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COLLEGE OF [as MICHIGAN STATE UNE VEE ER SHIT February 7, 2015 Dear Colleagues in Education This letter is written on the behalf of Taylor Sergent for the position of secondary Social Studies instructor. Over the 2014-2015 academic year, I had the pleasure of knowing Taylor as his field instructor during his year-long student-teaching internship at Grand Blane High School in Grand Blanc, Michigan, where he taught several Social Studies courses, Based upon our work together, I can state that Taylor is an extremely talented and sensitive classroom practitioner. He combines fluency in a wide array of instructional strategies, proficiency in curriculum planning, and a strong commitment to the care and support of ALL students. In short, he has my very highest recommendation Taylor worked with an outstanding mentor teacher during his internship to learn from and collaborate. His mentor had the very highest of expectations, and Taylor did an outstanding job of meeting those expectations from day one. He very quickly learned how to manage a positive but rigorous learning environment. He was deeply involved in putting into place the classroom expectations and curriculum for the year, alongside his mentor. Equally as important, Taylor was able to form meaningful relationships with a wide variety of students. His students viewed him as a classroom teacher from the beginning, and Taylor’s sensitivity to their “whole being” as a learner and ‘human gained him on-going respect as the year progressed. Additionally, Taylor's mentor consistently took the time to co-plan with Taylor, giving him feedback on his lesson creations and executions, and guide him in all areas of teaching with forthright honesty and constructive criticism, in which Taylor ‘welcomed and handled with the utmost professionalism, Taylor also stands out as an intern regarding his collegial relationships and leadership amongst his Social Studies counterparts. Taylor has attended professional development and PLCs throughout his internship year at Grand Blanc High School. Taylor was also a resource for his colleagues, especially EDUC ATION his fellow interns. He was often sought after for his insight when his fellow -MSUis on affrmatve action, eguakopeertunty employer interns needed lesson ideas or suggestions regarding their mentors and internship experience College of Education In terms of instruction and lesson planning, Taylor shows how much he cares for his students by working hard to give them the highest quality learning experiences possible, He uses a variety of effective instructional strategies throughout his lessons, and often uses multiple types in one lesson, to help maximize student learning. I have had the pleasure of observing Taylor several times, and his lesson planning always considers the interests and learning styles of his diverse students. His units and daily learning activities are centered on Guiding Questions and Learning Objectives, which are communicated to the students. Relevant and real-world connections, visual aids, technology, and critical thinking opportunities are commonplace in the classroom. Due to his reflective nature, Taylor will even adapt his lessons mid- learning and from class to class, which is very unique for a first year teacher. Regarding assessments, Taylor understands the importance of formative assessments to guide his instruction. He alerts the whole class when he observes misunderstandings, and he gives individual and small group feedback as he checks in with students throughout a lesson. Summative assessments are also strengths of Taylor. He uses a variety of forms of summative assessments, such as projects, essays, journals, and common assessments, to help understand and evaluate student learning, One of Taylor's greatest strengths as a teacher is the way he cares and interacts with his students. Taylor lives and models empathy, positivism, comfort in risk-taking, and integrity. He is mindful of creating a safe and learning- centered environment, Taylor always values the students” thoughts and ideas. ‘Taylor Sergent is a reflective practitioner and ambitious teacher. On my end, I felt we had a terrific relationship grounded in a mutual love of teaching, I will miss seeing him teach and discussing what it means to be a great and effective Social Studies teacher. I highly recommend you give his application serious consideration. I would of course be happy to speak at greater length about his qualifications. Please feel free to contact me (1-517-881-0240, or simonhea@msu.edu) if you should have any further questions Sincerely, Hethr Amero Heather Simon Secondary Social Studies Field Instructor Department of Teacher Education Michigan State University

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