April 11, 2022

Dr. Joanne E. Marciano

Assistant Professor
Department of Teacher Education
Michigan State University
College of Education
Erickson Hall, Room 352a
Email: marcian2@msu.edu

Dear Hiring Committee,

It is my pleasure to write this letter in support of Aubrey Sneed’s application for

employment with your school district. Aubrey is an thoughtful, reflective, and
caring educator who is sure to positively impact the lives and learning
experiences of her future students and colleagues.

I met Aubrey nearly two years ago, and have served as her faculty instructor for
three courses in the College of Education at Michigan State University since that
time. Across each class, Aubrey has demonstrated a passion for cultivating a
classroom community where students’ experiences and perspectives are affirmed
as strengths in English Language Arts curriculum and teaching. Aubrey is an
excellent candidate for a position in your district and I enthusiastically
recommend her for employment.

Department of Aubrey and I first met in August of 2020 when she enrolled in the required
Teacher Education Teaching English to Diverse Learners course I taught in the College of
Education at Michigan State University. It was challenging semester, as students
Michigan State University
313 Erickson Hall enrolled in the course never met in person due to restrictions caused by the
620 Farm Lane Room 104 COVID-19 pandemic. All class sessions were held online, as were students’ field
East Lansing, MI 48824
placements. Despite these challenging circumstances, Aubrey excelled. She
Phone: 517-353-5091 quickly asserted herself as a valued member of our class community,
Fax: 517-4325092
education.msu.edu/te contributing meaningful connections between multiple assigned course readings
and making reflective connections to her work in the online field placement
necessitated by the pandemic.

My work with Aubrey extended into the Spring 2021 semester, when she
enrolled in the required Crafting Teaching Practice course I taught. Aubrey
continued to contribute as an active member of the course, engaging in the
online course context necessitated by the ongoing pandemic. Aubrey continued
to develop her stance as an English teacher who seeks to generate more equitable
learning opportunities for students, particularly those experiencing
marginalization. For example, Aubrey developed a unit plan focused on
supporting students critical literacies by writing lesson plans that drew from
students’ lived experiences and perspectives to support them in examining
literary elements through the lens of protest. Aubrey’s unit plan drew from a
variety of texts she selected that examine issues of power and oppression and
generated opportunities for students to engage in individual and small group
work to extend their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in innovative
ways.

Now, I currently serve as Aubrey’s instructor for the Reflection and Inquiry in
Teaching Practice II course she is enrolled in at MSU. Aubrey is taking the
course while completing her student teaching Internship, balancing the rigors of
academic coursework alongside the daily work of teaching students with the
support of her mentor teacher. The Reflection and Inquiry course requires
students to engage in active and critical reflection in ways designed to improve
their teaching practice. Aubrey provides extremely thoughtful responses to
weekly writing prompts and actively shares from her experiences in class while
also asking questions of her peers as they share their own teaching reflections.
Aubrey has also shared effective strategies she utilizes in her classroom that
support all students in actively engaging in lessons, deepening their
understanding of course content Aubrey teaches. I continue to be impressed by
the way Aubrey supports students’ critical literacy practices while assisting them
in meeting learning objectives in innovative ways.

Throughout the nearly two years I’ve known Aubrey, she has developed as a
reflective educator who seeks to establish a classroom culture of care and critical
hope where students are challenged yet supported as they engage in the work of
English Language Arts. I highly recommend her for a position within your
school district.

Sincerely,

Joanne E. Marciano, Ed.D.