Teacher recommendations/references

Teacher references. Please ask your teachers early and give them at least two months to write. Don't procrastinate or you'll end up like me, feverishly hoping the teacher would agree (thank goodness she did).

Official policy on teacher references: You can ask any teacher in the school. For teachers who have left the school, I've asked Mr Allan Uy and this is what he said. They can write for you up to one year after they left.

US requires you to ask someone who's officially taught you in Year 5/6. UK asks for someone who can comment on your post-16 education, which is generally Year 5/6 as well. No one's stopping you from asking a reference from someone who taught you before that, but it's always better to get more recent examples.

For the UK, you will only need one teacher reference. You should ask for someone who taught you in the area you're applying for (i.e. physics, ask a physics teacher). If you're applying for subjects that weren't offered in school, try to get someone as close to the subject area as possible.

For the US, you will need two references. One from math/science, one from anything else (languages, humanities, music & art).

It is important you pick someone who can actually write about you. Not just your achievements (those are already in your testimonial after all), but also about your character, motivations, independence, abilities, etc. This means you should start talking to your teachers. In our school it's easier compared to other JCs. The teacher-student ratio is much lower, our teachers are younger, and we still have classroom learning all the way to Year 6 while others have mass lectures.

Here are some pointers to help you to start, because this is often the hardest part:

1. Recognise that teachers have lives outside of school. They don't exist just to teach you (or bore you, or flood you with homework, whatever). They also have likes, dislikes, interests, opinions etc.

2. Our teachers are, for the most part, quite friendly. You can always start a conversation with something as simple as asking their opinion about the class as a whole, or how they feel about some recent school event. For new teachers, asking what they think about the school, the culture, the attitude of the students, etc, is very effective. If you know the teacher has kids, ask about them.

In general, use what you know to talk about their life outside teaching the syllabus. And when you ask the question, be sincere in wanting to know what they really think.

3. Once they give you a reply, don't just nod! Continue the conversation with something the teacher mentions in the reply. Engage them in discussion with questions that are more opinion-based, rather than fact-based. For example, something like this could happen:

Student: So, Ms X, are you looking forward to the school holiday next wednesday?
Teacher: Yes, of course, it's definitely going to be a good break for all of us.
Student: Why do you say that? Is teaching in this school very stressful?

The teacher will either say yes or no (most will say yes), and probably elaborate a little bit. From there you can pick up on the elaboration and continue. Like if they talk about the module syllabus, ask them what's the hardest part of designing the module. Or you can ask if teaching here is ultimately rewarding or not.

4. Many of our teachers are quite young. You can always ask them what they did in university, what are their future career plans, do they plan on teaching forever, this kind of thing.

5. Don't expect that one conversation is enough. In order to write a good reference for you, the teacher needs to understand how you think. Usually in discussions with teachers, try to express your opinion as well. Of course you need to be talking about things that are "discussable" in the first place.

6. After you break the ice, you can usually ask more personal questions. For single teachers, ask if they plan to get married (this is assuming they didn't tell you about it when they introduced themselves). For those who are married, ask about potential kids. Safe things like that. Be careful of how you react, though, especially if the answer is very different from your views. Ask about what they do in their spare time, any holiday destinations, etc.

7. Topics safe to ask about: school culture, stress level of both students and teachers, differences between their school life and yours, why they chose to teach, what they did in university, their current interests and hobbies, student attitudes, school controversies, what they do during school holidays, their life in army, future plans, childhood ambitions, their opinions on current affairs, their views on the noisy drilling in school, etc.

Topics to tread carefully: their family background, their significant others.

Topics to avoid: anything insanely personal, things that aren't appropriate to be spoken at the dinner table/in polite company. Their age, excessive details of their romantic life, religion, politics (including staff room politics)... you know what I mean.

It really depends on how much the teacher is comfortable with telling you. As with other interactions, look for body language and tone.

8. If they ask you questions about yourself, answer them. This could range from your ambitions to your feedback about class teaching. When teachers ask you something, they probably really want to know. Besides, this is the most direct way of giving them the background info they need to write your reference.

8. Most importantly, you can treat them as friends, but always maintain a level of respect. Don't talk to them in the slang you use with your classmates. Don't curse in front of them (even if they curse in front of you). Also, there's a difference between giving feedback and complaining. We may accidentally cross the line at times but try not to do it so often, I guess.

You will find that most teachers, though strict in the classroom, are actually quite nice to talk to outside. They're living, breathing, dynamic people, not just lifeless robots created for you to see a few hours a week.

When you ask them for a reference, ask them politely and be aware that they may say no. If they have any concerns about their suitability, address them appropriately or find someone else. Don't just say "I'm sure it'll be okay". Also, please be a good student in class. Hand in your work on time. Make constructive comments and ask relevant questions.

Most of them will work with you to write the best statement for you, so don't think it's as simple as asking and then getting the statement sent when it's due. Most likely you'll have to talk to them in the process.

That's why it's better for you to already have a friendly (not just cordial) relationship with the teacher. It will make the experience a whole lot more pleasant, and the reference will usually turn out better and more unique to you.