Gary R. Baumgartner, Jr.

146 Merline Road

Vernon, CT 06066
(860) 875-0879

Dear Sir or Madam:

During the 2016-17 school year, I was extremely fortunate to have Mr. Sean Rogers as a part of my
classroom. He consistently went above and beyond while doing his clinical observations, attending school days
before he was required to be here and continuing to come to class after his semester ended. Sean was
required to spend a minimum of 40 hours in my classroom however, by the winter break, he had logged well
over 100 hours. Obviously his clinical time at Coventry High School was instrumental in establishing
relationships and rapport with students that he would be teaching in the coming semester.

Sean’s ability to assimilate to a high school setting and the confusion of following a modified block
schedule was astounding. After midterm exams, he quickly assumed the role of educator and began by
teaching three sections of tenth grade World Understanding at once. Sean later added portions of another
course, Advanced Placement European History and taught several lessons in Contemporary Issues, a required
team-taught, course that has the entire senior class in a lecture hall; an intimidating setting for even seasoned
teachers but he handled it with ease.

Prior to day one, Mr. Rogers began working on his first unit of instruction. Although hesitant with his
knowledge base of some topics, Sean quickly compensated by researching and exploring the time period so he
knew the subject well. When it became time to teach the unit he was well prepared and his early lessons were
virtually flawless. Mr. Rogers believes that careful planning can alleviate many of the problems faced by
beginning educators. Each unit was meticulously planned using innovative, student-centered lessons that
introduced or reinforced content while incorporating skill-based activities to reach our school’s expectations.
During his tenure, he instituted a variety of differentiated lessons that included projects designed to be
malleable for the individual pupil and he worked well with all support staff, attending parent conferences, 504
meetings and PPT meetings to ensure he could provide the best support for his students.

I have been in this profession for 18 years and I have had seven prior student teachers. Mr. Rogers is
easily the best candidate that I have mentored. His grasp of historical content is much deeper than any
student teacher I have encountered in my department and his dedication to skill development is more akin to
a seasoned teacher than a beginner.
Sean’s personality is contagious and the genuine love of education that he possesses will surely diffuse to
colleagues that work with him and students fortunate enough to have him as their teacher. I will hold all of my
future student teachers to the standard that Sean established. Mr. Sean Rogers is passionate about the future
of his students and genuinely cares for their development. If I had a position available to offer, there’s not a
question in my mind that he would be the top candidate for the job.

Sincerely,

Gary R. Baumgartner, Jr.

Social Studies Department Chair