Dear Superintendent,

It is with bittersweet emotions that I write this letter of recommendation for Shelby Douglas for the leadership
position available in your district. Shelby is an exceptionally gifted individual and deserves an opportunity to
pursue her career goal of becoming a principal. At the same time, her advancement into this position will leave a
huge void on our Jesup Elementary fourth grade team. It is no exaggeration to say it will be a challenge to find an
educator as talented and conscientious as Shelby to fill her vacancy.
Shelby and I have worked together on the fourth grade team over the past seven years. In that time I have admired
the following qualities in Shelby that I believe characterize her as a person and as a quality educator:
Integrity In whatever role Shelby is in, she does the right thing in a reliable way. As a classroom teacher, her
students can count on her to be fair with them, even in those tricky he said/she said situations where the teacher
is the outside party hearing two different sides of the story. As a team member, Shelby is willing and able to offer
an honest opinion on a matter. I value her opinion as I know it comes backed by careful consideration. She also
knows, as a friend, when the whole truth isnt the best answer. During my semester-long medical leave as I
underwent chemotherapy, Shelby stepped up to the plate helping the long-term sub handle my challenging class.
Although Shelby kept me in the loop as to what was going on in my class, she knew sharing that things weren't
smooth sailing for my sub wouldn't help my recuperation.

Intelligence Shelby is one smart cookie! She is a quick learner who picks up new subject matter easily. If
something isnt making sense, shes not afraid to ask questions which are always well thought out and eloquently
presented. Shelby stays in-the-know in the field of education by being a voracious reader on a variety of schoolrelated topics. She has a penchant for reading and interpreting data.
Leadership - Shelby is a born leader. She is willing and able to take charge of any situation. Through her vast
school-related reading, Shelby has found and presented many research-based concepts to our fourth grade team.
She helped lead our implementation of I can statements, along with the formative and summative assessments
to confirm the students progress, as well as the levels of learning rating scale our students now use to measure
their understanding of a concept. She shared her research on growth mindset and helped both teachers and
students to develop a can-do attitude. Shelby discovered the Swivl video robot, shared it with the staff, and now
willingly helps teachers to use the Swivls that our school purchased because of her demonstration.
In summary, I have come to know Shelby as a quality educator and a very good person. I believe she has the skills
and can-do attitude which make her an excellent candidate. I strongly recommend Shelby for a position in
educational leadership. If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at 319-269-2140 or
kara_backes21@yahoo.com.
Sincerely,
Kara Backes
4th Grade Teacher, Jesup Community School District