Nursing Student now working at Peace Health Hospital in Bellingham, Washington
To who it may concern,
I am writing this letter regarding John Denooyer and his passion to share his knowledge. I returned to school at the age of 51. I literally had a third-grade education in math. I contacted the literacy Council hoping to find a tutor willing to help me hone my non-existent math skills. It was at that time I was introduced to John, whom I like to think of as my personal Math genius. After agreeing to meet with me we set up a schedule for tutoring. He was always on time, and ready with a lesson plan tailored for my current week’s curriculum. We would meet weekly unless I was struggling. During those time he would graciously carve out extra time for a study session. As a volunteer I feel his tenacity and steadfastness went above and beyond to see me succeed. John always made me feel as though my future success was as important to him as it was to me. John has a knack with innovative methods and explanations of math concepts. He truly made learning fun; his Infectious laugh is just icing on the cake. His display of patience, humility and a love for what he does made me want to learn. I believe anyone would be fortunate to have John as a tutor/teacher.
Sincerely, Sandi K. CMA
Instructor, Transitional Studies/College Readiness/GED/ESL at Bellingham Technical College
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing a letter of recommendation for John Denooyer for math instruction. I have had the pleasure of working with Mr. Denooyer as our math tutor in my courses at Bellingham Technical College preparing students for the GED Mathematical Reasoning test, HS+ Math course, and the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) for the winter, spring, and summer quarters of 2021. He came to us through the excellent community-based organization, the Whatcom Literacy Council.
We have a diverse population in our classes. Our community of learners often have first languages that are other than English, differing learning levels, preparedness to learn, and ages. Most of our students are returning to school after long absences and often unpleasant memories of earlier education experiences. John modeled effective student traits by being punctual, prepared, positive, and open to all questions. This can be challenging population under any circumstances, but John worked with our students during our COVID-19 sheltering in place era, at a time when many of our students were not only adjusting to a return to school, but new to online learning as well. He has a great sense of humor and pleasant manner that makes him a welcome asset to our classes.
John knows our math subjects well and uses Zoom and other online technology effectively. He overcomes the challenge many tutors face when they cannot get onto our online management system, Canvas, with students by letting them share their screens and/or using other online support material such as we have in Google Docs, PDFs, and MS Word.
John shared of his time generously and made himself available to our working students and parents at hours that met their needs because he cares about their success. He is an excellent team member and participated in every meeting we had as a group of instructors, tutors, and with the Whatcom Literacy Council leaders.
Sincerely,
Carol F., Instructor, Transitional Studies/College Readiness/GED/ESL
Former Director of the TRIO Program at Bellingham Technical College
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing to recommend John Denooyer for future employment opportunities. In my position as TRIO Project Director at Bellingham Technical College, I had the pleasure of getting to know John and supervised his work as a Student Success Tutor during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Student Success Tutors were responsible for staffing drop-in and scheduled tutoring for students in developmental (pre-college level) math and English courses. Beyond tutoring for courses, tutors were tasked with creating a welcoming environment for a diverse student population in TRIO and BTC Coaching programs, which primarily serve low-income, first-generation college students, students of color, and students with disabilities.
John was an excellent tutor in this position. His friendly, welcoming demeanor was beneficial for putting students at ease and encouraging them to return. In speaking to students, faculty, and staff, I heard a lot of great reviews of John, particularly noting his patience, kindness and sense of humor. He was well-regarded by his coworkers, and he would frequently team up with them to work with students or to practice skills. One of the outstanding qualities I noticed was John’s dedication to making good use of his down-time by practicing and preparing. In a drop-in tutoring program, there are often times of the quarter that are slower than others, and John would ask for course materials and work through math problems to sharpen his skills. As a supervisor, I really appreciated how self-directed John was, and his commitment to continuous improvement. I also appreciated his instincts with working with students; if John had a concern about a student being in the right level of math or thought a student could use follow-up, he would communicate that immediately to our program staff.
In March 2020, our campus suddenly had to operate remotely due to the pandemic. John showed a lot of adaptability by helping us transition our traditional in-person tutoring to online tutoring. He quickly learned how to use Zoom for tutoring, including tools like whiteboard and screen share so he could continue helping students. He also worked evening shifts with students so we could offer expanded options in Spring quarter to students who were new to online learning.
The Student Success Tutor positions ended at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year due to changes in grant funding, and we miss John! On behalf of our program staff, I encourage future employers to consider John Denooyer for tutoring or other similar positions. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Amy N. Former Director of the TRIO Program at Bellingham Technical College