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BROCKPORT HIGH SCHOOL

40 ALLEN STREET
BROCKPORT, NEW YORK 14420-2296
Principal: Assistant Principals:
Dana L. Boshnack Michael Bourne Michelle Guerrieri Jeremy Moore Matthew Schultz
(585) 637-1870 (585) 637-1870 (585) 637-1870 (585) 637-1870 (585) 637-1870

To Whom It May Concern,


Shanley Richards was my student teacher for two months in the early spring of 2016. During her
experience in my classroom Shanley was in charge of planning, teaching, and grading the genetics unit for two
of my Living Environment classes. This was Shanleys first placement, but with little experience I could see
many strengths manifesting themselves in her planning and presenting. Shanleys biggest strengths were her
emphasis on inquiry first, creativity, and ability to work one on one with the students.
At the beginning of her student teaching experience, my first priority was having Shanley create a unit
plan. Shanley worked hard to plan out a unit that emphasized inquiry first. She altered the labs I had so that
students would be collecting and analyzing data before having previous knowledge about the topic. This
prevented bias in the results and really made the students learn through hands on experience instead of just
going through the motions. By doing this the students asked more questions that were relevant to the lab and
learning.
I was also impressed with Shanleys resourcefulness and creativity. Shanley found new simulations
online that students could interact with to help them visualize a concept which demonstrated her resourcefulness
with technology. She also developed a new review game that the students really enjoyed. I think creativity is an
extremely important quality in a teacher because presenting things in a new way helps keep students engaged
and on their toes.
The thing that most impressed me about Shanley was her ability to work one on one with students. Even
before she took over teaching Shanley got involved in my lessons by walking around the room and helping the
students. She was not shy and was confident with the material. I think this helped the students make a personal
connection with her and helped them get more individualized feedback about what they were working on or an
misconceptions they might have about the topic. This ability to work well one on one really enhanced the
inquiry style learning that she used. It was a lot of work to teach this way because it involved a lot of planning
and front loading the lessons. There is no way to create the inquiry style lessons she used that allowed her to
interact on a personal level with students, and not be prepared well ahead of time. I think using this strategy will
help Shanley learn to plan ahead and prevent procrastination, which are very important skills for all teachers to
possess.
Shanley is a wonderful young lady who has a lot of potential to be an excellent teacher. She is
passionate about the environment and the organisms that live in it and conveys that to the students. I know her
creativity and inquiry style learning will help many students succeed in her future classroom. Thank you for
your time and consideration.
Sincerely,

Katie Cappella

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