December 9, 2015

Dear Employer,
I am an anticipated May 2016 graduate of the University of Virginias Curry School of
Education. I am seeking employment as an English teacher in a middle or high school setting for
the upcoming 2016-2017 school year. I look forward to applying all that I have learned in my
years of education courses and field experiences while teaching students in the classroom next
year.
Although I am a new teacher, I have gained invaluable experiences throughout my
training that have prepared me to assume responsibility for my own classroom of students. I have
worked with a variety of learners, including English language learners at Charlottesville High
School, AVID students at Monticello High School, and struggling students preparing to retake
the SOL while I substituted at Brunswick High School. Additionally, I gained experience with
middle school students within an in-school suspension program at Buford Middle School and an
honors level 8th grade English class at Sutherland Middle School. Although my student teaching
took place within honors English courses at Western Albemarle High School and I hold an
endorsement in gifted education, encouraging students of all levels to challenge themselves is a
major goal in my career path. I am very passionate about engaging students in critical
discussions about literature, and I frequently question my students to further develop their
thinking by elaborating on the arguments they make in both writing and class discussion.
My student teaching experience at Western Albemarle High School also allowed me to
form strong collaborative relationships among coworkers within professional learning
communities. One of these PLCs included collaborating with a history teacher within Westerns
American Studies program in which the students take American Literature and AP US History
simultaneously. Within this program, I received frequent opportunities to build interdisciplinary
learning activities and assessments. Given these experiences, I have developed strengths in
planning challenging coursework in which students think critically and creatively, as well as in
scaffolding students to succeed in reaching their zone of proximal development.
I am confident that my diligence, conscientiousness, and eagerness to work alongside
others both students and teachers will be an asset to your school community. As a teacher, I
will consistently strive to place my students at the forefront of everything I do. My unique field
experiences have prepared me to work with a wide range of learners and to collaborate with
other teachers and professionals across grade levels and disciplines. Thank you very much for
your time and consideration. Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions.
Sincerely,
Dottie Akers-Pecht