Oh, I’ve talked to him about it. He’s put a lot of thought into his decision. Obviously, his AP Calc teacher was his first choice. I suggested his AP Physics teacher, because he’s got straight As there too, but because his Calc teacher was at capacity, he decided his other strongest option would be his AP Lang teacher. Had he obtained the AP Calc, he was thinking of getting a recommendation from a previous English teacher he had a good personal relationship with. But now he felt he needed something in the Math/Science area as well as a teacher who could speak to who he is as a person (he’s at a big school), and his pre-calc teacher fit the bill. I guess he feels his Physics teacher doesn’t know him personally as well as his previous math teacher, and he feels like he does a fair amount of goofing off/skating by in Physics class. (Whether he does or not, I don’t know, but that’s his perception of himself). He will also get a recommendation from a teacher with whom he has had electives all through high school. Ultimately, we feel our son needs to steer this process. He’ll need more guidance and support than our parents gave us because the terrain has gotten so difficult to navigate. But, this is also a learning experience for him, so we don’t want to override his autonomy.
But yes, the problem is he probably will be targeting at least a few of the most competitive schools.