May 22, 2015

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing to recommend Ms. Erica Galatola as an outstanding candidate for
elementary teacher or reading instructor. I have known Erica for the past three years and
have had the pleasure of teaching and supervising Erica in two courses, Teaching
Literacy and Supervised Clinical Practicum, both which lead to New Jersey endorsement
as K-12 Teacher of Reading. I was also fortunate to observe Ericas teaching as she
moved from beginning tutor to master tutor in the Rowan Reading Clinic. She is one of
the finest clinical students with whom I have worked!
School Reading Problems and Supervised Clinical Practicum are rigorous semester
courses that teach effective instructional strategies in reading and writing. The courses
include a tutoring component whereby students serve as tutors of struggling readers in the
Rowan University Reading Clinic. They meet with an assigned tutee two days each week
over the semester and must assess, plan and implement a program of instruction for that
child or young adult.
Erica consistently produced exemplary work. As a tutor, she was mature, responsible, and
professional, exhibiting an intuitive understanding of children and adolescents and the
ways that they learn. The Reading Clinic provides individualized, differentiated
instruction to readers with various reading difficulties. Erica learned to diagnose areas of
strength and weakness and to then plan instruction addressing her tutees needs. She used
ongoing informal measures to constantly refine her teaching goals and instruction. Her
energy and enthusiasm for teaching were evident both in her performance as a teacher
candidate and in her ability to form productive learning relationships with her tutees in a
tutoring/teaching setting. Her tutees not only gained in their reading ability but evidenced
an increase in confidence and motivation as reader and writers.
Ericas intelligence, strong theoretical and practical knowledge and her willingness to
work collaboratively with both students and colleagues consistently impressed me and
ensured her success as a pre-service teacher. Her strong understanding of effective
practice and current educational theory became especially evident in her student teaching
experience. She impressed faculty with her ability to generate original ideas and craft
appropriate and effective learning experiences for her students.
I found Erica to be an outstanding student in analytical thinking and perseverance. She
excelled both in classes and in fieldwork. She is a quiet leader with a keen listening talent
that allows her to be responsive to the needs of others. In sum, she is an intuitive,
responsible young woman, well suited to any career that she might choose. I highly and
enthusiastically recommend her without reservation for a position as teacher in any K-5
classroom. Her extensive knowledge of formative assessment in reading and writing as

well as her understanding of the Common Core demands of literacy instruction work to
make her especially valuable as a new faculty member. Erica is dedicated
and passionate about her work traits that will help her achieve academic success. If you
have any further questions or would like additional information, feel free to contact me at
856-256-4772 or madden@rowan.edu .
Very truly yours,

Marjorie E. Madden, Ph.D.

Language, Literacy and Special Education Department, Assistant Chair
Rowan University