Teacher still hasn’t submitted letter of recommendation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid's teacher still has just over 4 hours, application still not submitted, so I hope she's almost done. Yes, he requested it back in April per our school's policy and yes, followed up as recently as a few days ago. I believe she will get it done, but geez, this is last minute!

Well, you had one student’s application to worry about.

She may have 50 or so students to help, plus her real job and her home obligations on top of that. Just because she hasn’t done yours doesn’t mean she hasn’t been working diligently.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Give a deadline of two weeks before you need it. Request at least 4-6 weeks of when you need it, in which your kid's case sounds like what kid did by asking in spring and following up early in senior year.

Many ask in the Spring but never follow up. Students are told to ask in Spring but teachers are way too busy at the end of the year. I say yes to everyone and tell them to come see me in the fall and give me their resume. OP's student didn't bring in brag sheet until September, so when they asked is irrelevant. Are they in common app? That always serves as a good reminder. Teachers get an email when we are added.

We were told to get the commitment in the spring, not the letter. —NP

Where I work, students verbally request in the spring of their junior year. I’ve learned not to write letters too early, however. Many students cast wide nets, then officially request letters from 1-2 teachers in the fall. Earlier in my career I jumped on this task, getting them all done during my summer. Then I’d find out I wasted 20 or so hours writing letters students ultimately didn’t want.

So now I wait until I see the official request online. If a student verbally requests in the spring but waits until the fall to put in the request online, I get around to writing it in the fall.

My time is too precious to be spent writing “just in case” letters.

Yes-my kid asked for two in Spring of junior year and then reminded them/confirmed in fall. Never asked additional folks in Fall? Just the same two

Did they officially request through the school’s program (whichever one they use)?

Until I see that official request, I don’t write. A verbal request no longer carries any weight for me.

Nope our school doesn’t have a formal request process. They really should since there are more than 600 seniors!!

The formal request comes from the common app. When you enter the teacher’s name and email as a recommender, they get a request. That is the trigger for many to write the rec letter.

Oh yes-common app request was September 1st.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give a deadline of two weeks before you need it. Request at least 4-6 weeks of when you need it, in which your kid's case sounds like what kid did by asking in spring and following up early in senior year.

Many ask in the Spring but never follow up. Students are told to ask in Spring but teachers are way too busy at the end of the year. I say yes to everyone and tell them to come see me in the fall and give me their resume. OP's student didn't bring in brag sheet until September, so when they asked is irrelevant. Are they in common app? That always serves as a good reminder. Teachers get an email when we are added.

We were told to get the commitment in the spring, not the letter. —NP

Where I work, students verbally request in the spring of their junior year. I’ve learned not to write letters too early, however. Many students cast wide nets, then officially request letters from 1-2 teachers in the fall. Earlier in my career I jumped on this task, getting them all done during my summer. Then I’d find out I wasted 20 or so hours writing letters students ultimately didn’t want.

So now I wait until I see the official request online. If a student verbally requests in the spring but waits until the fall to put in the request online, I get around to writing it in the fall.

My time is too precious to be spent writing “just in case” letters.

Yes-my kid asked for two in Spring of junior year and then reminded them/confirmed in fall. Never asked additional folks in Fall? Just the same two

Did they officially request through the school’s program (whichever one they use)?

Until I see that official request, I don’t write. A verbal request no longer carries any weight for me.

Nope our school doesn’t have a formal request process. They really should since there are more than 600 seniors!!

The formal request comes from the common app. When you enter the teacher’s name and email as a recommender, they get a request. That is the trigger for many to write the rec letter.

Oh yes-common app request was September 1st.

So Sept 1st is when this letter would go on my to-do list. But I’m going to be honest with you, it’s not at the top. School has started by 9/1. I have to plan lessons (top priority) and grade papers (2nd priority). At home I’m also helping my own kids with homework, making dinner, helping extended family, and prepping for the next day. And your letter isn’t the only one. It has 45 other requests keeping it company.

I triage life in order to survive. I take care of what has the closest deadline or due date. So the letter sits. When I have a spare couple of hours on a Saturday, I’ll get a couple done. And that’s how I slowly work through the backlog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid's teacher still has just over 4 hours, application still not submitted, so I hope she's almost done. Yes, he requested it back in April per our school's policy and yes, followed up as recently as a few days ago. I believe she will get it done, but geez, this is last minute!

Ha ha wonder if we have the same teacher-she is still waiting for hers!!

[Anonymous]

So....are they in?

[Anonymous]

Yes- would love to have an update from OP if their recs made it in on time…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes- would love to have an update from OP if their recs made it in on time…

I suspect everything turned out fine. We would have heard otherwise.

[Anonymous]

I was on the teacher's side of this debate until the last 48 hours when there seem to be a lot of, "well if a students asks me Junior year but then doesn't re-ask me in September even if the counselor has it down and it's in naviance and there were three emails, I just dont do it" defenses started coming in

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was on the teacher's side of this debate until the last 48 hours when there seem to be a lot of, "well if a students asks me Junior year but then doesn't re-ask me in September even if the counselor has it down and it's in naviance and there were three emails, I just dont do it" defenses started coming in

No, that’s not what I wrote. If it’s in Naviance, I’ll write it over the summer. If a student asks me in the hallway and it doesn’t pop up in Naviance, I don’t write it. I made that very, very clear.

If you want to be angry, be angry. I’m not going to stop you. But I’m also not going to write a letter for every child who casually asks me and then doesn’t follow through online. I’ve wasted dozens of hours on those letters.

[Anonymous]

I’m one of last night’s posters. Letter was not yet submitted at 10:15pm when I went to bed, but as of this morning….submitted!!! Whew!

[Anonymous]

Only a couple colleges expect everything to be submitted by the deadline. Even Michigan, famous for this, emailed counselors to extend the supporting documents deadline to Monday.

Mountains out of mole hills here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only a couple colleges expect everything to be submitted by the deadline. Even Michigan, famous for this, emailed counselors to extend the supporting documents deadline to Monday.

Mountains out of mole hills here.

I agree.

And I’m the teacher who recently posted that I’ll only write letters once they are officially requested, and even that angered someone. There’s really no grace extended to teachers on this thread. It’s like people just want to be angry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give a deadline of two weeks before you need it. Request at least 4-6 weeks of when you need it, in which your kid's case sounds like what kid did by asking in spring and following up early in senior year.

Many ask in the Spring but never follow up. Students are told to ask in Spring but teachers are way too busy at the end of the year. I say yes to everyone and tell them to come see me in the fall and give me their resume. OP's student didn't bring in brag sheet until September, so when they asked is irrelevant. Are they in common app? That always serves as a good reminder. Teachers get an email when we are added.

We were told to get the commitment in the spring, not the letter. —NP

Where I work, students verbally request in the spring of their junior year. I’ve learned not to write letters too early, however. Many students cast wide nets, then officially request letters from 1-2 teachers in the fall. Earlier in my career I jumped on this task, getting them all done during my summer. Then I’d find out I wasted 20 or so hours writing letters students ultimately didn’t want.

So now I wait until I see the official request online. If a student verbally requests in the spring but waits until the fall to put in the request online, I get around to writing it in the fall.

My time is too precious to be spent writing “just in case” letters.

At our school they could not request in the online platform until the fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only a couple colleges expect everything to be submitted by the deadline. Even Michigan, famous for this, emailed counselors to extend the supporting documents deadline to Monday.

Mountains out of mole hills here.

I agree.

And I’m the teacher who recently posted that I’ll only write letters once they are officially requested, and even that angered someone. There’s really no grace extended to teachers on this thread. It’s like people just want to be angry.

I dont know about that. I think people just want clarity. I assume if a student asks a teacher in junior year and the teacher says yes - BUT there is more to it, that the teachers has expressed those conditions. (ie, "I will happily write you a supporting letter - but I will not do it until you have confirmed this in September by doing x, y, z). if they don't express those conditions, then it's weird.

In my family, if you agree to go to prom with someone, you've agreed to go to prom. there's no backing out, there's not trading up. same for LOR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give a deadline of two weeks before you need it. Request at least 4-6 weeks of when you need it, in which your kid's case sounds like what kid did by asking in spring and following up early in senior year.

Many ask in the Spring but never follow up. Students are told to ask in Spring but teachers are way too busy at the end of the year. I say yes to everyone and tell them to come see me in the fall and give me their resume. OP's student didn't bring in brag sheet until September, so when they asked is irrelevant. Are they in common app? That always serves as a good reminder. Teachers get an email when we are added.

We were told to get the commitment in the spring, not the letter. —NP

Where I work, students verbally request in the spring of their junior year. I’ve learned not to write letters too early, however. Many students cast wide nets, then officially request letters from 1-2 teachers in the fall. Earlier in my career I jumped on this task, getting them all done during my summer. Then I’d find out I wasted 20 or so hours writing letters students ultimately didn’t want.

So now I wait until I see the official request online. If a student verbally requests in the spring but waits until the fall to put in the request online, I get around to writing it in the fall.

My time is too precious to be spent writing “just in case” letters.

At our school they could not request in the online platform until the fall.

same.