To Whom It May Concern;

It is my pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for Annie Myren. She is graduating

in May of 2016 from our Teacher Education program in Early Childhood Education with a
concentration in Spanish and approval to teach Early Childhood Special Education. I have
known Annie throughout her program at Bradley as her professor in Methods of teaching English
Language Learners and Early Childhood Methods. Her overall GPA is 3.73.
I have much enjoyed interacting with Annie and learning to know her as a confident,
responsible teacher candidate. From my earliest contacts with her it was apparent that Annies
interest in people through their culture and language was at the center of her interest in becoming
an educator. She wrote about herself: I crave being in new cultures and experiencing new
traditions and practices. As a teacher, I strive to integrate as many cultures as I can into my
curriculum, teaching my students about the importance of having differing cultures and the
meanings, norms, beliefs, and values behind each society. I hope to create a comfortable setting
for my students where we can talk about different cultures and express the importance of being
diverse. I strongly believe in the idea of continuous teaching where I, the teacher, continue to
learn and grow alongside my students. Along with teaching my students about culture, I hope to
learn from them as well about their own unique backgrounds and cultures. This quotation says
a lot about Annie. It reflects Annies unassuming nature while being open and willing to learning
from all people. This has been true throughout every encounter I have had with her. The world is
an interesting and adventuresome place for her. Instead of intimidating or limiting her
interactions with others, she sees challenges as opportunities to grow.
Annie is doing her student teaching in a Pre-K setting at Valeska Hinton Early Childhood
Center, one of the Professional Development Schools with Bradley University. Valeska, a
program accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, is a
diverse urban setting where families are involved in a productive and consistent way. She has
been able to use her Spanish ability as well as learned to interact with students of varying
abilities while designing experiences for them that support their overall development.
Annie works toward quality unfailingly, even in classes requiring high intensity
production, multiple projects, classroom applications and problem-solving experiences. Such a
class was the Early Childhood Methods block where she designed an integrated unit and a
learning environment design project, which she presented at a conference. Careful planning and
teamwork, specific attention to detail and pride in professionalism, was my feedback to her in
this project.
Reflected in her resum is Annies continued interest inside and outside of her
coursework to participate, to learn from as many perspectives as possible. She was active in the
Worldwide Day of Play where she interacted with diverse families and learned how to be a part
of a larger community event for children. Annie recognizes the need for the community to come
together to rally around the children and their families. She articulates well her thinking as a
professional. Throughout her program she steadily grew in her comfort levels of taking on
leadership roles, which I fully expect to continue in her future career.

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH SCIENCES

1501 WEST BRADLEY AVENUE PEORIA, ILLINOIS 61625-0291 (309) 677-3190 FAX (309) 677-2952

Annie is a culturally savvy, focused and resilient person, dependable and consistent in her
work. She has a profound respect for others and humility about herself in a quietly confident
way. She deeply enjoys learning and interacting with students and colleagues, which makes her
a desired colleague and team member. Her consistent, encouraging and peaceful demeanor
supports an atmosphere of a true learning community.
Annie Myren has my enthusiastic recommendation. Please contact me with any
additional questions at helja@bradley.edu or by phone (309)677-2521.

Sincerely,

Helj Antola Crowe

Professor in Teacher Education, Ph.D.

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH SCIENCES

1501 WEST BRADLEY AVENUE PEORIA, ILLINOIS 61625-0291 (309) 677-3190 FAX (309) 677-2952