November 10, 2005

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this letter on behalf of Heather Speweik. I have known Heather for a little over a year as a fellow student, but more importantly she was my mentor as I learned how to teach English composition courses at Bowling Green State University. I believe Heather was an organized and an effective mentor.

Heather’s organization skills made working with her helpful and informative. She was always prepared for our individual meetings with an agenda of what she wanted to accomplish with specific questions to get us through it all. In these meetings we discussed increasing student class participation, grade recording methods, and time management among other things. Heather always had numerous handouts and class activities that she could easily access from her notebooks and files in our meetings to help me with ideas. By having the tools to implement the activities at a moment’s notice from her own teaching experiences, our meetings were always very helpful.

Group meetings led by Heather were also very effective and informative when it came to helping me clarify my teaching methods and philosophy. She would gather all of the instructors she was mentoring making sure everyone could make it to one of two times. After doing activities such as practicing grading, she would lead a discussion pertaining to that activity which allowed us to help each other with the complicated questions of grading, dealing with problem students, and creating lesson plans, activities, and syllabi. These discussions were always informative because they allowed us to see how our work coincided with other instructors as well as the General Studies Writing Program.

Heather’s organization skills matched with her ability to lead effective group meetings are only a few ways that I believe she will be a valuable resource for your program. If you have any further questions please contact me.

October 31, 2005

To Whom it May Concern:

I am writing this letter in order to provide my highest recommendation for Heather Speweik to be awarded with a position at your institution. I have known Heather since August of 2004 when she became my group leader as part of the General Studies Writing teacher-training program at Bowling Green State University. As my group leader, Heather was responsible for meeting with me on a weekly basis to talk about my teaching experiences as well as to look over my assignment sheets, syllabi, and the comments that I made on student drafts and final papers.  Because of this, I have been in contact with Heather on a regular basis and have been impressed in every instance.

When I met with Heather, she always made me comfortable. I was never afraid to express my problems and concerns and she was always ready with helpful advice that thoughtful, honest, and sincere. For example, once when I was struggling with how I could use a editing log to help my students learn grammar and punctuation skills that they were struggling with, Heather had sample editing logs ready the next day for me to look over. In addition to making sample assignments and activities available, Heather also encouraged her group members to be creative and create innovative assignments that responded to the needs of our students.  Heather helped us to teach according to the GSW program standards, but she also gave us the tools that we needed to become competent and conscientious individuals and develop our own teaching philosophies.

When Heather looked at samples of my graded papers, she was expedient and helpful. Her comments were extensive and helped me to gain confidence and abilities in writing constructive, helpful comments to students.  She was more than happy to look at things for me at the last minute, and I never felt like I was bothering her.  Additionally, Heather was responsible and dependable. It was a great relief to me as a beginning instructor that I never had to worry about whether I would receive comments from her in time to give papers back to my students. 

Professionally, Heather shows a dedication that her peers admire. Personally, I have never worked with a mentor who was so considerate and easy to work with.  She not only made me feel comfortable as a beginning teacher, but also as a new graduate student in a new school and city.  I have no doubt that she will be an important asset to any program she enters. In short, I feel more than confident in recommending Heather for your program and it is my sincere hope that you will consider awarding Heather with a position at your institution.

October 29, 2005

To Whom It May Concern:

It has been my pleasure to work with Heather Speweik as my Group Leader for the past academic year (2004-2005) at Bowling Green State University, Ohio. As a graduate assistant in the General Studies Writing Program, I met with Heather weekly to discuss my teaching approach for various assignments and also get feedback on my students’ graded essays.

Heather is a very motivated and dedicated person, and I was always impressed by her ability to communicate with all the graduate students she worked with. She showed flexibility every time I needed to meet with her outside our weekly schedule and offer suggestions on my students’ graded essays. Her feedback helped me see my students’ needs more clearly, as well as kept me more objective.

As my mentor when teaching first year writing/academic writing, Heather always offered to give me her own assignment sheets and any other handouts that she used in her classes. When teaching synthesis - one of the concepts students struggle with- Heather’s advice and activities bettered my students’ understanding and usage of the concept. She suggested having them work in groups and combine some of their favorite movies. The students enjoyed and had fun synthesizing characters and plots, but it also made them more aware of the requirements of the assignment.

Her empathy and high level of commitment made me enjoy my teaching experience in the General Studies Writing Program. She makes me feel good about teaching and teachers, and I believe that she is both an excellent instructor and a teacher trainer.