Teacher Evaluation Question

flyingcheetos

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Joined
Feb 29, 2020
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14
Hello All,
In the process of submitting the forms for Class of '25. One issue i ran into this year is my english teacher evaluation. I've emailed her consistently and I also know that she's extremely busy because of all the COVID stuff going on and balancing lesson plans etc. My issue is she hasn't responded to my request for Evaluation and while I'll leave the possibility open for her to respond sometime soon, I need to know if there is any workaround if my English teachers can't help. I already checked with my 12th grade english teacher who said because of how busy he is with too many rec letters and because him and I haven't had any longstanding relationship prior to 12th, he won't be able to do it for me.

I already have 2 teachers ready to do Evaluations (my 11th math and my business teacher.) I also thought of a backup for English which would probably be my Econ teacher. Would this be possible to do? What other suggestions do y'all have?
Thanks in advance
 
It's early still. Don't panic. Deep breathes. Lot's of stuff going on with teachers - you are correct. Are you not in school? Learning remotely and therefore unable to have a socially distanced face to face conversation with her? Forge forward with the rest of your application and let things settle a bit. Perhaps in a few weeks if still no response - contact your guidance counselor for advise. He/She may be able to provide you with suggestions. If the application requires an English teacher - then you must provide what they ask for and not look for an alternate. Perhaps by then your 12th grade teacher will know you better and can provide one....Good luck!
 
Hey,
Does anyone else know how early you can ask a 12th grade teacher for an evaluation? I read somewhere that you have to have spent at least a quarter with them. But my school just started and a quarter will be a long time away. I want to get my evaluations in ASAP as it’s a rolling deadline. My 12th teachers are already willing to do it for me, and I don’t want to make them have to wait (I don’t want to wait too) until the end of the first quarter to get the evaluations completed. Also, my relationship with my 11th grade teachers weren’t that strong so I am not currently considering that.
 
I teach in a large public high school and district and one of our greatest responsibilities is student advocacy. Claiming "I'm too busy, COVID, waaa" is BS and the teacher should be ashamed. I have two letters in progress now and will do several more by March. None will be for service academies but are just as important to all the students who honor me with the request to write their letters. I know the popular refrain here is to handle everything yourself but I suggest you get your parents involved.

All school districts throughout the country are ruled by parents.

People say the unions and lawyers are in charge but believe this, when parents want something, they get it.
 
@Mangito , Talk to them as early as possible. I told my 12th grade teachers on the first day of school that I would need letters from them to go the Air Force Academy. I then reminded them about the middle of October that I needed the letters completed and had them in by the end of October. It is in your best interest to talk to them early.
 
I teach in a large public high school and district and one of our greatest responsibilities is student advocacy. Claiming "I'm too busy, COVID, waaa" is BS and the teacher should be ashamed. I have two letters in progress now and will do several more by March. None will be for service academies but are just as important to all the students who honor me with the request to write their letters. I know the popular refrain here is to handle everything yourself but I suggest you get your parents involved.

All school districts throughout the country are ruled by parents.

People say the unions and lawyers are in charge but believe this, when parents want something, they get it.
I couldn't agree more. One of our DS's teachers told him she didn't write lor's. After he once again politely explained that it was required, she agreed but told him to write it. Yeah, that wasn't happening. A polite email from our son, cc'ing the principal and a copy-paste of the portal instructions did the trick.

She wrote a very nice letter, and we assume a fair, and not pissed off evaluation.

The funny thing was that she liked him. When the school called him into the office for a 'meeting', he found me, all of his teachers, the counselors, and office staff waiting. The phone call came in and he learned of his appointment to USNA on speakerphone. She was the one crying the most (besides me). She has also written him since plebe summer ended.

It's odd what teachers/people will be stubborn about.
 
yeah, I don't understand it. I found a niche in writing LOR for kids who fall through the cracks and don't ask or cannot get letters from their core course teachers. The huge majority of my students are non-white and non-male, and to look at me one would assume that I would be the one refusing to agree to a letter. My immigrant students are some of the hardest working I have and it's mostly due to the language and cultural barrier. They have to run harder to keep up. I'd rather go to war with a kid like that than a sniveling privileged kid from a Potomac River mansion. I have just a few of those but they don't need my help. Life has awarded them with gifts unimaginable to the students living in Route One two bedroom apartments with six siblings. That's one reason they don't won't to turn on their cameras. Our principal said it is a requirement to turn on the camera but the truth is, the district policy is that they do not have to. They don't have to for the very reason I stated above. On the rare occasion they do turn the camera on I see and hear the chaos in the back ground. Contrast that with my 1st grade grandson who lives in a million dollar gated country club community. He has had his own laptop for two years. He has a designated place to do online school. He has educated parents who hold him to task. I know I sound like a sniveling pacifist but so be it. My job is to educate and advocate for kids regardless of their background.
 
I couldn't agree more. One of our DS's teachers told him she didn't write lor's. After he once again politely explained that it was required, she agreed but told him to write it. Yeah, that wasn't happening. A polite email from our son, cc'ing the principal and a copy-paste of the portal instructions did the trick.

She wrote a very nice letter, and we assume a fair, and not pissed off evaluation.

The funny thing was that she liked him. When the school called him into the office for a 'meeting', he found me, all of his teachers, the counselors, and office staff waiting. The phone call came in and he learned of his appointment to USNA on speakerphone. She was the one crying the most (besides me). She has also written him since plebe summer ended.

It's odd what teachers/people will be stubborn about.
Same here. This past May I informed my teachers that I wasn’t sure when the applications would open and all but one teacher assured me they would be checking emails and it was not a problem. All but one teacher. After I got the Vice Principal involved, she informed me, “He likes (you). It’s just he doesn’t write LORs or evaluations because it’s outside the realm of his contract.” I had never heard of such a thing.
Needless to say, the Principal and Chief of Academics got involved explaining that I’m a valid candidate and that he really needed to write them. He did. I only cross my fingers and hope he did what was right. I got straight As all year and there were no issues between us- except his union.
 
I'd rather go to war with a kid like that than a sniveling privileged kid from a Potomac River mansion. I have just a few of those but they don't need my help. Life has awarded them with gifts unimaginable to the students living in Route One two bedroom apartments with six siblings. That's one reason they don't won't to turn on their cameras.

Having lived in DC, I completely understand the Potomac vs. Route 1 reference. It’s a travesty that we’re at a point that kids aren’t learning out of sheer embarrassment or shame or fear of what’s behind them in full view of the camera (if they even have an operable laptop). Ridiculous how we’ve gotten to this point, where the divide between haves and have nots has never been so stark.

I’m not calling for equality and handouts at any cost. But I am calling for empathy and respect and admiration for those who make it happen without being gifted anything. And yes, many are immigrants or first-generation kids who would make amazing, dedicated, selfless officers. Those kids take very little for granted.
 
When DD was waiting on LORs, I recall that one teacher submitted his letters very close to the deadline, both for her initial application and reapplication. She wasn't exactly worried because she knew him well and there was a level or trust there - I'm sure I was more anxious about it that she was - but all the same, it was an emotional rollercoaster waiting. Anyway, for all of her interviews, comments were made about this teacher's letter in particular. If your English teacher thinks highly of you, she may be holding her letter to a higher standard and want it to be overly perfect. I guess it comes down to how well you know her and what level of trust you have. I agree with other comments that COVID is not an excuse not to write a letter. Additionally, the excuse from your alternate English teacher is not great either; not knowing you well is really not a good excuse since you could provide him with your resume and he could speak towards the quality of your work thus far. As a 12th grade teacher he should understand this comes with the territory. Don't feel badly about sending your reminders/emails; also remember the value of face-to-face conversations and checking in in-person as much as you can. It looks like some comments above have had success with getting principals involved, if you think that level of escalation is needed.
 
my DD asked her 11th grade teachers before the end of the year and they had them done as soon as all her apps opened...then again she had an awesome math and English teacher who are really rooting for her
 
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