Elmwood Elementary School

1533 Elmwood Road, Lansing, MI 48917

Main Office: 517.321.3383
February 15, 2016
To Whom It May Concern,
Sarah Arent was a fourth year undergraduate student in my fourth grade class at Elmwood Elementary
School for the 2014-15 school year. She worked in the classroom for more than 120 hours. I am pleased
to be able to provide a letter recommending her for a position as a teacher. Elmwood is a school of
approximately 300 students in a lower middle class area of Lansing. Over 50% of Elmwoods students
receive free or reduced lunch. Our class included students who were diagnosed as ADHD, language
impaired, and learning disabled. Sarah planned and provided instruction to meet the needs of these
diverse learners.
Sarah has several strengths. She has a wonderful rapport with adults and children. From the start, Sarah
had a connection to the students in our classroom, and the children were able to share things with her
that even I was not aware. She was well liked and respected by the other staff members in our building
as well. Her organization and planning was evident in her clear, well prepared lessons. Sarah is a
problem solver. It was common for her to bring additional materials to aid in teaching her lessons when
curriculum didnt seem to provide the right tools. Sarah never waited to be asked to do things in the
classroom. She saw what needed to be done and did it. Sarah thinks outside the box when creating
lessons. She was creative and always over-planned. She designed appropriate assessments, and used
the information gained to create further learning activities.
I am confident that Sarah will be an asset to any staff that she works with. She is a wonderful
communicator, knowledgeable, and has the skills of a seasoned teacher. She goes well beyond what is
expected. I believe that the class and I benefitted as much from having Sarah Arent as an intern as she
did from this experience. I highly recommend her for a teaching position. Please feel free to contact me
for more information at 517-388-3491 or cvandersteen@waverlyk12.net.
Sincerely,
Cindy Vander Steen
Fourth Grade Teacher
Elmwood Elementary School