205 SPRING HILL ROAD STORRS, CT 06268

WEBSITE: WWW.MANSFIELDCT.GOV/MMS PHONE: 860.429.9341

EMAIL: MMSOFFICE@MANSFIELDCT.ORG FAX: 860.429.1020

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CANDACE V. MORELL, PRINCIPAL LARRY W. BARLOW, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

March 19,2018

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter to recommend Matthew DePalma for a social studies teaching position. I am Matt's
current supervisor for his Master's year internship. Matt started his internship in our school in January after a
semester in the U.K. While I have felt lucky to have Matt as a partner this semester, I can say without hesitation
that he is ready to have his own classroom and contribute to the teaching profession.

First, I will briefly summarize the scope of Matt's work this year. Matt is an intern in Mansfield Middle
School's humanities enrichment program, which serves talented and motivated students in grades 5-8. Although
this internship involved middle schoolers, most of our students read on a 10~-12~grade level, affording Matt
opportunities to design instruction suitable for older students. Matt is very detail-oriented himself, and the high
standard he sets for his own work trickle down to raise the bar for students as well. For example, he participated
in ajunior clinic placement at our school and sought to return here because he feels our school philosophy aligns
with his own. That level of reflection and proactivity is uncommon in preservice teachers.

A great deal of Matt's time at MMS involved working with student participants in our History Day program. He
facilitated students' research, thesis development, and project creation, meeting with students multiple times a
week and providing both written and verbal feedback using the evaluation standards we created. Matt showed
aplomb at challenging students' thinking by encouraging them to include multiple opinions and historical
context in their work. As we host the Regional Contest in Mansfield as well, Matt was very involved in planning
and managing the logistics of the event, proving himself organized, flexible, and calm.

Beyond History Day, Matt has had an opportunity to work in a variety of other instructional settings this
year. He has collaborated in the planning, instruction, and assessment for a heterogeneously grouped 6" grade
social studies. class on World Geography. He has helped implement a historical fiction unit into a Grade 6
reading class, and has worked to prepare Holocaust education materials on bystanders and othering for our
entire student body. Working with such a range of students- from 5~graders just learning to navigate note-taking
and summarizing to 8~graders who can analyze sophisticated primary sources- demands quite a varied skill set.
Matt has navigated such varied tasks with acumen, walking that line between being confident in his own
abilities and being willing to collaborate with and learn from experienced teachers.

With Matt, you will be getting a teacher sees himself as part of a larger community of teachers, parents, and
learners. He is level-headed and reflective and I'm excited to see where his willingness to lean in and work hard
takes him in the coming year.

n
Best Re~rds,

~Mc
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Humanities Enrichment Teacher and Mansfield Region History Day Coordinator (860)575-4468

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