Plateau Valley FFA Chapter

Plateau Valley High School

56600 Hwy 330
Collbran, CO 81624
(970) 487-3547, ext. 253

October 28, 2018

To Whom It May Concern:

It is my pleasure to recommend Samantha Brewington for agricultural education teaching positions. I have
served as the Agricultural Education Instructor and FFA Advisor at Plateau Valley School for 11 years. This is
my 18th year in the teaching profession. Samantha has spent the 2018 fall semester student teaching with me.
This was the culminating experience of degree from Colorado State University.

Samantha stepped into my classroom with impressive skills. From the beginning, she worked hard to connect
well with students, plan and implement a lesson and assist in building our agricultural education program. I
enjoyed being a part of her student teaching experience because I’ve watched her grow from a teacher who
tentatively delivers a lesson to a teacher who motivates, inspires and guides her students.

During her student teaching experience, I evaluated Samantha both formally and informally while she taught
lessons and gained proficiency in all aspects of instruction. She efficiently builds lesson plans that address
interventions and accommodations in the classroom and can be tied directly to content standards and objectives.
The lessons she creates incorporate technology, tie into both literacy and math skills and have relevance to her
students. She’s not afraid to utilize a great idea from someone else and is also contemplative enough to make
sure the activity will meet the desired learning objective. She utilizes formative assessments well to guide her
instruction. I’ve been impressed with her ability to plan and build summative assessments while planning a
unit.

Samantha demonstrates integrity and character in her interactions with students. She understands
professionality and strives to align her actions, vocabulary and attitude with it. She brings new ideas to the
table and respects tradition that surrounds all schools. She is developing the ability to honestly respect each
student for who they are and connect with them. She has been able to avoid many a behavior problem by
working with a student one on one to solve a problem.

I believe Samantha has the tools needed to be successful as an instructor in Agricultural Education or in any
part of the agricultural industry. I recommend her without any hesitation to inspire and influence the students in
your school. Please contact me at the phone number above with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Ruth Shepardson
Plateau Valley FFA Chapter Advisor