Whitman
High
School
3490
Southwest
Vista
Avenue
·
Portland
,
OR
97205
Tel
: (503) 555-0147 ·
mchen
@
pps
.
net
Search
Committee
Garfield
High
School
400 23
rd
Avenue
Seattle
,
WA
98122
Dear
Members
of
the
Search
Committee
,
It
is
with
genuine
enthusiasm
that
I
recommend
James
Caldwell
for
the
position
of
Social
Studies
Department
Chair
at
Garfield
High
School
.
For
the
past
seven
years
,
James
has
served
as
the
Advanced
Placement
United
States
History
and
AP
Government
teacher
at
Whitman
High
School
,
and
in
that
time
he
has
distinguished
himself
as
one
of
the
most
effective
,
reflective
,
and
student
-
centered
educators
in
our
building
.
James
is
the
rare
teacher
who
combines
intellectual
rigor
with
pedagogical
warmth
.
His
APUSH
students
consistently
score
above
both
state
and
national
averages
—
last
spring
, 89
percent
of
his
students
earned
a
3
or
higher
on
the
AP
exam
,
and
his
Government
sections
have
seen
a
23
percent
increase
in
qualifying
scores
since
he
revised
the
curriculum
to
include
more
document
-
based
argumentation
.
What
sets
James
apart
,
however
,
is
not
simply
these
outcomes
but
the
deliberate
,
transparent
way
he
achieves
them
.
Garfield
High
School
would
be
gaining
an
educator
of
exceptional
skill
and
an
even
better
colleague
.
James
is
ready
for
the
leadership
responsibilities
of
a
department
chair
,
and
I
believe
he
will
thrive
in
a
community
that
values
both
academic
excellence
and
social
responsibility
.
Please
feel
free
to
contact
me
if
you
would
like
to
discuss
his
candidacy
further
.
Sincerely
,
Dr
.
Margaret
Chen
Principal
,
Whitman
High
School
Portland
Public
Schools
(503) 555-0147
mchen
@
pps
.
net
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