8
Jul, 2017
Bryan Betancur
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation in support of Magdalena Baranowska. I worked with Magdalena as Teaching Fellow Supervisor of Intermediate Spanish II during the spring of 2013. Magdalena’s commitment, reliability, and professionalism made her an invaluable asset to students and fellow instructors alike. I have no doubt that she would quickly become an integral part of any Hispanics department.
Magdalena joined the Hispanic Studies faculty in September 2012 as a Visiting Teaching Associate, and I had the chance to collaborate with her professionally during the following semester. Magdalena was one of three TA’s in HISP400, a second-semester intermediate course designed to move students to a more sophisticated level of understanding and expression through vocabulary enrichment, more accurate manipulation of verb tenses and moods, and sharpening of communicative skills within the domains of grammar, literature, and culture. Instructor meetings were always rewarding and productive, as Magdalena regularly contributed original activities and PowerPoint presentations with grammar instruction and practice. Whether we were discussing the subjunctive or The Motorcycle Diaries, Magdalena was eager to share material that revealed expertise in a student-centered model of language instruction based on logically-sequenced communicative tasks. Magdalena was clearly comfortable in the role of leader and innovator during our TA meetings, and her collegiality added much to the course.
Magdalena was originally assigned two sections of HISP400; however, one of the sections was closed due to insufficient enrollment, and Magdalena was asked to assist with two literature survey courses as a writing tutor. While I was not directly involved with this latter course, I believe this sudden change of dudes merits mention as it supposed an increased workload for Magdalena, who now had to prepare for one course and make herself available for tutoring and instruction for two sections of a second course as well. Despite any inconvenience this may have caused, Magdalena immediately opened lines of communication with the instructors of the literature course to ask how she could best assist them, and she remained equally committed and available to students of both courses throughout the semester.
Given the aforementioned it is my sincere belief that Magdalena would successfully fill a teaching position at any university, and I am pleased to offer my most enthusiastic recommendation on behalf of my esteemed colleague.