April 12, 2021

To Whom It May Concern:

It is with pleasure that I offer a letter of recommendation for Conner Susalla, a master’s
degree student in secondary education at Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan. It has
been a distinct privilege to serve as Mr. Susalla’s supervisor in the School of Education
and Human Services at the university. In our time together, during his student teaching
experience, Mr. Susalla has displayed qualities, both professional and personal, that
display his readiness to serve the role of classroom teacher.

In terms of professional qualities, Mr. Susalla has exhibited multiple behaviors indicative
of his competency as an educator. To begin, Mr. Susalla is mindful of the importance of
careful planning for instruction, and consequently, carries out this vital process, heedful
both of meeting the demands of state standard(s) and of responding to the needs of his
students. Mr. Susalla is particularly adept at “translating” state mandates for foreign
language learning into objectives for student subject matter growth. Moreover, he carries
out this “translation” fully aware of—and responsive to—the full range of his students’
abilities, interests, and motivations. For example, in one of a series of grammar lessons,
principally on indirect object pronouns and, secondarily, on the Spanish verb “gustar”
(“to like,” in English), Mr. Susalla combined colorful visual images and popular pastime
activities to inspire student involvement in an instructional task, practicing these
grammatical elements. In the lesson, students viewed carefully crafted slides, for
instance, of a guitar-loving boy, Miguel, and pizza-loving turtles, “Las Tortugas,” and
were asked, “Who likes pizza, Miguel or Las Tortugas?” Mr. Susalla’s being “at the
ready” with digital resources that were visually appealing and relevant to his students’
lived experience—Who doesn’t like music or pizza?—highlights a strength of his
professional behavior. Relatedly, in this Spanish I class, a course that carries a strong
oral component, Mr. Susalla wisely, in this lesson, crafted an opportunity for students to
practice speaking, this time about a favorite food!

In addition, another lesson reflective of Mr. Susalla’s competent professional behavior,

was introduced—in Mr. Susalla’s words—as “something fun, a topic about culture:
Spanish street foods.” Also organized around a slide deck of vibrant visuals, this lesson
exhibited rich and appealing images of Hispanic food and beverages that Mr. Susalla
used as bases for conversation about the wider world of the Spanish language, in short,
the cultural context within which the language exists. This lesson did, in fact, supply the
“fun” that Mr. Susalla intended while, importantly, providing students with access to
broader domains of meaning inherent in foreign language learning.

Mr. Susalla also brings many and varied professional dispositions to his work as teacher.
These qualities simultaneously create and emerge from a classroom that is welcoming of
all students, friendly, and productive. Mr. Susalla makes it a point to address his students
by name, according them, thereby, individuality and respect. Mr. Susalla recognizes—
and accommodates to—individual differences among his students, in particular, how they
learn, when, and with what degree of heart. In a class that carries a speaking component,
such as Spanish I, Mr. Susalla’s sensitivity to student hesitancy about speaking aloud—or
at all—is particularly noteworthy. Relatedly, Mr. Susalla gives time during instructional
routines for his students to think, to respond, to self-correct, or simply, to observe—a true
and certain form of respect Finally, Mr. Susalla reaches into the students’ world for real-
life contexts and applications of the substance and skills of learning, a sure expression of
a “warm demander.”

In terms of personal qualities, Mr. Susalla possesses clear characteristics that will support
and sustain his career as educator. In particular, Mr. Susalla is deeply committed to life-
long learning, a challenge he has also taken to his students. In addition, Mr. Susalla is
dedicated to growing his knowledge of the art and craft of teaching, both through
research and study and through collaboration with peers. Also and importantly, Mr,
Susalla persists in the face of challenge. When he doesn’t know something he needs to
know and investigates it, Mr. Susalla embraces that as a personal “teachable moment.”

Without qualification, I recommend Mr. Susalla to you, to the educators, and to the
students of your school district.

Sincerely,
Marsha Chapman, Ed.D.

University Supervisor
School of Education and Human Services
Pawley Hall, Oakland University
248.884.2435