March 1, 2017

I am writing this recommendation letter for Anna Petsas. I have known Anna since the
spring of 2010. Since that time, I have had the pleasure of watching Anna graduate from
high school, attend Heartland Community College and then transfer to Bradley
University. At Bradley, Anna continued towards her dream of becoming an English
Language Arts teacher.

I have enjoyed watching Anna thrive on the challenges that she has endured during her
teacher preparation period as well as the years since. Having said that, let me explain
what I truly appreciate and admire in this young professional. I have had the opportunity,
as one of Anna’s mentors, to hear her story. During her preparation period, Anna worked
with students at Peoria School District 150’s Washington Gifted Middle School and
Quest Charter Academy High School. These experiences were followed by her time at
Olympia Middle School. As with all new teachers, there were a plethora of events that
the university classroom just cannot totally prepare you for. I have been extremely
impressed by her ability to meet the challenges presented in these educational
environments. The main thing that has caught my attention is her desire to challenge and
support her students. I would like to collaborate my statement by providing elements of a
few conversations that have occurred between Anna and me.

One conversation occurred while Anna was at Washington Gifted Middle School. Anna
was very adamant that gifted students did not just need more work. Instead, she stated
that they need differentiated work that challenges them with higher thinking skills. Anna
drew on personal experiences with her students to give details as to how she would
challenge certain individual students. Another conversation occurred when facing the
dilemma of whether she should hold high expectations for her students, or just let them
pass through their classroom (the same dilemma every teacher has had to grapple with, at
least one time in their career). She spoke of how it would be easy to let them pass and not
be challenged. But then, they would not be ready for college or future employment
success. It was clearly evident that she embraced the fact that it is her responsibility to
challenge and support students to learn the required material that will prepare them not
only for college, but also for a productive life-time. And although this can be a daunting
task, it is one that I have seen Anna work extensively to complete this.

Anna and I have been collaborating on a writing project that describes the process that
she has undertaken to move to a Skills-Based teaching, assessing and reporting system. In
this project, she states how she used the Common Core ELA standards and identified the
skills that are needed to meet the standards. She then discusses how she then used this
system in her teaching, assessing and reporting. She then completes the project by
highlighting the pros and cons of this type of system. This is a strong and promising
description that shows Anna to be at a deeper level of professional growth than most in
the early years of the teaching journey.

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION • COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH SCIENCES

1501 WEST BRADLEY AVENUE • PEORIA, ILLINOIS 61625-0291 • (309) 677-3190 • FAX (309) 677-2952
I have been and continue to be impressed by the amount of technology Anna implements
in the classroom. Some of these include Nearpod, Kahoot, Socrative, Zipgrade, Google
Classroom, Plan Book, Google Drive, Microsoft Office and Plickers. To be honest with
you, I am not familiar with all of these, but by hearing Anna discuss her use of these
tools, I am convinced that she is staying abreast with instructional technologies. She not
only has been able to show me how she used some of these technologies, but also has
been able to discuss how she uses each of them to guide her instructional decisions.

In addition to these technologies, I am aware that Anna uses data to drive her
instructional decisions. Anna has worked with each of her student to identify their STAR
goals based on their reading fluency and comprehension scores. As a result of this work,
her students have shown growth throughout the year. This evidence-based approach is at
the core of professional teachers and their articulation of successful learning and
teaching.

I am convinced that Anna is a very dedicated, responsible and hard-working teacher. She
has tremendous empathy for her students and is committed to challenging and supporting
each and every one of her students. She has written and received a $500 grant that
enabled her to purchase curricular materials to implement a redesigned interdisciplinary
unit. I have witnessed her strong commitment to learning and her passion for students’
success. She is a truly caring, dedicated young teacher, who will support and challenge
her students to live up to their full, and perhaps more than their perceived potential.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Sincerely,

Patricia M. Nugent, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Teacher Education
Bradley University
Westlake Hall 247
Peoria, Illinois 61625
(309)677-3176
pnugent@fsmail.bradley.edu

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION • COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH SCIENCES

1501 WEST BRADLEY AVENUE • PEORIA, ILLINOIS 61625-0291 • (309) 677-3190 • FAX (309) 677-2952