To Whom It May Concern- March 29, 2019

It is my sincere pleasure to write this letter regarding Jillian Gallegos Kershaw. Jillian was placed in my
First Grade classroom at Edison Elementary, a Title 1 School in Salt Lake City School District, through
the University of Utah’s Urban Institute of Teacher Education (UITE) for the 2018-2019 school year. As
a student teacher Jillian has exhibited an outstanding commitment to the effective education of our
students, an authentic desire to build and nurture relationships with students and their families, and a
strong ability to genuinely reflect on her teaching practice and accept constructive feedback to better her
instruction. After working with her, I can confidently and enthusiastically recommend her as a teacher
candidate.
Throughout the year Jillian has shown a deep commitment to building meaningful, trusting relationships
with students in our classroom while holding them to high expectations of behavior and learning. Edison
students have a very diverse set of needs. 100% of students in our classroom receive free lunch, 75% of
them are English Language Learners, and many of them have experienced trauma and/or have unstable
home lives. Jillian exhibits a deep understanding of these needs in her planning while also using the
Utah Core Standards, Wonders Reading, and Eureka Math curriculums. She holds students to a high
standard of engagement with her classroom management and uses a variety of best practices, including
sentence stems, partner talk, and anchor charts, to ensure all students have access to grade level content
and multiple opportunities to show understanding and explain their thinking.
Students in our shared classroom adore “Ms. Kershaw”, and they know and trust her commitment to
their success. Jillian enthusiastically engages with students regarding their interests, feelings, and needs.
She invests in their lives and families by asking thoughtful questions, following up with families
regarding behavior or significant events, communicating professionally in person and digitally with
parents, and actively participating in conferences, family events, and parent meetings, often outside of
school hours. She shows a sincere desire to understand student backgrounds as it relates to their needs
and learning and has planned and taught lessons that engage students with their communities, families,
and interests.
As a student teacher, Jillian is consistently open to feedback regarding areas of strength as well as areas
for improvement. She receives feedback professionally, implementing it quickly and effectively, and
makes instructional changes based on her own thoughtful self-reflection. She engages in team PLCs
using student data to inform her conversations and is a willing and active participant in schoolwide
faculty meetings and professional learning. I have sincerely enjoyed working with Jillian and watching
her grow over the course of her student teaching year, and the teams she works with in the future will
benefit from her experience and expertise. Her exhibited strengths in the classroom and school
community give me confidence that Jillian is an excellent teacher candidate who will effectively meet
the needs of diverse student populations, engage in professional relationships with stakeholders, and
exceed the expectations you hold for your faculty.
Warmest Regards,
Elizabeth Holloway
First Grade Teacher, Edison Elementary
801-209-4688, elizabeth.holloway@slcschools.org