North Canton, Ohio
June 7, 2003
To whom it may concern:
I am writing to you on behalf of Craig Butz. I know Craig as a student in his freshman English class this past winter at Ohio University. Over the course of the quarter, I found Craig to be truly interested in improving his students' basic writing skills as well as their critical thinking abilities.
As the two-time Editor-in-Chief of my high school's yearbook as well as being a straight A
student, I must admit that upon entering Craig's freshman level class I was not expecting to be challenged. I assumed that the class would focus on basic writing skills, reading essays and responding, and the completion of several papers. Luckily, this was not at all the case. Though we did read and write responses as well as four major papers, the content of the class itself was nothing like I had expected it would be. Instead of reading meaningless essays, we discussed current issues such as racial inequality, freedom of speech, gender differences, looking
versus seeing
as well as a variety of other topics. Classes were discussion-based, and while Craig did direct our conversation, he also gave the students an opportunity to think for themselves as well.
Craig was also extremely organized and prepared. On the first day of class he had the entire syllabus posted on the internet, listing plans for every day of the quarter as well as descriptions of assignments and when they would be due. There was no excuse for students who didn't turn assignments in on time and no one ever complained that they didn't know what was being asked of them. It was all perfectly laid out from day one.
Above all this though, what impresses me the most about Craig's teaching style is his dedication to his students. For every paper that we were required to turn in, Craig made himself available to conference with every student, offering suggestions that would better our writing. He e-mailed us internet sites that provided tips and suggestions on different types of papers and even arranged for one of our classes to be held in the library so that a librarian could explain to us how to use the various databases available to Ohio University students.
In short, Craig Butz provided not only me, but the rest of my colleagues with a truly engaging freshman English experience. Not only did I have the opportunity to practice different styles of writing and how to analyze different pieces of writing, I was also forced to look at events in my life on a more critical level. These are the skills that I took away from Craig's class, but I also took away something more important. Everyone's opinion mattered to Craig, and he was willing to give up his own time to prove that to us. He respected us and so we respected him. It is this attitude and interest that Craig presented in the classroom that makes me confident that he will make an excellent teacher and a true asset to whatever school he joins.
Sincerely,
Carleen Risaliti