April 6, 2016

To Whom It May Concern:

It is with great pleasure that I write a letter of recommendation on behalf
of Mr. Drexton Sportel who is applying for a teaching position at your
school. I have known Mr. Sportel since the spring of 2015. He was a
student in a course that I teach at Michigan State University (MSU). In my
experience working with pre-service teachers, Mr. Sportel stands out as
tops for his passion for and commitment to teaching and for his
motivation to serve children attending schools in urban settings.

College of
Arts & Letters
Department of Writing,
Rhetoric, and American
Cultures
434 Farm Lane Rm 235
East Lansing, MI
48824
517/355-2400
FAX: 517/353-5250
wrac.msu.edu

MSU is an affirmative-action,
equal-opportunity employer.

I was very fortunate to have Mr. Sportel as a student in my English

Education course: (Re)Introduction to the English Language, a required
course for pre-service English teachers that examines the relationship
between language, identity, and power among other things. Mr. Sportel
was a star student in the course. He enriched our discussions with his
unique perspective about issues related to educational, social, cultural,
and linguistic justice. For one of the course projects, Mr. Sportel and his
peers were charged with creating a consciousness-raising campaign by
engaging in community activism around issues of linguistic
discrimination. Mr. Sportel displayed remarkable leadership qualities on
this project, collaborated well with his peers, and was willing to engage
the work.
Mr. Sportel is one of the most critical and innovative prospective teachers
I have ever worked with. For his culminating project in my course, he had
to develop and implement a critical language unit plan that would require
his future students to interrogate dominant notions of language while
providing them space to value, sustain, and learn about the historical
importance of their own language and culture. Mr. Sportels unit plan was
exceptional. I was especially pleased with his facility to translate
sociolinguistic knowledge, theory, and research into classroom practice.
Beyond the classroom, Mr. Sportel has already begun sharing his ideas
about teaching and learning with scholarly audiences. He was invited to
present some of the materials he created in my course at a Racial Violence
Teach-In that my colleagues and I hosted at MSU in August of 2015. Mr.

Sportel was the only undergraduate student presenting at the teach-in.

The other panelists consisted of professors, researchers, and Ph.D.
students; and the 130 attendees consisted of MSU faculty,
graduate/undergraduate students, community members, and inservice
teachers. Mr. Sportels presentation was well-received by attendees. We
consistently received remarks such as, Drexton Sportels presentation
was really great, on our evaluations with regard to his individual
presentation. Given the clear need for his work, Mr. Sportel and I
proposed a panel presentation to share our ideas about teaching and
learning at the 2016 National Council of Teachers of English annual
convention. If accepted, Mr. Sportel will present his work among
teachers, instructors, professors, researchers, and writers from all around
the nation.
In my recent conversation with Mr. Sportel about his student teaching
experience, he mentioned that he is even more determined to teach in a
setting with children who are underserved. This is a testament not only to
Mr. Sportels commitment to work with linguistically, culturally, and
racially marginalized children, but also to diversity, inclusivity, and
educational justice and excellence for all students.
It is with esteemed honor and great pleasure that I very strongly
recommend Mr. Drexton Sportel for a position at your school. I am
positive that he will make an outstanding colleague.
If you have any further questions about Mr. Sportel, feel free to contact
me.
Sincerely,

Dr. April Baker-Bell

Assistant Professor
Department of Writing, Rhetoric, & American Cultures
African American and African Studies program
English Education Faculty
Michigan State University
434 Farm Lane, room 293
East Lansing, MI 48824
1-517-884-7718
adbell@msu.edu