I teach high school seniors and write letters of recommendations. I can’t speak for all my colleagues but the vast majority of us would spin the seemingly negative facts into something positive, such as “although xxx is not the brightest student but he gives his best effort”, “xxx sometimes must prioritize family members’ health/wellbeing above school work”, or “xxx has lower than expected test grades during Tennis season but works hard to catch up later”. For a student who can maintain a good grade without putting much effort, I usually write something like “xxx demonstrates easy and quick grasps of the main concepts” followed by no mention of work ethics.
Letters of recommendation are usually positive; however, including the kids’ shortcomings and minor weaknesses along with explanations/contexts feels more sincere (in my opinion), unless it’s for a student who is nearly flawless.
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