February 19, 2019

Wes Oswald
Manzo Elementary School

Dear School Leaders,

I present to you Jordan Woodruff upon my highest recommendation as a teacher at your school. I
have known Ms. Woodruff from October 2018 through December 2018 when she volunteered in
my third grade class on a biweekly basis for 3 hours per session. Since January 2018, she has
been a teacher candidate (student teacher) in this same third grade class. Ms. Woodruff is an ideal
teacher candidate, as she takes initiative, plans innovative lessons, and has established positive
working relationships with our students.

Ms. Woodruff acts confidently and takes initiative as a teacher. She readily manages all planning
and classroom maintenance on her own. She is active in her professional development by asking
for feedback (and acting upon it!) and fully participating in staff professional development
sessions, interacting confidently with seasoned teachers and other educational professionals. This
budding teacher leader enthusiastically prepares for class in a timely manner, and actively works
to improve her teaching practice.

Ms. Woodruff plans engaging lessons for our third grade students. I appreciate her fresh
viewpoint and her willingness to develop her own innovative plans. I especially see this shine in
her English Language Arts lessons. Just the other day, for example, Ms. Woodruff connected our
students to an interest in figurative language by having students distinguish and interpret the
similes and metaphors in a modern pop song. This cultural connection Ms. Woodruff made with
students has already solidified students’ understanding of figurative language. In math class, Ms.
Woodruff always begins lessons with an anticipatory set that is open-ended, accessible to all
students, and involves higher order thinking skills that seamlessly lead students into the lesson
for the day.

Ms. Woodruff understands that effective classroom management begins with positive
relationships among students and their families. Ms. Woodruff engages students through positive,
specific compliments and makes an effort to get to know students personally. Ms. Woodruff
acknowledges positive student behavior through meaningful connections like inviting students to
have lunch with her. Additionally, Ms. Woodruff strategically creates groups to optimize
learning. She also understands the importance of dealing with challenges in the class. I have
noticed Ms. Woodruff proactively solving problems by having private conversations with
students and carefully positioning student seating assignments. Parents sometimes even bypass
me to speak directly to Ms. Woodruff about their children!

Jordan Woodruff will not only make a great classroom teacher, but her affirming, confident
interactions with school staff show that she will have a positive impact on your school as a
whole. I urge you to grant her an interview so that you can meet her yourself.

Sincerely,

Wes Oswald

doobiedoowah@yahoo.com

(520) 247-8562