THE AMERICAN SCHOOL

March 2nd, 2016

Iain Macfarlane

To Whom It May Concern,

I highly recommend Jake Owens for a teaching position without reservation. I have had the pleasure
of working with Jake for the past four years, in my capacity as an Assistant Principal and a Principal.
During that time he has been an asset to our school community, respected and admired by students,
parents and teachers. Jake has made significant contributions to learning and community as the
Third Grade Team Lead for the past two years. He is an outstanding teacher who is able to teach to a
wide array of student ages, needs and abilities to ensure that all students achieve to their maximum
potential. He consistently sets high expectations for his students achievement and works diligently to
ensure that they are attained.
Jake works well with his colleagues. We are a large school and staff are expected to work closely on
many different teaching teams. He is collaboratively able to guide his six-member team towards
meeting the best needs of students and this made him the natural choice for our Team Lead position.
At A.S.K., he has actively participated in professional development on Understanding by Design, the
Reading & Writing Units of Study, Everyday Mathematics and the Common Core State Standards.
Teaching partners, mentors and coaches consistently report on his willingness to grow and adapt to
new teaching challenges. He consistently sets a high standard for compassion and professionalism in
his approach to education.
During his time at the American School of Kuwait he has been an asset to our community. School
wide data that we have collected on Reading and Mathematics consistently shows students in his
classes outperforming their peers. He is able to differentiate his instruction so that each student is
learning to the best of their ability. In his classroom students are motivated and engaged in their
learning. For his classroom students, he takes his own personal time to organize a math enrichment
program and rock climbing. Outside of the classroom he has helped to enrich the lives of students by
coaching U14 soccer, coaching elementary school soccer and supervising ice-skating.

In summary, Jake has displayed all of the qualities of an exceptional teacher. He is an asset to our
community and is loved by his students and parents. He teams well with his colleagues and
administration and seeks out opportunities to improve the educational experience. I highly
recommend Jake for a teaching position.
Yours sincerely,

Iain Macfarlane
Elementary Principal
The American School of Kuwait
macfarlanei@ask.edu.kw
P.O.BOX 6735, HAWALLI 32042 KUWAIT
TELEPHONE: 266 4341 - FAX: 265 0438

E-mail: ask@ask.edu.kw
E-mail: ask@ask.edu.kw
ACCREDITED BY THE MIDDLE STATES ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND
SCHOOLS