Professor Won W Lee of Calvin College provides a letter of recommendation for Scott Hofman for a teaching position. Lee has known Hofman through his class on the Hebrew Prophets, where Hofman demonstrated keen insights and analytical skills. Hofman's presentation on applying Amos to modern social justice issues showed his passion for education and commitment to addressing injustice. Lee describes Hofman as well-rounded, community-oriented, and dedicated to promoting social justice and diversity. Lee highly recommends Hofman and believes he has great potential to inspire students academically and in making positive change.

1. Recommendation for:
By Whom/Organization: Won W Lee, Professor of Religion at Calvin College
Date: Jan. 3, 2012
I am happy to write a letter of recommendation for Scott Hofman in support of his application for the call that he
received, educating youngsters. I have known him mainly through his involvements in my class, which led to series
of conversations afterwards on his thoughts on God, his place in the world, and his special calling. As engaged in
these length discourses, I tried to persuade him to study further at graduate level in Theology and the Bible; but I
failed due to his firm calling on teaching Junior/High schoolers in both Christian and public school system. Through
these interactions, I have witnessed seriousness of his vocation and readiness of serving others in any educational
setting that I can speak for his qualifications confidently.
Scott exhibits excellent academic aptitude. While taking a course on the Hebrew Prophets, he brought keen insights
into conversations that make class discussions mutually beneficial and effective. A detailed and thorough analysis of
a task is his trademark. With a general guideline, he found a way to penetrate a problem deeply, discussed other
opinions fairly, argued for his own position persuasively, and expressed it succinctly. He practiced these skills
persistently yet gracefully. In his oral presentation on “Amos Applied,” (reenacting this 8th century BCE prophet
from Israel for contemporary society), he demonstrated his passion for social justice by focusing on a reality of
disparities in urban educational settings. The whole class was benefited from his ability of translating complex (and
controversial) concepts embedded in Amos’ prophetic oracles into our modern societal contexts and from his
communicating them in a way that moves the class into a tangible action. I believe that his presentation was a great
example of the degree of his commitment in education as well as his readiness of head-on any injustice pervasive in
that enterprise. In essence, his academic works demonstrated not only a disciplined, committed, and mature attitude
towards the excellence that academia seeks, but also a balanced, thoughtful, sometimes a noble insight on the depth
and breadth of theological inquires that Calvin promotes.
In terms of his personality and character, Scott possesses several noticeable qualities. First, he is a well-rounded
person, enjoying differences of other students including many international students, prompting the group with
laughter and seriousness, and most of all, willing to be there for anyone who needs his supporting arms. Second, he
is a community builder, who sees the needs of others, takes initiative to put resources together, and implements
necessary programs for the benefit of all. Third, he is highly committed, convicted, and dedicated to spread the
common good through his activities, especially issues related to social justice and creating hospitable environments
for diverse racial and different socio-economic groups. These qualities I experienced show that he has a great
potential for influencing youngsters on their academic works and for inspiring their dreams for making the better
world.
With these observations, I highly recommend his for any teaching position in both Christian and Public schools.
Please contact me (wlee@calvin.edu or 616-526-6323), if you would like to know more about him.
Name: Scott Hofman Career Development
1855 Knollcrest Circle SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546