May 14, 2013 To Whom It May Concern:""" " " I am pleased to recommend Kaitlyn Anderson for a faculty position

at your school for the 2013-2014 academic year. I have had the privilege of teaching Kaitlyn throughout the past year, as her course instructor for TE 801 and TE 803: Professional Roles and Teaching Practice I and II at Michigan State University. TE 801 and TE 803 are treated primarily as workshops in which we concentrate on the problems of practice that teachers encounter in their internship year. There are a number of specific goals, but the overall motive is to help teaching interns gain ground in teaching. This phrase is intended to convey that learning to teach is an extended process that unfolds over the teaching career, as teachers progressively improve their practice, develop their repertoires, learn their students, establish their classrooms as communities of learning, and manage the common problems of teaching. Throughout the year, I had the opportunity to witness the development of twenty-four interns, and I can safely say that, of these twenty-four teachers, Kaitlyn was, without a doubt, one of the mostif not the mostconscientious and reflective. Rather than robotically march through assignments, Kaitlyn always took the time to seek me out after class to discuss her lesson/unit plans, classroom management challenges, etc. It was always clear to me from our conversations that Kaitlyn was inclined to think deeply about the drawbacks and advantages of any move one makes as a teacher. I believe wholeheartedly that this commitment to reflection, and concern for both her and her students optimal growth, will ensure that Kaitlyn continues to grow and develop as a teacher in the years ahead. I know, without a doubt, that Kaitlyns questions and curiosity will enrich the professional development of the faculty at your school whom she would be joining if you were to hire her. I would describe Kaitlyns pedagogy as adventurous, given her willingness and desire to allow students to construct new knowledge on a regular basis. Rather than lecturing her students in her English classes, Kaitlyn carefully scaffolded lessons (simultaneous to outlining firm classroom management expectations) so that her students would be thinking actively about the texts they were studying even before opening the text for the first time. In the fall, Kaitlyn had her students complete an anticipation guide prior to reading Seedfolks. She then organized a discussion activity in which students had to respond to a list of opinion statements using evidence from the literature to support their responses to the stated opinions. Her lesson demonstrated a sophisticated intertwining of three pillars of the English classroom: reading, oral dialogic discourse, and writing. I can safely say that, as Kaitlyn works to construct the most stimulating of lessons, she does so with every students best interest in mind. In the spring, Kaitlyn worked with a student whom she noticed struggling with low self-efficacy. Having taken the time to investigate this students background, Kaitlyn realized that she had transferred two times before coming to her current school and that the students records indicated that she had not always struggled with her English courses. Kaitlyn took this realization as an opportunity to reflect on how she, as the teacher, might change her dynamic with this particular student to resurrect the students former

successes. Any student fortunate enough to have Kaitlyn Anderson as his or her teacher will benefit from this level of care and concern. If I can be of any further assistance to you in helping to better understand the contributions Kaitlyn will make to your school by joining your faculty, please do not hesitate to contact me at macalus7@msu.edu or (251) 455-6603. Kaitlyn was an absolutely valuable asset to our classroom community in TE 801 and TE 803, asking questions and generating insight that I know will serve the students fortunate enough to have her as their teacher in the years ahead. I wish her and your school community all the best in your hiring endeavors. Sincerely,

Kati Macaluso Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education Michigan State University