At Appalachian, I feel extremely blessed to work with colleagues who are intelligent, competent, experienced, and passionate about education. As a new professor, I was able to work closely with the Middle Grades Education team and have co-taught courses each spring semester with Dr. Bob Heath, Dr. Tracy Smith, and Dr. Holly Thornton. Although I did not initially realize I should have them formally observe and review my teaching, they have observed me on multiple occasions and we have worked closely together to model the middle school teaming we espouse. Because the Middle Grades team works together to design, implement, and assess our courses, we have a rare opportunity to positively impact each others' work. Our weekly meetings allow us to discuss new teaching strategies and formats; for example, we have recently begun to discuss going to a hybrid format for our graduate cohort. The letters of support from my colleagues, Dr. Bob Heath and Dr. Holly Thornton are in support of my teaching, both individually and as a team.
A third letter is from Kate Johnson, who works in the Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) office. The fourth is from her colleague, Heather Jo Mashburn, who also works in the ACT office. Both work with the Office of International Education to train student leaders in service learning and community partnerships. Those student leaders then work with non-profit or charitable organizations to plan a service trip for a group of students. Kate has extensive knowledge of the community of Boone and the campus of ASU. She works with many organizations and individuals as part of her job. While relatively new, Heather Jo has also quickly become a part of the Appalachian community and works with organizations across campus and around Boone. Kate provided this letter of support for the first of two International Alternative Spring Break trips on which I served as the faculty "Peer Leader." Heather's letter is from my most recent student service trip to Guatemala. Part letters of support, part reports on student evaluations, the letters highlights my unique ability to successfully serve our Appalachian students as well as the non-profits they partner with and the communities in which we worked.
Letters from Damiana Gibbons and Shanan Fitts followed more formal observations of my teaching as per the requirements of the department. Both Dr. Gibbons and Dr. Fitts work in Curriculum and Instruction and know me on a more personal level, so it was interesting to read their assessments of my teaching as well as visit their classes for observation. Both letters speak to my ability to build rapport and relationship with my students as well as provide instruction that is engaging and relevant. Dr. Gibbons letter also speaks to the ways I have been striving to integrate available technologies into my classroom. On the day she observed, I used a set of iPads and the AirPort system to have students share their portfolios while learning the technology.
The final letter included here is from Dr. Trevor Stewart. As we have worked together over the past year, he has witnessed my dedication to my teaching and my students and has given his support of my efforts. While he has observed my teaching only in informal ways, he has had many opportunities to observe me working with the Middle Grades students in advising, service projects, and fundraising efforts. Likewise, he has become a trusted colleague in research endeavors and his letter speaks to my expertise in my research.
I hope these letters are adequate in giving you an idea of the importance I place on teaching and students. While I realize I may not have as many letters as I should, I have no doubt that my colleagues within and outside the Middle Grades program trust me to effectively educate our teacher candidates and would offer their support of my teaching without hesitation.