March 17, 2015

To Whom It May Concern,

I am pleased to recommend Christina Santucci-Czerny who is in the process of completing a
single subject teaching program at the Dominican University of California. I think that her
specific experience and enthusiasm for teaching and learning make her a desirable candidate for
your school. She is a diligent student who was highly engaged in many sections of my courses,
including Teaching for Equity, Pedagogical Preparation I and II.
Ms. Santucci-Czerny has done exceptional work in these courses in which she participated in
classroom discussions and written assignments which focused on wide variety of topics, which
included reflection on theory and practice. In the Teaching for Equity course, we focused on the
role of culture in human perceptions and interpersonal relations in culturally pluralistic
environments, specifically focusing on educational settings. All of her work reflected her
determination and clear dedication to wanting to give back to the school systems in order to
provide an equal opportunity for learning for all individuals. I saw Christina grow firsthand as a
student in our semester long course as she became more comfortable with sharing her personal
experiences and insight with the class. Christinas warm interactions with the class encouraged
other students to participate and more effectively communicate and ask questions. Throughout
the class, her responsibilities also included participating in sometimes uncomfortable discussions
which focused on navigating through difficult situations and using culturally appropriate
language to problem solve, critically assess a variety of academic research papers, and fulfilling
various written assignments that focused on exploring specific cultural elements discussed in the
class. These were substantial responsibilities that required her to learn rapidly, apply what she
learned, make reasoned judgments and improvise while working with other individuals in the
class that may not have agreed with her ideas and viewpoints. Christina demonstrated the ability
to learn quickly and think proactively and continually expressed an interest in learning methods
to meet the needs of diverse learners.
In addition in the Pedagogical Preparation courses, I have observed Christina prepare well
thought out plans that contained both conceptual and procedural activities in all of her classes.
Ms. Santucci-Czerny has a strong affinity for students whether they are high achievers or
students with learning problems. She conveys a sense of high expectations and a desire for them
to achieve and the students rise to this. Christina provides them with support both in the
classroom and outside of class time to help them be successful in her class. Some of her best
qualities are her boundless energy and enthusiasm and her love of students. When planning her
lessons, Christina has shown her ability to respond to the achievement differences that exist in
the classroom and make adjustments as necessary using strategies that are appropriate and
educationally sound. In addition, she is aware of literacy issues that affect how students approach
text and assignments and she has built scaffolds in her lessons with this information in mind.

School of Education and Counseling Psychology 50 Acacia Avenue, San Rafael, California 94901-2298
p. 415-482-1886 f. 415-458-3790 www.dominican.edu

Ms. Santucci-Czerny has established good rapport with her students, her cooperating teachers
and her university faculty. She is very easy to work with as she is open, flexible, and eager to
hone her craft. As an instructor, I enjoyed the seriousness and commitment with which she
undertook in all her assignments and the promptness with which she turned them in. Christina
will not merely be a wonderful teacher in the classroom but also an active and supportive
member of a faculty. She will be a credit to her profession and I give her my highest
recommendations.
Sincerely,

Shadi Roshandel, PhD

Assistant Professor
shadi.roshandel@dominican.edu

School of Education and Counseling Psychology 50 Acacia Avenue, San Rafael, California 94901-2298
p. 415-482-1886 f. 415-458-3790 www.dominican.edu