Allen Owen Guidry, EdD

Associate Professor & Program Coordinator

Department of Literacy, English, and History Education
137 Speight Building
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
Office: (252) 737-2106
Fax:
(252) 328-2585
Email: guidrya@ecu.edu

May 13, 2016

Dear Principal or Human Resources Director;
In the course of an educators career, there are a handful of students who leave an indelible impression and who,
over time, move from the ranks of student to that of colleague. Such students are those that bring life to discussions
while in class, continue those discussions with greater passion and poise when out of class, and serve to change the
mindset of even the most ardent practitioner once they are in or near the ranks of professional. Students like this are
the students most teachers only dream of, for they allow us as educators to see the fruits of our labor in action. They
are why teachers teach.
Brooke Hartsell has been one such student for me. I have had the great fortune to teach Brooke in several courses
(HIED 6500 - C&E curriculum and instructional methods, HIED 6510 issues and topics in social studies, HIED
6600 history teaching methods) this past year and have found her to be congenial, bright, and positively ambitious.
During this time she has displayed an unparalleled capacity for abstract thought through her participation in
classroom discussions and classroom assignments. Aside from her passion for the profession and for teaching
students history, what has struck me about Brooke has been her ability to communicate her ideas through both
spoken and written means. I am currently Brookes internship supervisor and in the few months she has been at the
helm of the classroom she has displayed a phenomenal ability to write and deliver curriculum. Her ideas are
standards based, data informed, creatively conceived, and expertly delivered. Through her plans and her delivery of
those planned activities Brooke displays that most vital and admirable of qualities of teaching; the ability to
communicate her thoughts and ideas clearly. As you can see from her resume and her awards and accomplishments,
Brooke came to our program as a decorated and accomplished graduate student. True to her record, her level of
work while in the program has been exemplary; ranking her in the top handful of students in the overall HIED
program. I have come away from every conversation with Brooke with a feeling that this young woman is going to
do great things in her career based on her passion, her inherent creativity, and her ability to lead by example. She
obviously loves children, she loves her chosen field and discipline, and she is dedicated to developing herself as an
educator to the point that she will be a master teacher. Part of that development has been evident in her desire to
further her education through graduate study in our MAT program. Morevover, she has proven herself to be a leader
within our MAT program. Through leadership in seminar discussions, small group activities, PLCs, and as a mentor
to an undergraduate student who was working on remedial work, she has shown her ability to lead by example and
displayed promise as a future leader on a school faculty. When combining her inherent qualities with her action and
leadership in the Master of Arts in Teaching degree program, I have no doubt that Brooke will walk into her
classroom equipped with the tools needed to carry her practice and her students to the highest level.
As you can tell, I hold Brooke in high regard. She has proven to be a valued student and future colleague who will
do great things in her career. I can offer, without any doubt, my highest possible recommendation to Brooke for
employment by your district/school. She is an outstanding teacher candidate that will be an asset to your faculty and
students. If I can do anything further to commend Brooke to you, or if you have any further questions, please feel
free to contact me at the above number.
Sincerely,

Allen O. Guidry, EdD

Associate professor and program coordinator
History Education