If your D’s health has waxed and waned, did it not do so in 11th grade as well? If so, then her chem teacher could speak to that as well.
I want to reiterate though,
Thinking back about some of my students I taught who were not academic superstars:
- Always helped newcomers, even if they didn’t know the language, and helped them to acclimate (showing them the restrooms, helping them to pronounce things, showing them where supplies were kept, inviting them to eat lunch at their table, etc.).
- Kind and helpful…literally went dumpster-diving with a peer who had accidentally thrown her retainer away at lunch to (successfully) find the retainer.
- Genuinely cheerful and helpful, doing less desirable tasks without being asked, just because.
Maybe you’re saying, that’s not the way my D would act. But here are some other examples, including from “average excellent” students who weren’t necessarily exceptional at any one thing:
-
Student who cared so much about her work that when her black marker ran out of ink at home, rather than finishing with another color, came to school early to request a teacher’s black marker so she could complete her assignment on time (family was financially constrained).
-
Student who lent a different or unique perspective to class discussions.
-
Student who showed a natural intellectual curiosity, either during class or after class and posed questions/pursued conversations that reflected that curiosity.
And there are so many other positive things that your D’s teachers may well have observed her doing. Your D doesn’t need to be the “best ever” or even “best in her year” to be able to get a good teacher recommendation. Almost all kids who apply to college need a teacher recommendation. Those students are not all going to be superlative in some way or other. But they get recommendations and, if they crafted a well-balanced list of schools, they end up with affordable admissions and go to college.
A teacher recommendation (and the various parts of a college application on the whole) is a glimpse at the student to let the college know that this is the kind of person they’d want to have on their campus. If a school only admitted extroverted leaders who show their “initiative” by starting clubs, then it’s going to have a big problem because there won’t be enough people who actually get stuff done, want to join others’ clubs, etc. Colleges want a diverse pool of students, not just with respect to race, ethnicity, religion, geography, etc, but also with respect to the kids personalities. They want the gregarious comedians but they also want the quiet contemplators of the world. They’re looking for all types.