Additional suggestions for

Additional suggestions for obtaining a letter of recommendation . . .
(1) provide the name and address of the recipient of the letter; (2) state the main purpose of the letter / nature of what is being sought by the recipient (a link to the website if available); (3) mention the date that your letter is needed, providing at least two weeks time for completion; (4) provide additional instructions if necessary; (5) let your teacher (or other letter writer) know that you appreciate their time and effort; and (6) let your letter writes know if you receive the scholarship, internship, job, acceptance into a university or special program, etc.

It is draining to spend 24 to 40 or more hours a year (usually requiring extra time during our busiest times of year) writing meaningful, personal letters for students ( 1 1/2 to 2 hours per letter / application ) and then rarely receive feedback from students for whom the letters were written. Most of my students get what they are seeking, but only about 1 out of 10 take the time to let me know. That is disheartening to us.

I can understand why some teachers opt out of the process or restrict the number of letters they write each year - it's very time-consuming and takes away from our personal lives since writing letters is added to our list of things to do for school: developing lessons, planning activities, making assessments, grading papers, maintaining websites, sponsoring club activities, communicating with parents (via email or telephone or personal conferences), and completing ridiculous amounts of paperwork if we are involved in the special education process!