TITLE: How do I calculate the covariant derivative of a covariant vector, $\nabla_j A_i$?
QUESTION [7 upvotes]: $$\mathbf{A} = A^{1}\mathbf{e_{1}}+A^{2}\mathbf{e_{2}}$$
$$A= \sum_{i=1}^{n}A^{i}\mathbf{e_{i}}$$
Taking the derivative wrt the tangent basis vector and dropping the summation by Einstein convention: 
$$\left ( \frac{\partial A^{i}}{\partial x^{j}}+\Gamma _{jk}^{i}A^{k}\right )\mathbf{e_{i}}$$
The covariant derivative of this contravector is 
$$\nabla_{j}A^{i}\equiv \frac{\partial A^{i}}{\partial x^{j}}+\Gamma _{jk}^{i} A^{k}$$
Now, I would like to determine the covariant derivative of a covariant vector but ran into some problem. Namely, with the red highlighted parts in bold which does not appear in my sketch.
$$\nabla_{j}A_{i}\equiv\frac{\partial A_{i}}{\partial x^{j}}{\color{Red} -}\Gamma_{{\color{Red} ij}}^{{\color{Red} k}}A_{k}$$
which the above is a covariant derivative of a covariant vector.
Any help is appreciated.

REPLY [6 votes]: I will proceed with Einstein summation as you have.
Let $\partial_i$ denote $\dfrac{\partial}{\partial x^i}$.
Let $u^m$ be a contravector and $\mu_m$ a covector.
First note that by the product rule,
\begin{align}
\partial_i(\mu_m u^m) &= (\partial_i \mu_m)u^m + \mu_m(\partial_i u^m)\\ \mathrm{So\ by\ rearranging,}\quad (\partial_i \mu_m)u^m &= \partial_i(\mu_m u^m) - \mu_m(\partial_i u^m)
\end{align}
We now proceed by finding how $\nabla_i\mu_m$ acts on an arbitrary vector to show how it acts on all vectors. (The covariant derivative of a covector is itself a covector, i.e. a map that acts on vectors, so this is precisely what we must find out.)
\begin{align}
(\nabla_i\mu_m)(u^m) &= \partial_i (\mu_m u^m) - \mu_m(\nabla_i u^m)\\
&= \partial_i (\mu_m u^m) - \mu_m(\partial_iu^m + \Gamma_{ij}^m u^j) \mathrm{\quad(by\ the\ formula\ given\ in\ your\ question)}\\
&= (\partial_i\mu_m)u^m - \Gamma_{ij}^m \mu_m u^j \mathrm{\quad(by\ the\ product\ rule\ above)}
\end{align}
By the summation convention, we have that $(\partial_i\mu_m)u^m - \Gamma_{ij}^m \mu_m u^j = (\partial_i\mu_m)u^m - \Gamma_{ij}^p \mu_p u^j$. (As the two terms in the equation are linked by subtraction, we do not change anything by re-labelling the second $m$ index to another letter.) In the same way, we relabel the $j$ to $m$.
$$(\nabla_i\mu_m)(u^m) = (\partial_i\mu_m)u^m - \Gamma_{im}^p \mu_p u^m$$
As the contravector was arbitrary, this shows that
$$\nabla_i\mu_m = \partial_i\mu_m- \Gamma_{im}^p \mu_p$$