I can host and teach Steinhardt's students but I am not allowed to be one...

John M and Dean B,

I am writing to appeal my rejection to the Steinhardt School of Education for the Fall 2006 semester.

On May 16th I received the rejection letter from the admissions department. On May 24th I wrote Mr. M to ask why I was rejected. Two weeks later, on June 7th, he returned my email, saying that he was looking into it and would respond shortly. I write now because I fear the summer slipping away without response or resolution.

I feel that I have a very strong case for admission to the School of Education and I would ask that you consider my appeal.

Before I present that evidence, I feel that I must address an issue that may have prevented my application from receiving a full and fair examination. On my resume I inadvertently cited that I was pursuing my Masters in English Ed at NYU since 2003. When Associate Dean VB called to fact-check that citation, I realized what I had done and corrected the entry with her and on my resume. What I meant was that I had been pursuing my Masters since 2003 (I have about 18 credits from College of St Rose, three from Brooklyn College and now nine from NYU). I was not trying to "put one over," nor was I trying to claim something that was wholly unfounded, but anticipating my admission to Steinhardt and eventual graduation.

I have been teaching in my own classroom for the past six years. I was able to get my teaching position with a Temporary License. Jumping from one type of temporary license to another I was able to take enough classes, workshops, and exams to obtain my Provisional License.

I have a strong desire to be and remain an educator. This desire was first born while I was a student at Gallatin and worked in the School of Education (as DW's assistant at the Newsletter). I was also an America Reads tutor. In fact, I was included in one of the articles featuring the program in the School of Education Newsletter (around Spring of 1999).

More compelling, I feel, is the fact that I have invited six Steinhardt student teachers into my classroom - four of them have since been hired. Two of them just graduated. Please look up their evaluations of me, or ask Lana McG, who was an advisor for five of them. She continues to urge her advisees to come to my classroom for Student Teaching and observing. If you would like to contact them, please let me know and I will pass along their information.

Am I to believe that I can host and teach Steinhardt's students but I am not allowed to be one?

One of my responsibilities at my school, the ICE, is the Student Teacher Coordinator. Our school, in the past year alone, has placed eight student teachers in the English and Social Studies departments. And we have placed nearly that many in the Math and Science departments. Not to mention the countless observers who have made progress toward their own licensing requirements at ICE. And because our school is small (380 kids, 28 teachers), this represents a large percentage of our faculty. I feel that student teachers benefit from the small setting because they have such a huge presence in the school and impact on the learning environment. Please contact Mr. L or Mr. H for a review of my professionalism and attention to detail.

Recently ICE was notified by Associate Dean LW that we were awarded a grant/stipend from the Teaching and Learning program because of our continued support of the Steinhardt SOE and our placement of your students as observers.

I am sure I will be able to maintain excellent academic progress because of my prior teaching experience and because, in the three NYU Steinhardt classes that I have taken already, I have earned three As.

Finally, I must mention that I have been awarded a Teaching Fellowship at C-SPAN for the upcoming summer. I will be working in their education department creating lesson plans and materials for their C-SPAN Classroom website. The site is used by teachers across the country to create lessons and units for their classrooms. I was just about to send the C-SPAN press release to Debra for the Steinhardt Newsletter and to Gallatin for their Alumni Newlsetter.

Considering my qualifications, and my relationship with Steinhardt, you can imagine my profound disappointment about not being invited back to Steinhardt community. I would ask that you please reconsider my rejection and allow me to finish my Master's degree at NYU.

Thank you very much for your time. I look forward to hearing from you very soon.

Jar