105 Meadow Heights Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15215
June 8, 2003

To whom it may concern:

I am a freshman student at Ohio University and Mr. Craig Butz was my English professor during the winter quarter of 2003. I have mentioned this to many people at school, and I can honestly say after three completed quarters at Ohio University, English 151 with Craig was by far my favorite class. Every class Craig greeted us with a smile, and we all looked forward to covering the lesson planned for the day.

The classroom setting was purposely relaxed, with students sitting around each other at large tables. This was done to encourage participation, because the class was mostly discussion-based. We discussed readings in class which were used to help us write a series of five papers. Some examples of the papers we wrote were a letter to a company with a complaint, hoping to get a response, as well as a term paper of our choice. The subjects covered were always interesting, and Craig was always there for any additional help if we happened to need it. Craig would meet with us outside of class at a local coffeehouse to conference and give us feedback about our papers. In addition to the out of class meetings, Craig had a website devoted to our class which included the syllabus, sample papers, and an area where we could check our grades.

The work load for this class was challenging, but we were able to keep up with the reading because of daily one page journal entries which usually covered the prior night's reading assignment. The students had complete freedom with their journal entries, and they usually consisted of our opinions of the reading assignment. Craig graded a little harder on some assignments, just because he knew that we had potential to work harder, and by the quarter's closing, he did his best to make sure we achieved this potential. I believe that in my case, he succeeded.

Overall, Craig is an outstanding teacher, and a great person. I certainly believe that he has what it takes to teach at any level. Recently, while scheduling for the upcoming quarter, I asked Craig if there were any classes that he would be teaching at Ohio University in the future. I was saddened to hear that he was leaving, but I am happy to know that he will be able to make a great impact on a new group of students. If you happen to have any questions, feel free to contact me anytime.

Sincerely,

David Kayser

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