[1ToughTeacher]

I've been filling out applications online all summer for schools in the Austin/Round Rock, TX, area. All of them require entering references and some send a survey to each. Well, there are some applications that I filled out in June and a couple of my references still have not filled out the survey. Some school districts do not consider your application complete until all that information is in. One district requires at least one reference be a former supervisor. I entered two former supervisors, and they are the ones that have not returned the surveys. Any idea on what I should do?

[lil_bit]

I requested a written reference from several people (trying to get at least 3). The one that I thought wouldn't do it did it the fastest. I'm still waiting on the others. :roll eyes: I would make an effort to call your references and let them know what is going on. I know that if I don't do it right away, it doesn't happen for a while. Perhaps they forgot. Good luck!

[teenytiny]

They are busy and probably just forgot about it. I'd call them and remind them, apologetically (not that you have anything to apologize for, but make sure not to get them on the defensive- you want the reference to be good!).

[Lady Di]

If your references' emails are a district email address, they may have gotten caught up in the spam folder and your references have no idea! This happens to me all the time (or the emails get blocked and I don't know it). Just wanted to let you know this may be the case! Good luck.

[OneOldGoat]

oh my gosh i know exactly what you mean.

I had very few professional references... just my host teacher, a teacher I had pre-clinical experiences in her classroom (taught a few lessons, etc) and the woman that did my evaluations for my college when I was student teaching.

The latter was the WORST. She was a flake as an evaluator (showed up late, inappropriately dressed, didn't show up at all, cancelled, was late getting my evaluations in... etc.) but I just didn't have anyone else to go to!! She filled out the first two I sent her (they could be done online) but ignored every other one that had to be mailed back, even to the point of claiming she had sent them back when she had not. She had given me very good evaluations, but I was afraid if I kept hassling her for these things she'd not give very good references.

My student teacher host, i love her to death and I hated bugging her to fill out those things... but she would eventually get it done. My PCE host was great and did them all right away. But getting that third one was freaking impossible. So, I ended up getting some different types of professional references... the two paras that were in a class that i taught during demo teaching, two teachers that I had regularly volunteered in their classrooms for the last 8 years and a woman that is a teacher who I co-led a girl scout troop with.

It was so frustrating and I really hated being a pest with those things.