3400 SOUTH 43RD STREET P.O.

BOX 343922 MILWAUKEE, WI 53234-3922 414-382-6000 FAX 414-382-6354

June 2014

To Whom It May Concern:

With genuine pleasure I offer my endorsement of Ms. Julia Kroll for a teaching position in any educational
institution serving students. In my capacity as a Student Teacher Supervisor and Instructor for Alverno College, I
had the opportunity to know and observe Ms. Kroll as she taught a group of first grade students at Milwaukee
Parkside School for the Arts, an urban, public school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin during her second nine weeks of
student teaching where Ms. Kroll was known as an absolute professional and ideal educator.

I know Ms. Kroll to be an enthusiastic, professional and highly skilled educator whose reputation of excellence
proceeded her, her cooperating teacher told me she requested that she be placed in her classroom and her previous
supervisor described her skills and dispositions as distinctive. With such high praise preceding her arrival Julia
might have coasted through student teaching without expending much effort. Always seeking professional
excellence, Ms. Kroll took advantage of the opportunity to learn and grow as an educator, stretching beyond her
comfort zone to learn and implement strategies to support students much younger than she experienced in previous
placements. All who observed her work with students commented on her very positive dispositions, positive
relationships with students, families and colleagues, with-it-ness, commitment to education and particularly her
commitment to students. Her lessons with students illuminated her ability to learn about and understand content and
the students to craft lessons that supported and challenged the students understanding.
.
Visits to her classrooms provided evidence of Ms. Krolls skillful, conscientious dedication, understanding of
children across the first grade spectrum and knowledge of which strategies from her substantial arsenal would best
support and challenge their understanding. Her distinctive ability to develop and implement creative and engaging
lesson plans and her capacity to integrate ongoing, imbedded, and authentic assessment throughout lesson sequences
was additionally evident during observations of her planned instruction. Also noteworthy was Ms. Krolls ability to
create a productive, engaging and caring learning environment fostered by the positive relationships she formed
and nurtured with individual students and her collegial relationships. An example that illustrates many of Julia
Krolls distinctive teaching skills occured when I observed an integrated social studies, literacy and art lesson she
developed to support students understanding of landforms. After a discussion integrating past learning about
landforms and reading a non fiction book on river formation, models in the form of work by previous students was
shared before students were encouraged to apply their knowledge and understanding to create a mosaic river. All
students were eagerly engaged in asking and answering questions, listening to the story critiqing models and creating
their mosaic rivers which was one of artifacts used to assess students learning and understanding. After the lesson
Ms. Krolls cooperating teacher exclaimed Isnt she wonderful, I have no problem releasing my students to her.
adding that she felt Ms. Kroll possessed skills that could not be taught to an initial educator.


These examples only begin to validate Ms. Krolls excellence and I encourage a favorable consideration of her
application. In my opinion Ms. Kroll is one of the finest beginning educators I have observed and her combination
of intelligence, commitment, perseverance, creativity, and passion for teaching will certainly make her a very
valuable member of any school in need of a high quality and dedicated educator. Please do not hesitate to contact me
with additional questions regarding Ms. Julia Krolls abilities or this recommendation.




Sincerely,


Teresa Valent
Instructor, Student Teacher Supervisor
W (414) 382-6247 C (414) 659-2416
Teresa Valent