Lindsey Kubera

PS 77 The Lower Lab School 1700 Third Avenue New York, NY 10128 LKolbe@gmail.com

January 5, 2014 To Whom It May Concern: I am writing this letter on behalf of my colleague, Allison Haimeck, whom I have had the privilege to work with throughout the past three years at The Lower Lab School. As a Special Education/IEP Teacher at The Lower Lab School I have been fortunate to work closely with Ms. Haimeck on a daily basis. Together we have discussed students individual needs, differentiated and planned lessons and reflected on various instructional strategies that have been implemented into her classroom. Since I have known Ms. Haimeck it has become clear that she is motivated and eager to grow in her understanding and abilities to work with and teach a wide variety of students. This includes students with disabilities to those who are gifted and talented. During the 2012/2013 school year, Ms. Haimeck and I collaborated and co-taught with one another on a daily basis in a second grade classroom. This classroom included students who were identified as Gifted and Talented to those who had been mainstreamed from our schools SelfContained Classroom. Using the various co-teaching methods, Allison and I were able to effectively plan, differentiate and use multiple pathways of learning for all of our students. Not only did our General Education students grow, but the students who were mainstreamed from the self-contained classroom flourished both academically and socially. Having had many prior coteaching experiences, I truly believe that the key to our success was having a general education teacher who was open to grow and learn about working with students who have disabilities. Coteaching with Ms. Haimeck was truly an insightful and rewarding experience. Allison has excellent interpersonal skills and works well within a group. She is a strong communicator both verbally and using the written word. She often helps colleagues work through situations and make instructional decisions. This is especially true in our weekly Teacher Team Meetings where we look at student work and develop instructional strategies to help a particular student be successful. In addition, she communicates regularly with classroom parents through weekly emails and phone calls. As a teacher who is dedicated to the teaching profession I feel fortunate to have a colleague who has the drive and professionalism to not only work successfully with students but who also is willing to collaborate with her peers. Allison Haimeck exemplifies the many qualities need to be a reflective and motivated professional. Sincerely, Lindsey Kubera