UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN - FLINT

Early Childhood Development Center

303 E. Kearsley St, 1313 WSW
Flint, Michigan 48502-1950
Telephone: (810) 424-5214
Fax: (810) 237-6690
www.umflint.edu/ecdc

August 4, 2015
To Whom it may concern:
I wish to strongly recommend my former Assistant Teacher, Shauna Phillips, for a Head Teacher position with the
ECDC. Shauna has been my assistant teacher and right arm in the past and has proven herself over and over to be
a passionate, dedicated and highly skilled teacher. I believe it is essential that we hire people who are open,
passionate, curious, and committed to the Reggio-inspired approach. Shauna has taken every opportunity to learn
and participate with me in every aspect of the work of the classroom, both inside and out. She has exceeded every
aspect of the Assistant Teacher's position and more, from Projection Planning, Observations, Family News,
participating in Assessments and Conferences, Documentation, Research Projects and setting up the Classroom
Environment. This past year, Shauna and Breanna, who also works with us in the Luna Classroom, gave an end
of the year presentation of their year's research on the topics of Meaningful Conversations with Children and
Intentional Teaching, describing and sharing the documentation of the teaching strategies, environmental changes
and adaptations, and provocations and engagements that they developed in response to the children's needs in
those areas of development.
Reggio-inspired teachers need to be able to work together in ways that are both supportive and constructively
critical. Shauna can give constructive criticism as well as receive it and she values the collaborative approach in
the classroom. She sees gaps that need to be filled and she steps up to fill them without being directed.
Sometimes she seems to read my mind! Our respect for one another and our friendship grew as the school year
progressed and although our class presented many challenges for us, we laughed every day and experienced so
much joy together with the children. It was a very successful collaboration and the most rewarding and joyful
year of my 28 year teaching career. Truly, we have functioned as team mates and co-equals.
Shauna has a heart for reaching out to challenging children and families, and never gives up on them. She has
been able to bond with them and gain the parent's trust. I have seen her day after day, work tirelessly to build trust
and relationship with children and celebrate their accomplishments with great joy. She has a gift for being able to
speak the truth and show tremendous caring at the same time. As a result, we were able to work together as a
team with the families and successfully meet the needs of both parents and children.
Shauna understands the work of a Reggio-inspired Teacher so well that she wrote the expectation grid for the
Assistant Teachers which we now use at the ECDC. I think this is a great example of her organizational and
administrative abilities. She has the ability to think outside the box and create new ways of working and solving
problems. I love that about her. She recently gutted and redesigned the former Growing Up Green classroom and
has created a beautiful new library space for the children! Shauna is a person that I want to remain close to and
continue to collaborate with because she challenges me to be a better educator every day.
I truly miss sharing a classroom with Shauna each and every day, but I still seek her out to collaborate with and
consult her often, as we continue to grow and learn as Reggio-inspired educators.
Sincerely,
Mary Lynn Gottler
Head Teacher
Luna Classroom