Maureen O’Malley

Fourth Grade Teacher

Denver Public Schools
(773)706-8875
maureen_o’malley@dpsk12.net

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this letter on behalf of Althea Davis. Althea and I have worked together for two
years at Kaiser Elementary. In collaboration, we support our shared students by hosting
conferences and meet regularly to discuss best practices. We also co-chair Kaiser’s Inclusion
Diversity Equity Access committee, which promotes social justice awareness. In addition, this
school year, I have had the pleasure of co-teaching with Althea during social-emotional time for
our fourth grade class. Through these experiences, I have witnessed Althea’s dedication to
students and their families, the knowledge of her craft, and her passion for learning.

As an educator, Althea consistently seeks excellence for all. Using carefully chosen data,
anecdotal evidence, and background knowledge of students, Althea creates lessons
individualized to her students. This includes choosing a leveled text with a topic or culture
familiar to that student. Because of Althea’s deep knowledge of students, she is also able to
recognize when families are in need of assistance and reacts in an appropriate and
compassionate manner. Last year, a family confidentially shared with Althea that they were
unhomed and Althea responded immediately by obtaining resources for this family. Althea also
challenges her colleagues to seek other perspectives and grows our knowledge through leading
professional development. Recently, a colleague shared a racist viewpoint during a staff
meeting. Rather than emotionally reacting, Althea chose to seek for understanding and
researched appropriate and effective ways to respond to that colleague. Althea’s dedication and
compassion make her a great asset to any team.

As a learner, Althea actively pursues education. From staff meetings to professional

development, she is diligently engaged. Whether I am sitting alongside her or observing her
from across the room, Althea takes notes, asks questions, and engages respectfully with her
peers. When she feels appropriate to share her expertise, she teaches others and when she feels
it necessary to listen, she learns. These are qualities of a true leader and of an ideal student.

It is with great pleasure that I recommend Althea Davis. The effort she has put forth into her
career will only continue to grow with her future endeavors. I have no doubt that Althea will set
high expectations and fully dedicate herself to her next step in life.

With pleasure,

Maureen O’Malley