May 3, 2016

To Whom It May Concern,

It is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation on behalf of Jessica Boyle as a candidate for a teaching
position in your school district. During the spring semester, I have served as her college supervisor for her student
teaching experience at Alverno College. In this capacity, I was able to observe her several times in a third grade
setting and also was able to monitor and assess the level of her participation and contributions during weekly
seminar sessions. Based on those experiences as well as my eighteen years as an elementary principal, it would be
my professional judgment that Jessica Boyle possesses the personal and instructional skills necessary to be an
effective classroom teacher.
Ms. Boyle has demonstrated throughout her student teaching experiences, personal enthusiasm, a positive demeanor
and empathy in all her interactions and work. Her lessons were always thoughtfully planned and prepared based
upon her awareness of student abilities and needs as well as her content knowledge. Her instruction was well
sequenced and organized with clear learning targets, connections to students prior knowledge and engaging learning
experiences which integrated pupil interests and promoted their active involvement. She did an especially
noteworthy job of developing key academic language for students and encouraging them to explain their thinking
through numerous modeled examples and creative learning tasks. Ms. Boyle was also adept at utilizing technology
as an effective instructional tool for creating student engagement in their learning and promoting their understanding
of key concepts. Her use of a variety of learning modalities, especially kinesthetic approaches to learning, allowed
her to address the differing learning abilities of the students. For example in one math lesson on fractions, she
engaged students in their learning through a short video, a paper folding activity and individual math strategy sheets.
She set a very positive and productive environment for learning and proactively monitored student behavior and
interactions. Such awareness and sensitivity produced a classroom environment based on cooperation and mutual
respect. She was able to utilize a variety of formal and informal assessment strategies and criteria to evaluate student
performance and to inform her instruction. Ms. Boyle also has implemented literacy-based approaches to reading
and writing and has utilized programs in mathematics that emphasize problem-solving and critical thinking
techniques.
Ms. Boyle was guided by a strong sense of commitment and professionalism in her approach to instruction and
student learning. She demonstrated effective communication skills and was able to establish positive and
collaborative relationships with both children and adults throughout her placement. She was a reflective practitioner
who used the feedback from others to improve her instructional growth and development. As a student teacher, she
was an active participant in school activities and training sessions to improve her skills as an educator. This was
especially evident in her enthusiastic involvement in an after school learning program which supported students
struggling in language arts and/or mathematics.
Based on the experiences and qualities shared above, I hope that it is very apparent that Jessica Boyle deserves your
time and attention as a serious candidate for a position in your school district. She is an individual who would add
both value and quality to any school district that would acquire her services as an employee and has the capacity to
truly make a difference in students lives.
If you would have further questions, feel free to contact me at 262-366-2088 or scott.lawrence@alverno.edu
Sincerely,
Scott Lawrence
Assistant Professor
Alverno College

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