John Marshall High School Independent School District #535 1510 Northwest 14" Street Rochester, Minnesota 55901-0244 Telephone (507) 328-5400 # FAX (507) 328-5295 ‘To Whom It May Concern: April 14, 2017 1am writing to recommend Ms. Melissa Erickson for a teaching position with your district. As ‘an Instructional Coach, I have had the opportunity to work with Ms. Erickson for the 2016-17 school year in her role as an Intern Physics Teacher with John Ruden at John Marshall High School, ‘Throughout the year, [have had multiple opportunities to observe Ms. Erickson in the classroom, and we have had reflective conversations about instructional practices and the goals she has for herself and for her students. Although Mr, Ruden was actually her supervising teacher, Ms, Erickson asked if I would also observe and provide some feedback from the perspective of an Instructional Coach. I found her to be very reflective and open to suggestions, as well as eager to make improvements in her classroom practices. Ms. Erickson has established a good rapport with her students and fosters a positive ‘educational climate. One sees evidence that students feel it is a safe place to make mistakes and that the most important element of learning is the effort that is put forth, She incorporates a variety of activities into each class, including demonstrations and labs, to provide opportunities for students to explore the content on their own and support each other with their learning. She has become very adept at questioning students and drawing out what they already know about a topic, as opposed to just presenting information. This approach helps to engage all students in the lesson. Professionally, Ms. Erickson has joined the teaching staff at John Marshall in our work in Professional Learning Communities. She has embraced our commitment to supporting student learning and collaborates on a weekly basis with other teachers to analyze assessment data, discuss best practices in teaching, and determine the best strategies to use to increase student learning. She and her students have benefited from the reflective discussion resulting from this collaboration. She has also participated in lunch-time professional development sessions in the building to continue to learn with and from other teachers. Thave enjoyed working with Ms. Erickson this year and am happy to recommend her for a teaching position. I feel confident that she would be an asset to any staff and work collaboratively to ensure high student achievement, Sincerely, lle, Mt Mayport Ellen G. Harford Instructional Coach Staff Development Chair John Marshall High School