Anonymous
Post 01/22/2025 09:52     Subject: Walls/Banneker: What if a teacher is not going to give a good recommendation?
Anonymous wrote:Yes, ask the 7th grade teacher.

My son asked the the 7th grade teacher for math. He had been his advisor in addition to being the math teacher so he knows my son better than the 8th grade math teacher.

I wouldn't use two 7th grade teachers however, since that could give the impression that something was going wrong in 8th grade.



I would do that also. If you are pretty sure the 8th grade teacher will give a lukewarm review, maybe just have the 7th grade teacher write it. Don't ask.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2025 09:07     Subject: Walls/Banneker: What if a teacher is not going to give a good recommendation?
Yes, ask the 7th grade teacher.

My son asked the the 7th grade teacher for math. He had been his advisor in addition to being the math teacher so he knows my son better than the 8th grade math teacher.

I wouldn't use two 7th grade teachers however, since that could give the impression that something was going wrong in 8th grade.

Anonymous
Post 01/22/2025 08:22     Subject: Walls/Banneker: What if a teacher is not going to give a good recommendation?
Yes. The teacher will make or break your application. And you can't switch subject teachers. We asked last year if we could use the history teacher instead of ELA (because the ELA teacher had been out for months) and we were told by Walls that this wasn't possible.

Kid (despite a 4.0---not even an A minus grade in any quarter) and being a well-behaved girl did not get an interview.

The private schools were all fine with using the history teacher in leu of English and she got into all that she applied to. Is now attending a private on aid.

Anonymous
Post 01/22/2025 08:04     Subject: Walls/Banneker: What if a teacher is not going to give a good recommendation?
Anonymous wrote:My 8th grader has been struggling with one of her teachers all year after many many years of teachers getting her. Can a mid teacher rec really take a kid out of contention for Walls, Banneker, etc?

Yes - a average teacher recommendation - regardless of the history of the teacher - will materially impact your child's application to walls.

It sucks.
Similar to having the flu on the day of the test in the past and not performing on the one test that mattered. (Kid is now in college as a Posse Scholar)
These are life situations that kids experience and figure out how to move on.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 23:33     Subject: Walls/Banneker: What if a teacher is not going to give a good recommendation?
Ask the 7th grade teacher
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 22:17     Subject: Walls/Banneker: What if a teacher is not going to give a good recommendation?
Yes
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 22:13     Subject: Walls/Banneker: What if a teacher is not going to give a good recommendation?
Did you mean mid like medium, or is that a typo for bad?

The application process is so opaque-on-purpose that it's hard to say precisely, but obviously it isn't a good thing. I would make sure you have the best backup plans you can manage.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 22:09     Subject: Walls/Banneker: What if a teacher is not going to give a good recommendation?
My 8th grader has been struggling with one of her teachers all year after many many years of teachers getting her. Can a mid teacher rec really take a kid out of contention for Walls, Banneker, etc?