If you are ever trying to learn more about a person without really asking them the question ” What are you like?” one way to do it, is by asking someone who they work closely with. They would be able to give you a fair judgement on the charter of the person that you are interested in getting to know. This is similar to how a letter of recommendation works. The only difference is that you actually get to choose who you want to speak on your behalf. Here are some things I learned about asking for a letter of recommendation.

You must first consider that not all the people that you ask to write you a letter of recommendation will actually agree to speak on your behalf. That is 100% okay. It is helpful to have around 3-5 people that you feel could speak positively about you. It is very likely that other students will be asking for letters of recommendation, so you need to make sure that you ask about 1 month or 2 before the deadline. This may sound a little too early, but it’s better to have your letters ready as soon as you can. The hardest part for me was actually asking because I wasn’t sure what the best way to go about it was. I learned that I was more comfortable asking the teachers that I felt like knew me more. The approach I took to ask for my letters of recommendation was to individually send out emails to my teachers. It is important that if you choose to do it this way, that you use appropriate email etiquette. Asking in person would also be okay but do not expect a yes or a no right away. Once you have asked an explained what you need your letter of recommendation for and they have agreed to write one for you, then you can follow up with them to ask if they have gotten a chance to complete your letter. Keep in mind that your teachers may have other things go in on so it’s always good to check in occasionally.

If you are having trouble choosing who you would like to ask, think about any extracurricular activities that you have been involved in. The person that can best speak about you will likely be someone who has gotten to know you outside the classroom too. It never hurts to start building a student teacher relationship. After you are able to have your materials submitted, you will want to update the person who wrote your letter about the status of your application. One thing I did to show my gratitude was write a thank you letter to the teachers that helped me.