Allison Leonard

10824 Cross School Rd.

Reston, VA 20191
(703) 715-3800
April 7, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing on behalf of Peter Huffer regarding his application to be a teacher for
___________ Schools. Peter and I have taught together at Sunrise Valley Elementary School in
Reston, Virginia for six years. During that time, we spent several years as grade level
teammates. Also, Peter and I have served on several leadership committees while working
together. Based on the very positive experience of working beside Peter for many years, I highly
recommend that he be hired.
Peter is an excellent candidate for many reasons. First and foremost, Peter is a passionate
and dedicated teacher who truly loves the classroom and working with children. His dedication
goes beyond his many teaching responsibilities. Peter also published a student-created school
newspaper, and ran an afterschool robotics club.
In addition to being a committed educator, Peter is a skilled professional who can draw
on a wealth of experience and training. For example, Peter was the Science Lead Teacher and
mentored many teachers in ways to incorporate engaging hands-on science lessons.
In his time at Sunrise Valley, Peter has been known by teachers, students, and parents
alike to be an innovative teacher with an extraordinary command of content area knowledge and
a mastery of best teaching practices. He contributes many engaging ideas such as a simulated
city project and SOLE (Self Oriented Learning Experience) projects. Often, Peters creative
teaching ideas have started within his classroom or grade level and have eventually been
incorporated school wide.
Moreover, Peter is admired for the way he balances an excellent rapport with his students
with a strong classroom management system. Peter relates so well to his students by involving
them in decision-making through class meetings and student-led conferences.
Finally, Peter is a both collaborative teammate and a leader within the school. I grew
tremendously as a teacher by participating in our collaborative learning team with Peter because
his creativity and enthusiasm are infectious. Peter also takes on other leadership roles such as
PTA Faculty Representative, Compass (faculty leadership) Team member, and the faculty
representative to the Superintendents Advisory Council.
Peters commitment, experience, knowledge and leadership make him an excellent
candidate to be a teacher in any schools. I highly recommend Peter Huffer for this position. If
you have any questions, please contact me at the above address or phone number.
Sincerely,
Allison Leonard
Classroom Teacher
Sunrise Valley Elementary School