Erickson Hall | 620 Farm Lane

East Lansing, MI 48824

March 31, 2016
To Whom It May Concern:
It is with pleasure that I recommend Rachel Monica for a job in your school district. I have been her
field instructor since August of 2015 on behalf of Michigan State Universitys Elementary Education
program. Throughout her yearlong internship placement in a third-grade classroom, I have seen her
grow as a teacher, developing her own lesson plans and units, implementing a number of classroom
management strategies, and using assessment data to differentiate instruction.
Rachel is a reflective, diligent, and patient educator. She has successfully taught literacy,
mathematics, social studies, and science. Her lessons show great thought and preparation. Rachel
plans with engagement in mind, designing lessons that grab students interest, provide choice and
open-ended learning opportunities, and make use of discussion strategies that enable all students to
share their thinking.
An important strength of Rachels is her inquiry approach to teaching, using a cycle of assessment,
planning, instructing, and reflecting. Rachel uses data in a number of ways to make instructional
decisions. For example, she uses student work analysis to create small groups and differentiate math
instruction, building on what each group has mastered and addressing next steps in mathematical
thinking. During her internship, Rachel embarked on a classroom redesign pilot with her mentor
teacher to create a more flexible and choice-based learning environment. This undertaking included
reading research, collecting data on student engagement, and eliciting input from students. These
examples highlight Rachels commitment to helping all students be successful.
In my opinion as a former classroom teacher and literacy coordinator and as a current doctoral
student studying teacher education, Rachel is an excellent candidate for your school. She is
passionate, flexible, and a life-long learner. She collaborates with colleagues and seeks feedback on
her instruction in order to constantly improve her practice. Because of her expertise in social studies
and early childhood, her dedication to students, and her use of reflection to refine her instruction, any
school would be fortunate to add Rachel to its community. I welcome the opportunity to speak with
you; please feel free to contact me for more information.
Sincerely,
Blythe Anderson
Ph.D. Student | Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education | Elementary Field Instructor
Michigan State University | College of Education | Department of Teacher Education
Cell: 319-480-5593
andersb@msu.edu