1. GRADUATE EDUCATION
300 BOSTON POST ROAD, WEST HAVEN CT 06516
January 12, 2011
To whom it may concern:
I am delighted to write this letter of recommendation for Mr. Robert Panish. Mr. Panish was a student in the
University of New Haven Graduate Education program from January 2010 through December 2010.
Specifically, he was my student in our Contemporary Issues course in the Winter 2010 trimester, and he has been
an advisee of my since that time as well. He and his fellow students in this cohort are some of the best
potential teachers I have met since I began teaching pre-service education. Rob, specifically, has grown so
much in the last year that I now would welcome him as my colleague.
Specifically, Rob embodies the qualities I seek most in any teacher: intellectual curiosity, the ability to employ
critical inquiry through discussion and writing, and significant initiative and passion in executing whatever he
does. Rob cares about his students in his internship. They are not just kids but part of his circle of concern.
He anticipates what needs to be done, and does it. As a student, he has always been prepared and often gone
out of his way to investigate topics of interest, particularly as they pertain to his students’ needs. I look for
this kind of initiative, as it is admirable and necessary in excellent teachers.
Most importantly in my mind, Rob is a constant learner. His intellect is sharp; he is always asking questions of
the material he reads, and soliciting opinions of his colleagues and friends as he seeks to understand not just
schooling but education in its place in the country. I enjoyed being Rob’s teacher because I knew that he
shares as much passion for this profession as I do. Further, Rob has demonstrated the ability to grow and
learn. He knows that he does not know it all and he now has the skills to find whatever he needs to help his
students learn and grow themselves.
Rob is kind, he is responsible, and he is passionately aware of the awesome responsibility of teaching. He is
ready to become a professional educator and I can only see him developing pedagogical skills that will lead him
to be a master teacher. In short, Robert Panish is the kind of person I would like to have as my colleague and I
would recommend him for any teaching position for which he is certified. A faculty would be lucky to have
him.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have further questions about Robert’s candidacy.
Sincerely,
Nancy S. Niemi
Associate Professor & Chairperson
Education Department
203.932.7466
nniemi@newhaven.edu