Disparaging written references literally do not exist! EVERY written reference commends the subject.

Disparaging means belittling or derogatory.I didn't use that word,you did!

Dodgy means unreliable.

If someone is given a good written teaching reference,but is an ineffective teacher,that means said reference is dodgy.If someone is given a glowing written teaching reference,but is a fairly good teacher,that's a dodgy reference too.

In an earlier post,I gave an example of an FT who was given a written teaching reference by her Chinese director. The last sentence was about her excessive drinking,obviously making said reference a disparaging one!Click on the link below to find out more:

http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/forum/index.pl?read=54696