To

Whom It May Concern,

It is a pleasure to write this recommendation for Allison Rainwater. Allison was a student teacher at
Annie E. Vinton Elementary School during the spring semester of 2016 where she taught twice weekly
music classes in grades preschool through four, assisted a grade one and two chorus, and conducted
rehearsals for a third and fourth grade musical. She also went to the middle school twice a week to give
beginning instrumental instruction.

Allison is a positive, warm, energetic, and enthusiastic presence. Her love for music and for working
with children is clear in all her interactions with students and staff. She brought a strong musical
background, both instrumentally and vocally, to her teaching. Previous teaching experiences private
lessons, other student placements, and her work with children in Haiti were evident in the level of
comfort and understanding Allison displayed from day one with the students. She quickly learned all the
students names and, more importantly, their individual needs and learning styles. She used this
knowledge on a regular basis to make instructional decisions. Whether it was being proactive in making
seating assignments, choosing specific individuals for tasks, adjusting repertoire, or finding specific songs
to match individual and class interests and talents, Allison always thinks about tailoring instruction to
her specific students. This responsiveness also contributed to a respectful classroom environment that
elicited participation from all students.

Allison is a reflective teacher. She regularly made adjustments to instruction both on the fly and in
thoughtful analysis at the end of a lesson or day of teaching. Countless times while observing Allison, I
would be in the middle of writing down a suggestion when she would make the suggested change on
her own. It happened so often that it became a kind of joke with us. In a very serious way though, I
believe it is further evidence of her reflective and responsive nature. In my experience working with
young teachers, this real time adjusting of instruction is one of the hardest things to learn to do.
Allison consistently adjusted instruction in response to student learning. In addition, Allison is open and
responsive to criticism. She regularly and readily incorporated suggestions into her planning and
instruction.

Allison is professional and fully invested in being a teacher. In addition to teaching music classes, she
engaged with students while on lunch and recess duty, attended music specialist team meetings before
school, staff meetings and concerts after school, joined the art and music specialists at a professional
development workshop at the New Britain Museum of Art (connecting this learning with listening
lessons that incorporated music, art, and writing), and shared materials she discovered or created with
colleagues. When her student teaching semester was completed, Allison substituted in all areas of our
school for the remainder of the school year, even while recovering from hand surgery.

I have no doubt that Allison will be an excellent music teacher. She has the musical skills, the
temperament, the ability to be self-reflective, and most importantly, the love of working with children,
which are required for success. Please dont hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Sincerely,

Julie Frascarelli
Music Teacher
Annie E. Vinton Elementary School