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| Reference from Fran Taylor |
Winchell Elementary School
2316 Winchell Avenue
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008
(616) 337-0780
March 28, 2002
To Whom It May Concern,
Since the first week of January, I have had the pleasure of being Rachel Lenaway's Mentor Teacher. When it comes to teaching she is a natural. The school system that hires Rachel is going to be a very fortunate school system. She has a wealth of knowledge that she incorporates into her classroom.
Rachel does an excellent job of making sure that she reaches all of the children in the classroom. She makes sure that her lesson plans have something for everyone. She assesses each child and plans for their weaknesses and strengths in anticipation of any problems that he or she might encounter. Rachel is very musical and has a beautiful singing voice. She uses this to her advantage in writing songs so that the children can't wait to perform their songs in front of anyone. We had a unit on bullying and the group of students that wrote and sang the Bullying Song traveled around the school presenting it to all the classes.
Rachel is very self directed. If something is mentioned about doing something in the classroom, it is as good as done. Her assessments also touch on all of the various learning modes. She excites the children into learning what might otherwise be a rather dull subject. She has a zest for learning, which she passes on to the children. She has done many projects in the hallway and many food preparations to explain what is being taught. She excels in teaching the children how to take and use notes that they have taken on lectures, documentaries and board work. The tests that Rachel has developed have incorporated both the required tested material and the material that she used to strengthen her lessons with. Her tests are comprehensive and well put together.
Rachel also excels in behavior management. We have had a couple of difficult situations this year in the classroom. Rachel implemented many different plans until she finally came up with one that actually worked. She has good rapport with all of the children and they respect and admire her.
Rachel is truly a very gifted teacher. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call me.
Thank You,
Fran Taylor, Fourth Grade Teacher