Feb.

13, 2017

To Whom It May Concern;

It is my pleasure to recommend Hannah Bakies to you. I had Hannah in my Teacher
Leadership class in the spring of 2016 at Miami University. During this course, students were
asked to examine their own autobiography as well as the issues and challenges of poverty and
race in schools. Juxtaposing these two, they were asked to develop a personal/professional
question which they researched through literature as well as in actual classrooms and schools.
Toward the end of the term, students were put into working groups in which they collaboratively
identified tensions found embedded in standard practices versus student needs, many of these
practiced by well-meaning teachers. From those tensions, they designed classrooms and schools
that addressed the specific needs and tensions they had researched.
Throughout this work, Hannah was an outstanding student. She brought an ability to both
think and see things sometimes passed over by others. Her work in her field classroom was also
remarkable, as she consistently showed an ability to empathize with individual student needs,
while balancing the overall needs of the class as a whole. Her collaborative work with her
university team as well as with her field teacher consistently demonstrated a willingness to go
above and beyond the expected. In short, Hannah showed the ability to not only be an
outstanding student, but to also transfer her knowledge and skills into the classroom while
working with students.
Hannah accomplished all of this while working as a tour guide for Miami University, and
a technology assistant in the Engaging Technology Lounge in our McGuffey Hall. Her
experience and expertise in both technology and people skills are an unusual combination, and
add to the strength of her work. During this time she also was an active leader in a sorority, the
Miami Activity and Event Planning, and with the Miami Student Education Association.
In short, Hannah has demonstrated her ability to lead, collaborate well with others, and
juggle a hefty work schedule while showing true ability in both the university and elementary
field classrooms. She is consistently hard working and empathetic with those she serves.
I would be happy to answer any other questions you might have at either my email
address: diannecsuiter@gmail.com, or my personal cell: 513-464-7876. In my experience as a
curriculum director, principal, and university instructor, I have found that people like Hannah are
incredible gifts, no matter where they work. She would be an asset to any school.

Respectfully,
Dianne Suiter, PhD