April 25, 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

I highly recommend Danielle Schwartz for a special education teaching position

in your district. From 2010 through 2016, I had the privilege of co-teaching
seventh grade math with Danielle at Cresskill Middle School. I came to know
Danielle as a dedicated professional, student-centered teacher, and a
collaborative coworker. Over her years at Cresskill, she co-taught classes in
English, Math, and Science, and created and taught a curriculum for a special
education, study skills course. Regardless of the subject, Danielle brought
energy, innovation, and a passion for learning to each classroom she entered.

The first thing you notice when you walk into a classroom where Danielle is
teaching is a feeling of warmth and respect. Students who once had very little
confidence in themselves, flourish around Danielle who promotes a growth-
mindset to give her students a drive to succeed. Danielle holds high expectations
for all of her students and truly believes that every child is capable of learning if
given the appropriate setting and resources. Danielle has a talent of being able
to modify material to fit each and every learner. Her knowledge of her students
learning styles allows her to create lessons and activities that are optimal for
student success. Not only does she modify assignments and assessments to
make them more accessible to her students, Danielle also ensures that the
material is engaging and authentic. She helped me plan many problem-based
learning tasks that directly related to our students interests. She also developed
new ways to teach abstract, mathematical concepts that were more hands-on
and concrete.

Just as important as the wonderful relationships Danielle has with her students,
she also creates positive connections with students parents and families.
Danielle is in constant communication with parents in order to assure that her
students are receiving the amount of support they need both at home and in
school. Danielle also works closely with the child study team and general
education teachers to ensure that each childs individualized learning plan is
being followed. She advocates for all of her students to provide them with the
best opportunity for success. Danielle taught many collaborative classes at
Cresskill and had a great partnership with each one of her co-teachers. Beyond
helping to plan, teach, assess, and reflect on our lessons, she was always
bringing in new and innovative strategies to best reach our students. She is
incredibly talented with technology and integrates many different tools in order to
offer highly engaging lessons to the class.

Danielle consistently demonstrates all of the skills of an effective teacher and

dedicated coworker. Danielle has a love for learning and is constantly trying to
improve herself and as a result, improves others around her. I am beyond
confident that Danielle Schwartz will be an asset to your district and will become
strongly connected to the community in order to build her rapport with the
students, families and other community members. Her dedication to her craft,
collaboration skills, and passion for learning and teaching make Danielle the
perfect teacher for your district. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate
to reach out to me.

Sincerely,

Allison Lutz
Math Interventionist
Wayzata West Middle School