave up. I had him in remote learning. No internet service because the bill wasn’t paid? Walked to the nearest wifi hotspot. Heat off? In class, with camera on in a parka. Their personality shown through on zoom. I couldn’t write that recommendation fast enough. And I have had A students who I know only asked me because everyone else told them no because of their attitude.
None of your teachers will write a rec for you? That seems odd. Were you a jerk in class? I never refused to write a rc, although some of them I would say pretty generic things. Sometimes a student I hadn’t taught in years would ask. The ones who were particularly smart would bring me a small gift when they asked. Of course, that was not necessary, but it did seem so sweet. Maybe you should try that.
It could easily be a matter of timing more than anything. I would be willing to write letters for about half of my students, but I only take on one per week so I can get them all done during contract time. When kids ask me with at least a month notice, I can nearly always do it. But when I am asked for a letter due next week, I'll probably have to say no.
I'll write for students who show effort in their work, write competently, are engaged during class and not on their phones, aren't frequently tardy or behind on work, and don't cheat. Some teachers are more selective, especially if they're not fast writers.
What are they recommending you for?
Just like job recommendations in the rest of the work world, anyone i can HONESTLY say nice things about.
If I'm going to have to lie or if the recommendation will be cruddy, then no. And it's usually about character.
So if you were engaged, tried hard, etc, letter. If you were smart and got As but were disruptive, disrespectful to others, mean, etc, no letter.
Is be interested in why your teachers said no
PSA: It is inadvisable to engage OP in a conversation. The author of this post is a known sitewide spammer with over 2500 banned Reddit accounts.
SnooRoar is not interested in good-faith discussion; his primary goal is to waste as much of your time as possible. Everything he says is a disingenuous lie.
I have never said no BUT I always make it known I will be honest. So I might say Steven is bright and clever but I will also say that Steven is bright and clever and with time and maturity has high potential for great success.
ETA: how long ago did you graduate?
I'll write a recommendation for anyone, but you get the generic one for Cs or worse. Just copy-paste names and make sure the gender is right.
For stronger students, I want to know what your plans are, and sometimes, I don't know everything you've done or what you're interested in. If you put in the effort, I will too. Every year, I'll have a few that I would write a great recommendation for, but they don't give me anything to work with.
If everyone refused you (which is odd), think about whether you prepped them or made a connection. If all you did was send them an email, your mileage may vary.
When I was applying, one of my teachers literally just told me to write it myself, and if it wasn't total bullshit, they'd sign it.
I asked the teachers who were there for me when I needed it even if it was just a smile and a thumbs up from them. But it is at their discretion. I know many colleagues now as a teacher who refuse to write recommendations for students they know can get what they are after without it but will write one for a student who was struggling the whole year but showed that they were determined to move up to the next level on state testing.
I was asked a few years ago to write a recommendation for a magnet school that had a top rated music program for a student who had all As in their classes but their behavior in my class and other special areas was atrocious so I refused to write one and when asked why I told the truth. The student thought special areas was a joke based on the behaviors so that right there showed me that they were not serious.
I learned a long time ago that if you feel that you cannot justify what you say in your letter better to turn down the request. I know lots of teachers from my own years as a HS student to those I teach along side of have tons of backlash for writing recommendations for students from the students own parents or the student themselves that it is just easier to be honest with the student and turn down their request.
Thankfully now that I teach elementary for so long I don’t have to deal with those requests like I did when I taught middle school.
I’ve never said no to students who have asked. I have written more recommendation letters than I can remember. I feel that it take thought and courage to ask an adult for a letter, even the most extrovert kids are shy when asking and nervous that they will get shut down.
I only refused to write a letter if I had absolutely nothing good to say about the student. If no one would write you one, it makes me wonder how you behaved in class. I’ve had students who made A’s but I still couldn’t stand them because they were obnoxious jerks.
If that’s not it, how much notice did you give them? If you asked them just a day or two before you had to have it, they might not have had enough time to get it done.
You have to ask them. If they are hesitant, ask someone else. Good HS teachers are likely to refuse when they can't say anything nice. It definitely is possible to write LOR as a backhanded compliment or imply the student has issues. However, now i think the bad teachers probably just tell the student to write it themselves. I'm always shocked when grad students tell me they wrote their own letters. I feel it's wrong.
If you still need letters, i would go to your guidence councilor or the school administration and explain the situation. Likely, the teachers won't be pleased. So, try not to name them.
I’d probably write it like I was a former employer, because our role is to prepare students for college or career readiness. I’d do it for a student that turns in assignments and actively participates. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense to ask because I wouldn’t have an accurate idea of what to recommend about them.
To be real… if students ask in a timely fashion and I like them, I say yes.
If they ask me November 3rd and say it’s due November 5th, I say no.
If they gave me a hard time in class, I say no.
If I taught them for 2 years, but they ignore me when I greet them in the hallway, I say no.
If I’ve already written ten letters, I say no. These letters can take a LOT of time, and if you ask too late, your teachers can simply be too burnt out from letter writing.
It is an individual decision. Some write for nobody because it is extra work. Personally, I write for anyone who asks because it's a small gesture that can go a long way. Not everyone gets the same glowing letter, though, but I don't trash anyone.
OP is a spammer who just makes posts like this over and over. He will do nothing except post.
How did you act in class? I have some straight-A students that I would not write a recommendation letter for because of their attitude and behavior. Some of them would disrespect me/other kids, complain about every assignment, call their parents about every minor inconvenience, and whine at me when they made a 97 instead of a 100.
And on top of that, when did OP ask? Ask me a week or less before you need it at the end of the year when I’m drowning in report cards and end of the year stuff? Nope. Ask me earlier in the year so I have plenty of time and I know you are treating my time with respect? Probably a yes.
OP is a spammer who just makes posts like this over and over. He will do nothing except post.
OP is a spammer who just makes posts like this over and over. He will do nothing except post.
I don’t think grades necessarily have everything to do with it. The best recommendation letter I have ever written was for a C student that never, ever gave up. I had him in remote learning. No internet service because the bill wasn’t paid? Walked to the nearest wifi hotspot. Heat off? In class, with camera on in a parka. Their personality shown through on zoom. I couldn’t write that recommendation fast enough. And I have had A students who I know only asked me because everyone else told them no because of their attitude.
Wow. That's inspiring perseverance.
None of your teachers will write a rec for you? That seems odd. Were you a jerk in class? I never refused to write a rc, although some of them I would say pretty generic things. Sometimes a student I hadn’t taught in years would ask. The ones who were particularly smart would bring me a small gift when they asked. Of course, that was not necessary, but it did seem so sweet. Maybe you should try that.
It could easily be a matter of timing more than anything. I would be willing to write letters for about half of my students, but I only take on one per week so I can get them all done during contract time. When kids ask me with at least a month notice, I can nearly always do it. But when I am asked for a letter due next week, I'll probably have to say no. I'll write for students who show effort in their work, write competently, are engaged during class and not on their phones, aren't frequently tardy or behind on work, and don't cheat. Some teachers are more selective, especially if they're not fast writers.
What are they recommending you for? Just like job recommendations in the rest of the work world, anyone i can HONESTLY say nice things about. If I'm going to have to lie or if the recommendation will be cruddy, then no. And it's usually about character. So if you were engaged, tried hard, etc, letter. If you were smart and got As but were disruptive, disrespectful to others, mean, etc, no letter. Is be interested in why your teachers said no
PSA: It is inadvisable to engage OP in a conversation. The author of this post is a known sitewide spammer with over 2500 banned Reddit accounts. SnooRoar is not interested in good-faith discussion; his primary goal is to waste as much of your time as possible. Everything he says is a disingenuous lie.
I have never said no BUT I always make it known I will be honest. So I might say Steven is bright and clever but I will also say that Steven is bright and clever and with time and maturity has high potential for great success. ETA: how long ago did you graduate?
I'll write a recommendation for anyone, but you get the generic one for Cs or worse. Just copy-paste names and make sure the gender is right. For stronger students, I want to know what your plans are, and sometimes, I don't know everything you've done or what you're interested in. If you put in the effort, I will too. Every year, I'll have a few that I would write a great recommendation for, but they don't give me anything to work with. If everyone refused you (which is odd), think about whether you prepped them or made a connection. If all you did was send them an email, your mileage may vary. When I was applying, one of my teachers literally just told me to write it myself, and if it wasn't total bullshit, they'd sign it.
I asked the teachers who were there for me when I needed it even if it was just a smile and a thumbs up from them. But it is at their discretion. I know many colleagues now as a teacher who refuse to write recommendations for students they know can get what they are after without it but will write one for a student who was struggling the whole year but showed that they were determined to move up to the next level on state testing. I was asked a few years ago to write a recommendation for a magnet school that had a top rated music program for a student who had all As in their classes but their behavior in my class and other special areas was atrocious so I refused to write one and when asked why I told the truth. The student thought special areas was a joke based on the behaviors so that right there showed me that they were not serious.
you could always agree to write "a letter" then tell the truth rather than recommend...
I learned a long time ago that if you feel that you cannot justify what you say in your letter better to turn down the request. I know lots of teachers from my own years as a HS student to those I teach along side of have tons of backlash for writing recommendations for students from the students own parents or the student themselves that it is just easier to be honest with the student and turn down their request. Thankfully now that I teach elementary for so long I don’t have to deal with those requests like I did when I taught middle school.
I’ve never said no to students who have asked. I have written more recommendation letters than I can remember. I feel that it take thought and courage to ask an adult for a letter, even the most extrovert kids are shy when asking and nervous that they will get shut down.
I only refused to write a letter if I had absolutely nothing good to say about the student. If no one would write you one, it makes me wonder how you behaved in class. I’ve had students who made A’s but I still couldn’t stand them because they were obnoxious jerks. If that’s not it, how much notice did you give them? If you asked them just a day or two before you had to have it, they might not have had enough time to get it done.
You have to ask them. If they are hesitant, ask someone else. Good HS teachers are likely to refuse when they can't say anything nice. It definitely is possible to write LOR as a backhanded compliment or imply the student has issues. However, now i think the bad teachers probably just tell the student to write it themselves. I'm always shocked when grad students tell me they wrote their own letters. I feel it's wrong. If you still need letters, i would go to your guidence councilor or the school administration and explain the situation. Likely, the teachers won't be pleased. So, try not to name them.
I’d probably write it like I was a former employer, because our role is to prepare students for college or career readiness. I’d do it for a student that turns in assignments and actively participates. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense to ask because I wouldn’t have an accurate idea of what to recommend about them.
To be real… if students ask in a timely fashion and I like them, I say yes. If they ask me November 3rd and say it’s due November 5th, I say no. If they gave me a hard time in class, I say no. If I taught them for 2 years, but they ignore me when I greet them in the hallway, I say no. If I’ve already written ten letters, I say no. These letters can take a LOT of time, and if you ask too late, your teachers can simply be too burnt out from letter writing.
Depends if I cared enough. It is extra work. And chances are, I wouldn’t bother, unless you actually set yourself apart.
Check post history before replying y’all !