Department of Teaching

Office of Out-of-State and International

Student Teaching
October 27, 2013
Dear Hiring Administrators,
Ms. Amy Garrett has proven herself to be an outstanding student and educator over the past five years that I
have known her. As a former teacher in the International School circuit, I feel that I have a thorough understanding
of what personal and professional traits are necessary to excel in this unique environment. Amy has exhibited the
necessary demeanor, professional skills, attitudes and cultural sensitivity to thrive in the most challenging
environments. Following are a few categories that define Amy:
Perseverance: Amy has proven to persevere through any situation as she is in. Student teaching in Cairo,
Egypt and teaching in Mumbai, India have required perseverance at levels that many new teachers are unable to
experience. However, Amy has taken every obstacle as a challenge. When the materials aren't available, she
improvises. When the students don't speak English, she teaches without words, or when she doesn't understand the
language, she takes classes to learn. I truly believe that there is no challenge in teaching that Amy will give up on.
She will persevere until she succeeds.
Achievement: As a student of mine in undergraduate courses and now in graduate courses that I teach, the
reflective papers that Amy has submitted have been saved to share with future students as it represents the level of
self reflection, critique, personal and professional growth that I hope for in all of my students. I have no doubt that
Amy will continue to achieve this level of accomplishments throughout her career.
Influencing and Motivating: A recent graduate told me just that they wished they were more like Amy.
This student went onto describe how Amy not only talks about what she wants to accomplish, but she actually does
it. Her ability to give her all through both her words and her actions are influential and motivating to anyone in her
presence. I couldnt agree more.
Organizational Ability: As a college professor, Amy has had several assignments due to me over the five
years I have known here. She has turned everything in on time and has even gone above and beyond the typical
student. She has thought in advance about when she might need to miss class and has arranged to come to a session
prior to the one that she missed, in effort to not get behind on any information. Amy thrives in a busy environment.
When there is apparently nothing to do, she will seek something out and prove to be productive even in her
"downtime".
Building Relationships in Diverse Settings: This may be Amy's strongest suit. Everyone loves Amy and
wants to hear her insights. She embraces differences to the level that most do not. Again, her actions speak this
loud and clear. While student teaching at Cairo American College, she could easily have remained in a very
comfortable friendship circle of her American colleagues. However, her weekends and evenings were often spent
with local Egyptians, as she wanted to learn as much as she could about the people of Egypt in effort to better
understand the students she was teaching. Her experiences in India have been no different.
Critical Thinking: Amys reflections on her own lessons are similar to that of a veteran teacher. She is not
only reflecting on how to manage student behavior and teach basic lessons, but she is already thinking critically
about incorporating cultural competencies into her teaching and recognizing that students will have varying needs
and background knowledge. She knows that the more experiences she has, the better she will be able to relate to any
student that comes into her classroom. Most of all, she is never done learning.
Any school considering Amy Garrett as a teacher would be fortunate to have her. She is an outstanding
educator; one of those treasured teachers who will be not only an excellent classroom teacher, but also a contributing
member of any faculty team that is lucky enough to have her. I give her my highest recommendation! Please do not
hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Dr. Leigh C. Martin
University of Northern Iowa,
International Student Teaching, Center Coordinator
319-273-2202 (office)
Leigh.Martin@uni.edu

Department of Teaching
Office of Out-of-State and International
Student Teaching