April 2020

To Whom It May Concern:

It is with great pleasure and full support that I recommend Katelin Nolan as a classroom teacher. As her
cooperating teacher for two months, I had the opportunity to collaborate with and mentor Katelin. During this
time, she consistently showed creativity and dedication in planning and delivering exceptional instruction that
both interested and engaged my students.

Katelin made the most of her time in my classroom and readily jumped into building relationships with my
students through observation, one-on-one conversations, and small group assistance. She established her own
behavior contract with the class, including them in the process, and remained both firm and fair when dealing
with disruptions. The students enjoyed her warm demeanor and found her very approachable when they needed
assistance in the classroom.

Katelin came to my class with innovative ideas that often involved student exploration before teacher guided
note-taking to encourage critical and creative thinking. For example, one of her first lessons included a gallery
walk in which students studied articles, diagrams, and models to begin the unit on plant and animal classification.
Katelin also utilized technology to her advantage in order to grab student attention in her presentations and
maintain classroom order during transitions. She used a variety of pre-made assessments and also created her
own evaluations to get a true picture of student progress. With the varying abilities in class, Katelin made sure she
had challenges ready for early-finishers and review-materials for those who needed additional assistance.

Throughout her experience, Katelin showed a strength in being reflective on her own practices and accepted
guidance with an eager attitude, always looking for the small details that would improve future lessons. Another
strength was her use of hooks to help students recall previously learned material and exit tickets that would assist
her in future planning as well as data-driven interventions. From the very beginning, I was confident allowing
Katelin to work as a co-teacher in my classroom, leading small group reading comprehension, reinforcing math
skills, developing science concepts, and working through the writing process.

In her short time in my classroom, Katelin had the opportunity to assist with parent-teacher conferences, weekly
parent communication, grade-level planning, and leadership responsibilities. Her professionalism is something to
be admired along with her collaborative attitude. She offered new ideas for community involvement during a
school leadership meeting, worked with colleagues to analyze data, and attended several optional professional
development courses. Katelin also had the chance to experience benchmark testing routines and a class field trip.
On this trip, she assisted a couple students in overcoming their fears about swimming as the children learned
about aquatic safety.

Katelin met every challenge with a smile and proved herself ready to set up and maintain her own classroom as
part of a team-minded school. I would be happy to work with her again and lucky to have her on my team.

Sincerely,
 
Meghan Atkins 
 
NBCT, 5th Grade Teacher
Springfield Park Elementary School
Henrico County Public Schools