March 13, 2014

To Whom It May Concern, It is with great enthusiasm I write this letter of recommendation for Rebecca ONeill. I had the pleasure of working with her during her practicum experience and during her student teaching experience, for eight weeks, in our 2nd grade classroom at John Wayland Elementary School Ms. ONeill showed a true sense of professionalism. Punctuality, sincerity, and dedication were evident in her daily work. The same standard was evident throughout her experience. Ms. ONeill showed an energetic attitude and maintained a professional appearance and a professional manner. Throughout both her practicum and student teaching experience, Ms. ONeills lessons were always well thought out and showed a wide variety of student centered activities to meet the many needs and learning styles within the classroom. Ms. ONeills lessons demonstrated confidence in her ability to have all students be successful learners and participants, which promoted self confidence and a higher level of motivation in her students. Her kind and gentle way with the students provided a safe environment for all to learn. Ms. ONeill demonstrated outstanding fairness and consistency in dealing with behavior management. The classroom climate was one of mutual respect, friendship, and a sincere understanding of each students interests and learning abilities. In meetings with parents, Ms. ONeill displayed professionalism and often added valuable information for both parents and teachers. Ms. ONeills communication skills, both with students, supervising teacher, staff and parents were excellent. Lessons were delivered with directions being clear and concise. Ms. ONeill had a gift of questioning techniques, which elicited responses from all children. Students were comfortable seeking out Ms. ONeill for additional help, which she gave readily. Written communication with parents was clear and accurate and sent home on a weekly basis. I felt Ms. ONeill was able to communicate with me on a professional level as well as on a friendship level. This made our working relationship very comfortable and productive. She would not hesitate to ask questions and was very accepting of constructive feedback and applied suggestions readily. I truly enjoyed supervising and watching Ms. ONeill mature in her teaching ability. In conclusion, it is without hesitation, and my personal opinion, that Ms. ONeill will be an outstanding addition to any school community. Her dedication to the education field, her outstanding organizational skills, and her exemplary teaching ability, leads me to believe that Ms. ONeill has the dedication and knowledge to be a successful teacher and will have much to offer to the teaching profession. Sincerely, Suzanne Dupuis Cooperating Teacher John Wayland Elementary Rockingham County Schools