Maria J. Coolican, Ph.D.

Educational Studies

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
610 E. UNIVERSITY AVE., ROOM 1228 ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 734.417.6806 mariajc@umich.edu

1 April 2014 To Whom It May Concern: I am asked quite often to write letters of recommendation for students. These students are usually either looking for teaching jobs or applying to graduate school, and I can typically offer praise for the majority of them, and high praise for a few very special students. In the case of Destiney Davis, however, I can offer not only high praise, but the very highest. Destiney is one of my most dedicated and most committed students, and I am thrilled to recommend her as a teacher at your school. Her work ethic, her commitment to adapting to and excelling in new situations, her excellent classroom skills and her genuine passion for her students and for learning all she can about teaching and learning make her an ideal candidate for your French position. I am a clinical professor of teacher education at The University of Michigan, and am the faculty advisor for all students who have selected a world language as their teaching major and/or minor. Destiney is completing our graduate teacher certification program, and she has regularly distinguished herself as an exceptionally motivated and extremely hard working individual who is easy-going, has an intense and amazing work ethic, and who is generous and thoughtful when working with others. I am honored to have been her advisor and professor, and am especially honored now to welcome her as a colleague into the world of teaching. As a former high school principal, it was my goal to fill my school with teachers like Destiney. She has no doubt who she is as a teacher, and has no doubt that her job is to help students become responsible citizens who have significant critical thinking and problem solving skills, and who are able to work with others in a collaborative way. She knows, too, that her students achievement of French literacy skills is the milieu in which she will create such citizens, and she therefore creates learning opportunities that are individualized, deep, rich and intensely engaging. Destiney strikes that oftentimes elusive balance between creativity and high expectations for student achievement. Her lessons are highly student centered, and usually focus on students investigating, researching, comparing, contrasting, evaluating and synthesizing informationcritical thinking skills that are so crucial for todays students. Destiney never doubts for a moment that all students can be

successful, and she provides the support, assistance and structure that they need to achieve that success. School ought to be about many things, not the least of which is encouragingindeed, requiringstudents to stretch their social and intellectual wings. Destiney offers students her diverse and deep background in the French language and cultures and invites them to explore these rich ideas that inform our understanding of our world. She demands excellence and continuous improvement from her students, and she gets it precisely because she holds such high expectations for them. With Destiney as their teacher and coach, the students invariably adopt those very same rigorous expectations for themselves. I would very much welcome the opportunity to answer any questions that you might have or to provide further examples of Destineys successes as a teacher. I think the world of her. Sincerely,

Maria J. Coolican, Ph.D. (734) 417-6806 mariajc@umich.edu