April

26, 2021



To Whom It May Concern:

I enthusiastically recommend Ms. Anna Fillar as an English Language Arts or
TESOL teacher at your school. I have known Anna for two years as one of her
English Education professors at Michigan State University. Anna is an
exceptionally strong preservice teacher and will be a great asset to any school
because of her creative instruction, integration of strategies to support all learners,
and care for each student.

Anna was very creative in her instructional planning before COVID, and since
teaching remotely this year has really pushed herself to use technology and
interaction in creative ways to encourage student engagement and learning. For
example a unit plan she developed for teaching A Raising in the Sun incorporates
activities such as drama-based pedaogy, character dream charts, creative
multimodal projects, and a variety of multimodal texts, all while teaching students
to read critically and analyze literary elements in a play. In her virtual teaching,
Anna’s lessons typically integrated multiple technology platforms to create a
variety of ways for students to interact with her and with each other. I encourage
you to take a look at her website portfolio to view even more ways Anna creatively
enacts instruction and assessment.

Because of Anna’s secondary endorsement in TESOL, she employs a variety of
College of language support strategies that not only help the English learners in her
Education classrooms but also support all students in reading comprehension, speaking,
listening, and writing. Strategies such as allowing students to take notes in a
Teacher Education language of their choosing, providing multiple means to access content and share
about it, and checking in on mental health, among others, all help to support
Michigan State University English learners, students receiving special education services, students on 504
620 Farm Lane,
313 Erickson Hall plans, and students who may have other needs that particular day. Anna
East Lansing, MI 48824 intentionally uses these strategies as well as others that help her class feel safe and
inviting for students because she cares so much about each and every one of them.
517-353-5091
Fax: 517-432-5092 Her lessons and assessments allow her to connect individually with each student
Education.msu.edu
when needed so that they all feel noticed, cared for, and supported in their
individual learning trajectory.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. It may be easiest to reach
me at my cell phone at (616) 485-4243 or my e-mail: jvheide@msu.edu. I have no
hesitation in recommending Anna for a teaching position at your school.

Sincerely,

Jennifer VanDerHeide, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of English Education
Michigan State University
jvheide@msu.edu