San Francisco, California 94129
December 27, 2018
Dear Hiring Manager,
In my ten years working with Craig Butz, I have come to know a colleague who is conscientious about his work, who puts students at the center of the experience, and whose collectivist and innovative thinking ensures everyone has the conditions to thrive within schools.
When Craig was first hired as a Humanities teacher at The Bay School, his primary focus was to augment the school’s Research in the Community course, a required course for students that gives them skills in idea-generation, independent field research, synthesis and presentation of findings, and habits of mind for project-based learning (among a host of additional skills). For his demonstration lesson, Craig led students through a well-articulated and seamless approach to devising a thesis statement, and that lesson is still as memorable for me to today as it was a decade ago. Craig taught his lesson with clarity and precision, and students were led to a well-articulated outcome within a 40-minute timeframe. Craig brings that same clarity and precision to the course itself, designing a thoughtful, carefully scaffolded process by which students are able to move from dependent to independent researchers, culminating in an end-of-term “Research in the Community” evening, in which students present their< findings to students, families, and faculty and staff. From the revision of the curriculum to the well-detailed rubrics< that assess student learning, Craig illustrates the deliberate way he approaches each portion of the course— demonstrating meticulous planning and execution.
The Research course is emblematic of Craig’s skillsets, and he transfers these skills into other classes as well: Humanities I; literature courses such as Utopia/Dystopia, Futures Past and Present, and Advanced Seminar: Essay and Memoir; arts courses such as Digital Imaging; and co-taught, project-based courses such as Neighborhood Dynamics and Mathematics of Democracy. Craig demonstrates great versatility that transcends finite disciplines and invites meaningful collaboration across departments. Regardless of course, a signature feature of all Craig’s classes is their student-centered nature; Craig designs learning experiences that ensure student voice and choice at the heart of each course. In Utopia/Dystopia, for example, students are given choice about literature selections, discourse patterns for discussion, and how class time can be meaningfully used. In Advanced Seminar, students drive daily discussions, and they students feel empowered to exercise their voices in the compositions they generate. In courses like Neighborhood Dynamics, students come away from the course with a sense of their own agency in resolving issues related to gentrification. While Craig possesses a broad pedagogical skillset, the common denominator in all his classes is student empowerment, which students consistently attest to in their end-of-course feedback.
Not only are students at the heart of the classroom experience for Craig, but they also are at the center of the school community. As class dean, Craig offered students space to determine how class meetings could be run and how decisions could be made. To solve challenges with the school’s lunch line, Craig observed the ways students were engaging with one another while they waited, and he devised a way for students either to receive their lunch more efficiently or to enjoy a more social experience while queueing up. He also served on the Scheduling Committee, whose main charge was to create a school schedule that allowed students more opportunities for project-based and experiential learning to occur; this year is the first of the new schedule’s implementation. Through numerous presentations at morning meeting (ranging from his personal stories to challenging gender norms to tying shoelaces effectively), Craig serves as a role model for the school community, bringing heart to all he shares. Craig has been a champion of student wellness through prompting the school to consider the impact of formal grading structures—and the oftentimes-damaging consequences that more traditional modes of schooling can have on present-day teenagers. For just about every major conversation and initiative, Craig’s collectivist thinking invites the school to consider how its decisions impact students, and he inspires his colleagues to reimagine what’s possible.
Craig Butz is a true teacherpreneur. He disrupts entrenched hierarchies and levels the classroom playing
field through elevating student voice; he seeks innovative solutions for traditional challenges; and he cares deeply about a community where everyone is valued for their strengths. I’m confident Craig will enhance any school community through his myriad talents, skills, and ways of thinking. I enthusiastically recommend Craig for a position at your site. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or need additional insights.
Sincerely,
Lori Cohen
Dean of Faculty