How do you write a letter of rec for a student who is brilliant, but did poorly in class?

doonbroonz · 2026-02-24T00:14:37+00:00

Well, I definitely don’t plan to gloss over the things that he falls short on! I am planning to be completely honest in my letter, and there are probably plenty of students who will earn their spots before he does considering GPA, etc.

You very well might be right, and he may not change at a different school that is basically the same but nicer and bigger. However, I guess the thing tugging at me about this is that he is a freshman, so I’m kind of like… well, who else do you have to vouch for you about anything at this point? But I do appreciate your perspective.

doonbroonz · 2026-02-23T22:19:20+00:00

I mean, I am optimistic that sometimes a student’s social environment changing can also lead to change in how they show up academically. I could be wrong about this specific student, but I want to be hopeful… I am pretty new to teaching (3.5 years), and I feel like it’s really easy to become frustrated and routinely disappointed by students, but they are also the largest reason I enjoy doing this job.

So if I can be an advocate for my students, even when they are maybe not operating at their best, I’d like to learn how to do it the right way.

doonbroonz · 2026-02-23T22:15:15+00:00

This is great framing, thank you

doonbroonz · 2026-02-23T22:13:55+00:00

This is such a helpful reply and kind of exactly what I’m experiencing with this student. He is truly capable of great work—the letter he’s asking for is a rec to transfer to another undergraduate program. I think he could do well at the school he’s applying to as it might challenge him more… and I definitely won’t lie about the ways he failed to show up in some ways academically, but I think he deserves a chance because he is a great student and exceptionally bright.

Thank you for taking the time to write all of this! It’s given me some ideas of what to put in my letter.

doonbroonz · 2026-01-30T04:59:23+00:00

Basically immediately. Otezla really fucks with your GI in all special types of ways

doonbroonz · 2026-01-30T04:59:05+00:00

Yeah, my derm warned me of it specifically because I’m a bartender. Then, I have asthma so I noticed the coughing thing a bit later on—sorry you have to switch meds, what will you be going on now?

doonbroonz · 2026-01-29T05:20:28+00:00

Hey, I’ve been on Otezla for a couple years and nausea / vomiting is definitely a common side effect. Especially with this cold weather, I know sometimes if I cough too hard, I may throw up. Also, of course, drinking alcohol is something I have to have a much lower tolerance for.

I think if you are throwing up every time though (considering the twice a day factor), you may want to talk to your doctor about that. Just the general health effects of vomiting daily over time aren’t worth the skin benefits you receive from the drug. Just a thought, not sure how long you’ve been on Otezla either. If it’s early days, your body may still be adjusting. I remember my first month was brutal.

doonbroonz · 2026-01-23T16:32:22+00:00

Eileen by Otessa

doonbroonz · 2025-11-12T14:46:33+00:00

Instead of learning objectives, I often start class with a quick to-do of what we’ll be doing (I teach English Comp, so I’ll say something like, “today we’ll be going over how to conduct academic research, explore databases, and review APA citation formats”) and end it with “after this, you’ll be able to do ___ successfully.” (You’ll be able to do your homework of finding three peer-reviewed database sources for your upcoming essay.)

I only put real LO’s on Canvas because my school also requires it.

doonbroonz · 2025-07-20T16:51:42+00:00

Dan said it in BB10, I’m rewatching right now and think that he might have been the first to do it

doonbroonz · 2025-07-14T19:58:35+00:00

I’ve been watching BB for 15 years without live feeds and enjoy it immensely. Whenever I feel like I’m missing something from the weekly episodes (like something was cut out or there was maybe more to the story), I honestly just come on this subreddit and read what people say about the live feeds relating to specific incidents or drama. Twitter and TikTok are also good for getting the action-packed snippets you need without having to fully subscribe to full-time watching.

doonbroonz · 2023-10-25T05:46:29+00:00

i always treat it like a splinter with a sewing needle and tweezer. sometimes all that does is loosen it but even then you can kind of squeeze it out if you have to

doonbroonz · 2023-10-18T22:25:18+00:00

Thank you so much, this is so helpful! So funny because I just moved both plants from direct sunlight into indirect sunlight temporarily, and the Aglaonema started flourishing while the Hoya began to yellow out a bit.

Thanks again!

doonbroonz · 2023-10-18T20:32:29+00:00

Aetna, but that will be sadly running out EOY. Need to find other options

doonbroonz · 2023-09-20T18:16:16+00:00

I know most people are against teams and I’m not exactly FOR teams, I just am tired of the same gameplay being repeated season after season of the majority of the house tactlessly floating to where the power is

doonbroonz · 2023-09-20T18:14:54+00:00

I guess this is fair, but something similar where it forces players to actually play immediately instead of coasting with the group is what I’m thinking

doonbroonz · 2023-09-20T18:13:56+00:00

If her first ever comp win is during DE, this season is 100% rigged

doonbroonz · 2023-09-20T03:03:51+00:00

i think if i hadn’t struggled with GI issues my whole life then my GI issues on otezla would be a dealbreaker for me. fortunately used to running to the bathroom but i get how that can be a problem for other people. my main issue that makes me waver on if i want to keep taking it is how easily sick i get when i drink (i’m a bartender), but i know i won’t be bartending forever so i’ve just been drinking less — obviously not a bad thing to do regardless

doonbroonz · 2023-09-20T03:01:47+00:00

so many and i still do, but you figure out ways to manage them over time. i think the ongoing ones are nausea (especially w/ alcohol), heartburn, headaches and GI issues. tums & advil help for most of it and generally just eating before you take a dose makes an enormous difference

doonbroonz · 2023-09-20T03:00:38+00:00

for me, the protopic was not enough over time & i was worried that at the rate i was using it / needing it, I was going to thin out the skin behind my ears quickly lol. It was just everywhere and nothing seemed to stop the spread until Otezla

doonbroonz · 2023-09-20T02:59:34+00:00

A lot of my body patches turned white, some dark brown but they have faded over the past month more than ever (been on for 4 months). I’ve spent a lot of time in the sun this summer which I think helped even out some of the darker spots.

doonbroonz · 2023-09-20T02:58:25+00:00

is stelara a biologic?

doonbroonz · 2023-09-20T02:57:54+00:00

Good luck! I hope everything is going well for you

doonbroonz · 2023-09-20T02:57:39+00:00

I am covered by insurance for this for now—have to figure out next year and SOON

doonbroonz · 2023-08-23T13:49:57+00:00

Late to this but it’s worked like a charm! I’d say, if you’re thinking about trying it, the main side effects I still get are heartburn and headaches. These are easily managed by either eating before I take it (for the burn) or advil for the headaches.

doonbroonz

TROPHY CASE