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LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION / REFERENCES FOR K-12 EDUCATORS |
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In the field of education, you are expected to have letters of recommendation from your references. These may also be referred to as credentials.
| CHOOSING LETTER WRITERS / REFERENCES |
Three letters of recommendation are standard for most positions you will apply for, however, asking more than three people to write letters for you will give you the option to pick which ones you believe are the strongest or most appropriate for each position and/or district.
- Preferred: Individuals who has seen you teach (cooperating teacher, university supervisor, principal, colleagues( and child related experiences.
- Less-preferred: Individuals who have not seen you teach or unrelated experiences.
| CONTACTING LETTER WRITERS / REFERENCES |
- Don't assume people will write a letter of recommendation for you. Merely asking someone to be “a reference” might result in a reluctant “yes” and in a weak letter.
Instead, approach a potential reference with a tactful request such as: “Do you feel you know my work well enough write a positive letter of
recommendation for me? ”
If they say “no”, ask: “Is there any information or way I could demonstrate my skills that would help?”
| PREPARING LETTER WRITERS / REFERENCES |
- Once a reference has agreed to write a letter for you, ask to meet in person to provide information about
yourself to help him/her. This will help to ensure they write about the areas you think they can most demonstrate. They will also appreciate you clarifying what you think they could write about you. Supply your letter writers with:
- a resume, portfolio, licenses
- specifics on how long you've known them and in what capacities
- examples of relevant job skills/knowledge and a list of achievements you've demonstrated
- personal qualities that make you a good employee
- individual/team capabilities, oral and written communication, languages, computer skills, etc. used
- If your reference writers ask you for examples and/or guidelines for writing letters of recommendation, you may want to refer them to these sites that specifically address how to write letters for educators.
- Stay in touch with your references during the job search.
- Notify them each time you give out the letter they wrote for you and inform them of the position/district.
- Thank your references when you receive a job to help them know their work paid off.
- Prevent stress in rebuilding references by staying in contact with these individuals. Send a note occasionally and share information about new skills and knowledge you've gained.
- Throughout your career be aware of who might make a good reference.
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