Recommendation Letter for Ms.

Amelia Leng
April 9, 2018

Amelia Leng was an intern in my 3rd grade classroom during the school year 2017-
2018. This classroom consisted of regular education students in addition to an ELL
student with language difficulties (he spoke no English), behavioral concerns such as
ADHD and extreme emotional outbursts, and academic concerns such as a learning
disability. She taught 27 students in collaboration with two third grade teachers, one
teaching literacy and the other teaching math.
Chicago is an urban city with diverse cultures and many experiences offered to its
citizens. Shoesmith School is located in a small community named Hyde Park. Within
this community, the diverse cultures are intertwined. The population at the school
includes students who receive special education services and ELL services as well as
students who perform average to above average academically. This year, Shoesmith
received students from Japan which provided a new culture and teaching opportunity
since these students spoke no English. Shoesmith Elementary is a school that has worked
to help teachers grow professionally to ensure that all students learn. Because of this
goal, Shoesmith has risen to a Level 1+ school.
Amelia is dedicated, intelligent, creative, confident, organized, and well-prepared to
teach the required subject matter that is presented in an elementary school. This school
year presented a new opportunity and challenge for Amelia. Starting this school year, the
third grade was departmentalized with one teacher teaching literacy and the other math.
This allowed Amelia to work closely with two teachers. In my classroom, Amelia was
responsible for teaching reading and writing. The students thoroughly enjoyed the
how–to writing unit that Amelia presented. When preparing lessons, Amelia ensured that
all learning styles were addressed. She was careful to break down the steps of the writing
process and use thinking maps when appropriate. She also modified the lessons to
include the diverse learners and ELL student. In addition, she quickly adapted to a new
teaching pedagogy adopted by her mentor teacher. Last year, our school adopted a
school-wide initiative, where small group instruction is used for both the core reading and
math lessons each day. Because there were two teachers in the classroom, this allowed
for all 6 groups to be seen everyday. This proved to be extremely beneficial for the
students’ learning.
Planning for lessons that engage students is a particular skill that Amelia possesses. In
her internship, she participated in the various stages of planning. For her science unit,
Amelia focused on the idea of natural disasters and weather. She met with the science
teacher to gain insight, gather resources, and ensure there was ample opportunity for
mastery of the standards presented in the lessons. The students learned about each of the
natural disasters. They also used iPads to research the weather and climate of a city as
well as making a bar graph with that information. She was able to incorporate math,
technology, and science into one lesson. It was really fantastic to watch as the students
became experts.
Amelia is a diligent young educator. In her lead teaching, Amelia has learned and
used strategies that allowed her to command and receive respect in the classroom. In
addition, Amelia is fair, consistent, and firm in her management of the classroom. She
understands students need expectations and routines set in order for them to display their
roles appropriately in the classroom. Finally, Amelia has mastered the usage of positive
reinforcement as a means to encourage and support proper behavior in the classroom.
She consistently used our clip chart as a means to encourage appropriate behavior in the
classroom.
From the very beginning, Amelia involved herself in conversations with parents. This
came in the form of face-to-face conferences, composing emails, calling parents on the
phone, and taking the lead at Report Card Pickup during the third quarter of the school
year. In these conversations, Amelia’s confidence in her teaching ability and care for the
students was evident. Amelia clearly stated strengths for students as well as areas for
growth. She also identified ways to make those areas into strengths. The parents truly
appreciated the extra step she took to help their children.
Throughout her internship, Amelia became a valuable asset in our school. She
actively participated in weekly grade level meetings with administration and the other
members of the third grade team. As a result of these meetings, she incorporated the
ideas or strategies into her future lessons. This kind of dedication shows she is ready and
willing to grow as a professional. As the year progressed, Amelia and the other interns
planned the activities for College Week. Through these activities, the students saw the
benefits of attending college.
I recommend Amelia Leng for a teaching position in your school. She will be a
hardworking teacher ensuring that all of her students learn in a safe, caring, and
supportive environment.

Tracy Walker
Shoesmith School- Chicago, Illinois
tlwalker@cps.edu
Phone number 773-744-7232