Letters of Recommendation

You may recall that on the very first day of class (Probably Spanish 4) I spoke at some length about what I feel a letter of recommendation represents, and what students must consider throughout the year in anticipation of making such a request.

Whether you earned a great or mediocre grade, whether you feel a teacher "likes you" or not, these are not considerations! You and I may have laughed constantly last year, or you may have gotten really terrific grades.  These, however, are not what a college or university wants your teachers to include.  Instead, consider what personal qualities you shared in class with your teacher and classmates.

To briefly refresh your memory:

A letter of recommendation is a character reference that must be earned by demonstrating good character through our interactions in Spanish class.  

Remember that some examples of good character include:  attendance, positive contributions, trying to communicate in Spanish rather than English, not using the expression: “That’s not fair” every time a decision wasn’t to your liking, allowing your classmates to learn by being focused and attentive during class, not cheating (obviously), treating substitute teachers with respect, working to the best of your ability/not just getting by with minimal effort (even if you may have gotten good grades with little effort), and acting in a mature and responsible manner.

A letter of recommendation is something you earn. It is not an entitlement.

New for 2008!

Unfortunately, 2007-2008 did not produce the quantity of character references/letters of recommendations as virtually every other previous year has.

If I came to the conclusion that I was in a good position to write you a letter of recommendation after the 2007-2008 school year then I already let you know that in June 2008. If I didn't indicate at that time that I was able to write a letter then you will need to find another teacher willing to write a letter for you. If after reading this you would like me to reconsider my June decision and you feel the need to lobby me with your version of how great your contributions were in 2007-2008: Don't, because I won't. Sometimes "no" really does mean "no". If, however, I communicated that I was in a good position to write an honest AND favorable letter for your college application process, please see me and I will give you an application form you must fill out to get the process under way. And THANK YOU for your positive contributions to our 2007-2008 Spanish 4 class!