Letters of Recommendation

Teachers are often asked to write letters of recommendation for students applying for jobs or to college, or for co-teachers applying for other jobs or to graduate school. If you ever need to write a letter of recommendation (also called a reference letter), here are some tips to help you do that.

First, a general look at the purpose and style of a letter of recommendation.


And now some sample phrases for each section of the letter to help you get started.

Good luck!

Anne's Writing (Letter of Recommendation)

August 16, 2011
Principal
David Leece Middle School
4321 First Street
Anytown, State 54321

To Whom It May Concern

I am an English teacher at Gunam Middle School in Busan, Korea. I have worked with Miss Ewing as a co-teacher for two years. Miss Ewing has been a nice, dedicated teacher.

She has taught English 22 hours a week to the students in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade. Even though she had to prepare teaching plans and materials for all the students, her classes were always excellent and well organized. In addition to the usual classes, she has taught 3 extra English speaking classes a week. The speaking class was good and popular.

Due to her extroverted and kind personality, she has got along with all the teachers, school staff and the students. She participated in all the school events and helped the teachers and students.

Since my fellow teachers, my students, and I will always esteem her highly, I sincerely recommend Miss Ewing as the ideal teacher at David Leece Middle School.

Respectfully submitted,

Mouryeong, Nam

Hyeryun's Mystery Item

1. People like to take them in hand but don't wear them.
2. They are designed to be controlled by people but they seem to control people.
3. They come in different colors.
4. Their shapes are rectangular and sizes are smaller than your hand.
5. They have buttons on them.
6. Only when people need them, they're desperately to locate them but usually they are not taken good care of.
7. People feel more comfortable with them while sitting.
8. Sometimes family members fight for them.
9. Usually husbands or fathers tend to be greedier to claim them.


The Answer: A Remote Control

ranny's story

I have three things I want to do after the school day. Firat of all I want to lear drawing again. Drawing is very special to me. While drawing something I can forget my worries. It lets me find the beauty of nature. Next I want to read as many books as possible. Books give me many things such as pleasure, pther poeple's experiences and knowiedge about various thinga. Finally I'd like to talk with my sons about many things to build a good relationship with them. I want to know about my children's school lives. These three things make me happy.

Aimee's Life-Changing Experience

What does 'one dollar' mean to you? I never thought it was big money. Now I know it is valuable enough to change someone's life. I will tell you how a trip to Cambodia helped me go from not caring about poor people in other countries to starting to make a contribution of some money to UNICEF.

  When I learned that my friend had been donating to World Vision, I didn't understand why she wanted to help people in foreign countries. I thought it would be better to help poor Koreans because there were many poor people in Korea. When I planned to take a trip to Cambodia, some friends who had already been there told that they saw many children beg, so they advised me to bring some candies. However, I didn't regard it seriously and I didn't keep it in mind.

  During the trip to Cambodia, I saw a new world. Many little children came to me and said 'One dollar', or sold some hand-made bracelets in one dollar. The tour guide said they could live a day with one dollar. That small money, which I had no regard for, was very important to them. When I heard that the poor children couldn't go to school because of poverty, I felt pity for them.

  On the flight to Korea, I thought of the innocent eyes of the Cambodian children again. I got a new point of view about the value of one dollar, and I realized I could help them like my friend. I found an organization which helps poor children in the world. Therefore, I have been donating some money to UNICEF since then.

Anne, My Mystery Item

What is it?

It is made by others.

It is usually used by others.

It is my whole-life partner.

Without it, I can't exist officially.

If I don't like it, it can be changed by me.

When others use it, they know who I am.

Sometimes it represents me.

In Korean saying, "Tigers leave their leathers when they die, People leave their it when they die.'

Jenny's Riddle

1. It's younger than others.

2. Also it's very quick-tempered.

3. It dies so quickly, too.

4. It's very dangerous.

5. Sometimes it kills us.

6. There are many members in its family.

7. These days, it's spread all over the world.

8. It's cheaper than others.

9. Two words.

10. Something to eat.

11. A hamburger is a kind of it.

12. Coke is a kind of it.

13. Opposite to slow food.



The answer is "FAST FOOD."

Jerome's Turning Point

I will never forget the date, July 25 in 1969, when I was human. Before the miracle happened, I was an angel. The life of perfection was nothing to be desired, which made me feel nothing. You might wonder why I chose to be fragile, humble and mortal being. I wanted to be alive, so decided to be human. Thanks to my decision, my life altered forever.
As an angel, I was omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. I myself was the perfection. But it bothered me one day. Though everything had been changed, I didn't care and wasn't interested in anything. What is worse, the creatures in this world wouldn't be bothered whether I was there or not. I 'set upon a golden bough to see lords and ladies of Byzantium of what is past or passing or to come' but nobody paid attention to me. I couldn't feel the concept of perfection or happiness since it was the same - perfect and happy. I was never desperate. After I realized it, solitary and boring heart fluttered in my heart deeply. I wanted and needed a change to make me totally different from what I was. That's why I became human without hesitation.
As a human, I felt uncomfortable at first due to a entire transformation to a weaker creature. I couldn't fly as my wings disappeared. I was devine no more. Nevertheless, I was satisfied with my condition. I became alive, felt vivid and thanked things given to me. I seized my day and would be satisfied like 'skunks, that search in the moonlight for a bite to eat.' Although knowing I would sail to Byzantium some day, I would enjoy my life, 'caught in a sensual music.'

J.J's Gwangalli

While you’re in Busan, you might want to see and smell the wide blue sea. Among many good places, try to visit Gwangalli, one of three famous beaches. By day, vast stretches of gorgeous sand and the modern Diamond Bridge greet your eyes. By night, the wonderful views of the Diamond Bridge and street lights cast romantic glances at you. At Gwangalli beach, you can enjoy amazing festivals, the cheapest and freshest raw fish, exciting water sports and beautiful cafes. Take subway line No.2 to Gwangan station and fall in love with Gwangalli beach.

Lee's survey

Class4 LEE
These days, traveling seems to be very popular with people, so I wanted to know exactly what people think about traveling. To solve my curiosity, I surveyed ten people in my class. In my survey, the participants were asked if they liked traveling or if they thought they could learn more things through traveling than studying. The survey also asked the respondents which area they wanted to visit most among Europe, Africa, North America, East Asia, Middle East or other. Finally I asked them which country they would like to recommend that I visit and why they like the place.


Results
Everyone likes traveling in my class and most of them (6 out 10) think they can learn more things through traveling than studying. From the results of the survey I found out that the most popular travel site is Europe with 8 out of 10 choosing Europe as their favorite travel site. An interesting thing was that Africa followed Europe with 2 out of ten. Finally, through this survey, I realized that many people like to travel to Turkey with 3 out of ten choosing it. They explained the reasons why they want to visit there, and here are some of them. First, the country has cultures mixed with Western and Eastern one. Second, it has many wonderful old architectures. And third, we can enjoy mediterranean mild weather there.

Conclusion
This response implies that most people would like to have direct and broad experiences through traveling. They believe that traveling makes their experiences wider and richer. They also like to enjoy different cultures from theirs and they like to trace back to the history by traveling. One more thing I'd like to add is Korean people especially like to travel to the European countries which have many ancient historical artifacts and good scenery.

Aimee's online shopping know-how

  Do you enjoy Internet shopping? Have you ever regretted shopping online? Let me give you some useful tips for efficient shopping. First, choose an item that you want to buy. It is important to check the reviews from previous buyers before deciding on a brand. Next, compare the price of the different websites. If you visit a site like 'danawa.com' or 'omi.co.kr', you can compare prices easily. Finally, go to a reliable and cheap website. After checking an event or a coupon that you can use, order the product. If you follow these steps, you'll get things at a good price.

Erin's turning point

Marriage made everything different in my life. Although I gave up many things I had enjoyed, I got something important through my marriage.
Before I got married, I was lazy. I got up late in the morning and I didn’t like to do the household chores. I didn’t help my mother with her housework such as setting the table, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, and cleaning the house. I didn’t clean even my room. I didn’t know how difficult housework was because I didn’t care about that. I always complained to my mother about side dishes. Besides, I was selfish and stubborn. I wasted much money on clothes and bags. I’ve never given my family members some presents on even special days such as their birthdays or Christmas. I liked to hang out with my friends late at night, so my parents told me to come back home early. I didn’t listen to them. I wanted to live alone to avoid their nagging.
However, I’ve changed all my lifestyle since I got married. First of all, I became very diligent. I make lots of side dishes for my husband, do the laundry, and clean my house. I always try to keep my house neat and tidy. Now I can understand my mother’s troubles as a homemaker. Also, I don’t waste money any more. When I go shopping, I take some coupons and make a shopping list not to buy unnecessary things. In addition, I spend most of my time with my family not with my friends, and I care about my family. I had to give up many things I liked after I got married, but I realized that family was more important than anything else.

Edward Kim

The best place to know Korea
Busan has so many fascinating places to visit. One of the most exotic places I recommend for a sightseeing is Seomyeon Eating Alley. It is said that food is a mixture that reflects culture, history and people. When you come near the area, you’ll feel that you’ve already assimilated into this community. The smells of a variety of indigenous dishes attract you to the wondrous world regardless of your intention. Although the images of some traditional foods are a bit strange, the palatable foods will satisfy your desire to experience the Korean cultural legacy. You probably come across local residents who show what the lifestyle of ordinary Koreans is and share opinions with you about current Korean issues. Some restaurants offer you foods that will remind you of the tenacious Koreans who endured the distressing life in the past, others give you luxurious, cozy atmosphere in which you can enjoy delicious fusion Korean food. Seomyeon Eating Alley is the place where the old and contemporary Korea coexist. The convenient way to go there is to take Subway number 1 to Seomyeon

Jennifer's survey

As an English teacher, I had much interest in using songs in the English class because I always thought that rhythms of music could activate our brains and good lyrics of songs could be very instructive, too. So I made a survey about the relation between the music and the English-teaching. There were three questions among the survey. First I was curious about teachers’ preferences for using songs. Second I wanted to know what kinds of music they liked to use during the English class. And the last question asked if teachers think learning songs would help students improve their English ability.
The survey showed that 9 out of 10 participants said that they liked to use songs in the English class. And according to the survey, the most favorite style of music could not be named as responses were evenly divided across Rock music, Jazz music, R&B and Ballad music. And the last statistics showed majority of respondents, 80%, strongly agreed with the idea that learning songs can affect students’ English acquisition ability.
The first question indicates that almost all English teachers had a particular liking for using songs as their teaching aids. Besides, teachers’ preference for a variety of music styles implies that it’s up to them to decide what style of songs they usually use in the English class. And it can also imply that there is a variety of songs used in the class. From the last result of this survey, I got a strong impression that students can learn English better with a wide range of good music. In conclusion music is, regardless of its styles, a very good material for enhancing students’ brain activity and improving language learning.

Sarah's survey

This survey has been done to know people's individual preferences about travel.
The respondents of this survey were 10 middle school or high school teachers who have participated in the TTP program in PUFS. Though the questions of this questionnaire are very simple and we don't have many participants here, I hope this result will enable us to know a little bit about what people think of travel for the different categories.
Participants of this survey were asked if they like to travel. 8 out of 10 respondents said that they enjoy traveling very much and 2 out of 10 said they like to travel. One thing that is interesting is there was no one who said they don't like to travel. The questionnaire also asked whether they like to travel alone or with someone else. The majority of the participants would like to travel with someone else and 10% said they like to travel alone. 30% responded they like both of them. The last question was what the most important factor to choose the place to travel is. There were 5 categories - cost, attractions, safety, culture, and others. One of them choose safety, 4 said culture is the most important, and 5 out of 10 answered that the attractions of the country is the most significant factor to choose the place to travel.
In carrying out this survey, I learned that every respondent of this survey likes to travel. The data show that as people make more money and have more free time for their leisure, they try to find more interesting things to do. Travelling can be one of them. In addition, when they choose the place to travel, culture and attractions of the area were the most preferred factors. Teachers’ preference for these factors indicate they don't want to travel just for relax or recreation but they also want to experience other cultures and make their travel more meaningful.

Maggie's Survey

Traveling abroad is an attractive way of opening one’s mind with refreshing view points toward the world. That’s why so many travelers choose foreign countries as their destinations. To learn about people’s traveling experiences and preferences, I conducted a survey. The respondents were 10 English teachers from secondary schools. The questionnaire included the number of the countries they had traveled to, their preferences as to the trip duration, and the good point of traveling abroad.

Most of the respondents answered that they had experience of traveling abroad. Five out of ten had visited one to five countries and three had six to ten countries. One of them had traveled to more than 10 different countries. As to the optimal trip duration, six English teachers chose ‘one week to two weeks’ and those who preferred ‘two weeks to one month’ were two. The answers about the best aspect of traveling abroad were divided into two: 60 % selected ‘visiting famous attractions’ and 40% ‘experiencing exotic foreign culture’. The most popular place where they wanted to travel was Eastern Europe and Italy was the second. Other answers included Canada, Turkey and Cambodia.

The data of the first question implies that traveling abroad is popular and common these days. In addition, the occupation of the respondents, English teacher, is an important factor that raises their interest in foreign countries and encourages them to go abroad. They show much interest especially in western countries. English teachers are usually required to cover various topics about foreign countries or cultures. In that case, they can take advantage of their personal experience like visiting famous attractions and experiencing exotic foreign cultures. But their preference for the trip duration shows that many of them tend to enjoy traveling moderately. Though they are highly interested in traveling abroad, they are reluctant to travel for too long. They might prefer visiting several nice places hopping to one after another to staying in one place for a long time.       

Anabell's writing

I really love travelling and reading books on travel. And I like guided trip because of its reasonable benefits. I conducted this survey to find out where people want to go and to know opinions on guided traveling. Ten respondents answered to the survey. First, they were asked which they preferred, traveling abroad or domestic trip. 9 out of 10 participants said that they preferred traveling abroad to domestic one. Next, about guided trip, the responses were roughly divided between like and dislike. 30% of the participants answered they liked guided trip. As to the reason they preferred guided travel, two said that they could sightsee lots of famous spots at a time and one answered tourists could avoid problems which might happen in foreign countries such as language, safety, sudden changes of travel schedule. 5 respondents said they didn’t like guided travel and especially 2 out of 5 those respondents said that they hated guided travel. The only reason was that they wanted to plan their own itineraries. The rest two respondents said they didn’t care whether it was guided trip or not. Last, the most popular place they wanted to visit was Europe. Turkey, Africa and Jeolla Province was the next places.

Respondents’ preference for traveling abroad may result from Korea’s geographic location and government’s strict restriction on going abroad till the early 1980s. Korea is a far-east isolated peninsula country. It relatively takes long time for Koreans to go abroad comparing with Westerners’ trip to other countries. And people rarely got permissions to go abroad from authorities unless they have specific purposes. Since the strict regulations were eased, the number of people traveling abroad has been explosively increasing The above-mentioned travel restrictions might have influenced respondents’ preference for guided trip which enables tourists to tour many places within a short period. Next, the result that participants wanted their own itineraries suggests that they want travels which fit their interests. It also implies that the respondents aren’t afraid of communication problems while travelling because all are English teachers.

Linn's Writing

Haeundae Beach in Busan is a heavenly beach surrounded by luxurious skyscrapers. You'll feel like walking barefoot on the silky fine sand, and you'll enjoy the picturesque scenery of the Pacific Ocean. Right on the beach, you can enter Busan Aquarium, one of Korea's top aquariums. This state-of-the-art facility has breathtakingly huge water tanks that have sharks, rays and thousands of other fish, so it feels like you're walking along the ocean floor with them. Also, there's Nurimaru, built for the APEC Summit Conference. Nowadays prestigious international conferences are held here. All forms of transportation including limousine buses and city tour buses will take you to this unforgettable resort.

Henry's Survey

I wanted to know about trainees’ tastes about music and to what extent they consider music important in their lives. Participants were asked three multiple choice questions and one open question. Questions asked about trainees’ preference of musical genres, major time of their listening to music, and their opinions on the essentiality of music in their lives. The last question was about their favorite English songs and the reason why.

For the first question, 5 out of 10 respondents said they liked classical music, while 3 preferred popular music, 1 jazz and 1 world music. For the second question, 3 out of 10 said that they need music most when driving. 2 respondents chose ‘while reading.’ The others said they listen to music when they feel blue, walk out, clean the house, relax, and feel frustrated. As for the third question, a majority of respondents, 7 out of 10, said they strongly agree that music is important in their lives and 3 just agreed.

As far as their favorite English songs are concerned, participants have shown the whole variety of tastes about English songs, from ‘oldies but goodies’ to more up-to-date R&B songs. The songs mentioned include: One Last Cry, Moon River, You Raise Me Up, Heal the World, Big Big World, Love (sung by Gareth Gates), Hard to Say I’m Sorry, Goodbye, and Viva Lavida (sung by Coldplay). Respondents said they like the songs because of their good lyrics, sweet melody, energetic music, and attractive singers.

The responses to this survey suggest that music is a crucial part of the trainee’s life, even though preferences about music styles or moments of their listening to music differ from person to person. Their preference for classical music implies that this teachers’ group has a good level of cultural literacy as members of the middle class of society. In addition, English teachers seem to like English songs with good lyrics, and this may be because they like songs all the more if they are applicable to their English teaching.

Stella's Survey in class 6

I was curious about the preference about travelling. I prepared three basic shallow questions of place, companion, and form, and one deep question. First of all, participants were asked about the favorite continent to take a trip. Next, they were asked if they’d like to travel alone or with others. Third, there was a question about if they make their own itinerary rather than a guided travel by a travel agency, when they make a travel plan. Last but not least, as the deep question, they were asked what the main concern was when they decided those three things related to their travel.

The responses to this survey showed noticeable preference about travelling. To the first question, 80% of participants chose Europe as their favorite place to take a trip. To the second question, 70% of respondents identified their preference of travelling with others - like with friends or with family members. But about planning their own itinerary, responses were evenly divided between ‘agree’, ‘unsure’ and ‘disagree’. Lastly, to the deep question, most of those participants said that the most influential factors on the decision of travelling were cultural spots like famous historical sites and museums, and conveniences of easy transportation and accommodation.

A majority of participants prefer to travel Europe with others - friends or family. This may be because respondents have much interest in Western culture, which looks exotic and isn't easy to get to know compared with Eastern culture, and Koreans are likely to do activities with a group. Moreover, there are well equipped transportation and accommodation in Europe. Thus, Europe can be the best place to meet respondents' two main concerns ; culture and convenience.