AIIN Recommendation for Kris Ward Itis a pleasure to write this letter for Kris Ward. I have known Kris for the last year at the Latin School of Chicago where she has been an assistant in my second grade classroom. Our school is an independent, co-educational day school in Chicago, Iinois. Kris is one of those natural born teachers. She has demonstrated an outstanding level of poise with children and a readiness to lead classroom activities and routines. She skillfully teaches various lessons in language arts, reading, spelling, handwriting, math and social studies. Kris’ innate understanding of developmentally appropriate content allows her to effectively implement prescribed curriculum, as well as to develop engaging and meaningful lessons on her own. Recently, Kris worked hard to enrich our Native American Unit by preparing creative lessons and using a Smartboard to highlight Native American groups in the Great Lakes region. Kris is warm, self confident, efficient and communicates effectively with children. Able to set appropriate limits and expectations, she demonstrates good classroom management skills. Responsive to the diverse needs of individuals, Kris provides a significant amount of one-on-one support to children who struggle with curriculum expectations. In fact, Kris always gives that “extra moment” to a child, even while juggling many tasks. Kris works to create a classroom community which feels safe and welcoming to all. With three full time teachers, two assistants and a myriad of specialist teachers invested in the success of the second grader’s outcomes, Kris successfully handles a dynamic setting which asks her to be flexible and accommodating at every turn. Kris works well with her directing teachers, the students, Latin families and other colleagues. She will be a valuable asset to any school community, and I wish her much success in her career pursuits. I am available by phone at (312) 929-2390 if I can support Kris’ candidacy in any way. Sincerely, aa ‘Megan Baltruzak Second Grade Teacher ‘The Latin School of Chicago 59 W. North Boulevard Chicago, Illinois 60610-1492 (312) 82-6000 www.latinschool.org,