Maria J. Coolican, Ph.D.

Educational Studies

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

610 E. UNIVERSITY AVE., ROOM 1228

ANN ARBOR, MI 48109
734.417.6806
mariajc@umich.edu

1 March 2019
Re: Emmalee Mills

To Whom It May Concern:

I am asked quite often to write letters of recommendation for students. These

students are usually either looking for teaching jobs or applying to graduate
school, and I can typically offer praise for the majority of them, and high praise
for a few very special students. In the case of Emmalee Mills, however, I can
offer not only high praise, but the very highest. Emmalee is a bright,
passionate, self-directed and unusually mature individual who will add
immeasurably to your school as a teacher and as a wonderful colleague to
other faculty members.

Emmalee was very recently one of my students in the world languages teacher
education program, and she consistently performed at the very top end of that
cohort. Emmalee is a teacher with a sense of maturity and grace that few
young teachers have. She consistently created learning experiences for her
students that were richly informed by best practice, cultural nuance and many
opportunities for genuine student participation. These are things that many
veteran teachers struggle to do well; Emmalee displays her skills in these areas
with grace, dynamism and passion.

Emmalee strikes that oftentimes elusive balance between creativity and high
expectations for student achievement. Her lessons are highly student centered,
and usually focus on students investigating, researching, comparing,
contrasting, evaluating and synthesizing information—critical thinking skills
that are so crucial for today’s students. Emmalee never doubts for a moment
that students can be successful, and she provides the support, assistance and
structure that they need to achieve that success.

In September, Emmalee will enter the world of American classroom teaching

fully versed in its demands, fully cognizant of her abilities, and fully ready and
able to combine those two concepts into rigorous and thoughtful work with and
on behalf of her students. Emmalee’s language and cross-cultural skills are
superb, and she consistently brings those skills to her classroom in a way that
allows students to learn and to use language in rich and authentic ways. Her
experiences of living and teaching in France during this school year have
positioned Emmalee very well for a French teaching position in your school.
Hire her before someone else does!

One of my informal barometers for teachers is whether I would feel comfortable

having my own children in a given teacher’s classroom. Not only would I feel
comfortable having my children in Emmalee’s classroom, I would fight to make
it happen. She is a rare combination of teacher and scholar, and if we could
fill our classrooms with teachers like Emmalee, we would be the envy of the
world. Emmalee is, above all else, world class.

Sincerely,

Maria J. Coolican, Ph.D.