SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

TEACHER EDUCATION, ELMAC PROGRAM

610 E. UNIVERSITY AVE., 1228 SEB
ANN ARBOR, MI 48109-1259

May 4, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:

!
It is my sincere pleasure to recommend Michelle Ewart as an outstanding candidate for a teaching position. I
have been Michelles university field instructor during her yearlong internship in this graduate program.

!
Michelle has worked with a broad range of students this past year. She taught reading and math to struggling
kindergartners and second graders last summer in an academic summer school program. As part of her math
methods class last fall, she worked with older elementary students in an after-school math tutoring program.
Her eight-month classroom internship was with a third-grade class. All of these experiences were with
academically and culturally diverse groups of students, including English Language Learners. Michelle honors
each student for the unique qualities she or he brings to the classroom.
Michelle is very purposeful and thorough in her planning and teaching. Her plans reflect creativity, a secure
understanding of lesson content, objectives, and Common Core learning targets, and knowledge of the learning
needs of the students in the class. She has taught units in all content areas this year. Michelle uses a variety of
effective instructional practices, providing carefully sequenced modeling and clear directions. She moves from
modeling what she wants students to do to gradually releasing responsibility for the task to the students. She
monitors student understanding and considers ways to provide clarification to students who need more time
and/or support. Michelle effectively incorporates class discussions in whole-class lessons to give students an
opportunity to share their thinking and learn from each other. These discussions enable her to evaluate student
understanding, to surface ideas that are shared with the class, and to develop students skills in explaining their
reasoning and in listening to others. Always aware of the needs of visual learners, it was a rare lesson that
didnt have a visual component. Projecting images to enhance and focus lessons, and creating anchor charts
with students facilitated making lessons interactive and accessible to all students.
Michelles plans for assessing learning are very targeted. In each lesson she identifies the source of the data she
will collect to assess learning. After reviewing students work and her own anecdotal notes, Michelle adjusts
future lessons to meet students documented needs. When beginning a persuasive writing project, Michelle
worked with the class to create an analytic rubric so that students could monitor the quality of their own writing.
Michelle has also had opportunities to work with students on tasks to prepare them for taking the M-STEP tests.
Michelle relates well to all students in the class, demonstrating interest and caring and promoting a respectful,
engaging, and safe learning environment. When Michelle became concerned about a lot of negative self-talk
heard in the class, e.g., I cant do this, Im no good at math, she created a lesson built around a class
discussion of this concern. Students created positive sentences that they could say to themselves and say to
encourage others. A poster of their suggestions hangs in the room as an anchor chart.
Michelle is exceptionally well-qualified for a teaching position. She has demonstrated thoughtfulness,
confidence, creativity, initiative, a strong work ethic, a genuine devotion to children and their development, and
many skills of a seasoned teacher. She has been an exemplary teaching intern and will become a highly valued
member of a school team.
Please contact me at msnyderm@umich.edu if you have any questions or need further information.
Sincerely,
Michele Madden, Field Instructor

March 7, 2015

1221A School of Education

610 East University
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259
tboerst@umich.edu
office phone (734) 615-9048

To whom it may concern:

It is my pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for Michelle Ewart. Michelle was my student in a
two course series focused on mathematics content and methods of teaching mathematics called Teaching
Elementary and Middle School Mathematics, in 2014. Across both courses, I was impressed with
Michelles coursework and her engagement in teaching. I highly recommend her for a job in the teaching
profession.
Michelle has a can-do orientation to teaching and learning to teach. Throughout the courses I taught, she
was open to new ideas about teaching, and pushed herself to think about mathematics in new and different
ways. She demonstrated a commitment to learning from her own teaching, professional resources, and
research. Michelles assignments were consistently of high quality and her lessons consistently moved
students forward in their learning. Michelles approachable, yet confident, manner made her a wonderful
classmate and collaborator. She listened with interest and respect to the ideas of others, while also being
willing to ask crucial questions and provide her own perspective.
In the courses I taught, Michelle actively engaged with 2nd grade students attending a summer school
program and 5th grade students attending an after school program for those encountering difficulty with
mathematics. In both of these settings she demonstrated an ability to carefully plan for and reflect upon
important aspects of mathematics teaching and learning. She was able to use reflection as a key resource
to improve her teaching. She routinely engaged individual students, as well as small groups and whole
groups, in learning essential and challenging content- number, operations, place value, and core
measurement concepts. As she taught she analyzed mathematics tasks, anticipated and interpreted student
responses, and made evidence-based assertions about student thinking. While teaching, Michelle
successfully drew on an array of curriculum materials to lead discussions and engage children in
explaining their thinking. Michelle routinely demonstrated her desire to make mathematics accessible and
engaging. She also made strong connections with students, allowing them feel comfortable sharing their
ideas and motivating them to persist when learning posed challenges. Michelles positive attitude and
resourcefulness were major resources for addressing challenges faced in her own teaching.
I am confident that Michelle will be an outstanding teacher, a wonderful colleague, and a tremendous
asset to any school. If you have further questions or if I can offer additional information, please feel free
to contact me.
Sincerely,

Timothy Boerst
Professor of Clinical Practice in Education and National Board Certified Teacher
Chair, Elementary Teacher Education
University of Michigan School of Education