PLYMOUTH-CANTON EDUCATIONAL PARK

Canton High School • 8415 Canton Center Road, Canton, MI 48187 • (734)416-2850
Plymouth High School • 8400 Beck Road, Canton, MI 48187 • (734) 582-5500
Salem High School • 46181 Joy Road, Canton, MI 48187 • (734) 416-7800

To whom it may concern,

In a time when veteran teachers were up against a once-in-a-lifetime challenge, Anneliese kept a calm, level
head and exceeded all expectations as a teaching intern. Throughout the entire year of changes between online,
hybrid, and in-person teaching, she handed all the obstacles with precision and grace. Through it all, she
showed that she possesses the most important qualities for any teacher to embody: compassion, understanding,
adaptability, and a propensity for genuine reflection.

From the very beginning, it was clear that Anneliese is extremely mindful and caring of students from different
backgrounds. Anneliese radiated positivity and created her instruction to be inclusive of all people. From asking
students their pronouns on the introductory questionnaire to integrating video clips that featured people from
different communities for representation, Anneliese has always been mindful that all students need to learn new
perspectives, but they also need to see themselves in the class. Most importantly, the students noticed. More
than once, students stayed after or came before class to personally thank her for including their reality in
classroom material. Inherently, Anneliese is able to create a comfortable, welcoming, and supportive classroom
environment that functions through mutual respect. Empathy, understanding, and care are the foundations of
every good teacher, and Anneliese embodies these characteristics naturally and flawlessly.

Anneliese’s strength in teaching is her ability to celebrate student choice and voice while also presenting
relevant material. Throughout the year, Anneliese created many lessons that encouraged students to share their
viewpoints while also challenging them to push themselves in order to achieve. One such lesson was focused on
poetry. Anneliese used engaging mentor texts, both printed and spoken word poetry, to educate and inspire the
students to write their own poems. On the final day of writing, our classroom looked like a movie set. Students
were voluntarily sharing their own poems with each other. They were supporting each other with excited,
encouraging words and even bringing each other to tears at times. It was truly an amazing day as an educator,
and it was clear that Anneliese’s leadership in the classroom environment made that connection possible.

For her lead teaching unit, Anneliese created an informative, relevant, and extremely effective unit about media
literacy. As she presented a topic that can be very politically charged, she stayed fair, balanced, and stuck to the
facts. Students from both sides of the political realm were able to learn, see new perspectives, and immediately
apply the lessons to what they see every day. Overall, the unit was extremely helpful, applicable, and necessary.
Anneliese’s tact and pacing during the presentation of the material was able to help inform our students and
teach them lessons that carry beyond the high school walls and into the world at large.

As an educator, Anneliese Petersmarck has an intuition and compassion that is the cornerstone of the
profession. Her ability to quickly and effectively create a comfortable classroom environment shows her care
and understanding of what makes a good teacher. As an educator at your school, Anneliese will offer a relevant,
applicable, and comfortable classroom experience for students of all backgrounds.

Sincerely,

Michelle Mimikos
Canton High School
English Teacher