Oh, yes. Recommendation writing season is upon us. This week alone I need to write letters on behalf of students applying for summer internships, resident advisor positions, study abroad programs, scholarships, and even to transfer to other schools.
I enjoy talking to students about what they hope to accomplish and what they have already achieved. It's nice that they feel that I know them well enough after one class with them to write a favorable recommendation. I like thinking that I may be helping my students achieve their next step... even if it is to leave TempCollege.
But.
I really am not a fan of the actual writing of the letter.
For one, I'm horribly slow. I know I'm overthinking the whole process. I know I should be able to bang out a good recommendation letter in less than 20 minutes. I know all of these things.
Letterhead is my kryptonite. I feel all my coherent sentences draining out of me once I see (or think about!) printing onto the watermarked paper.
I'm sure that I will improve with time. But until then, I've got a dozen letters to get through.
