Tracy A.

Kaster
(Retired) Faculty of Practice Professor and University Student Teacher Supervisor
Wilkes University

April 20, 2024

To Whom It May Concern:

It is my pleasure to write this letter in support of Ms. Lily Goense by recommending her
for a position as a teacher in your school district. I have had the pleasure of getting to
know Lily over the past 14 weeks as her Wilkes University Student Teacher Supervisor in
Ms. Cecelia Chmoila’s 7th and 8th grade classroom in the Crestwood School District.

In the last 14 weeks, Ms. Goense developed excellent planning skills as well as an ability
to think on her feet by changing plans according to the needs of her students. Due to the
diversity of the class periods, she was acutely aware of her students’ strengths and
weaknesses and would differentiate her instruction as needed with ease and simplicity. It
is clear Ms. Goense is enthusiastic about teaching by the way she interacts with her
students and the way she responds to their wants and needs.

From my first observation to my last observation, Ms. Goense was prepared to teach with
energy and enthusiasm. At the end of each observation Lily was open to feedback and
would immediately implement any suggestions provided. This is a great quality to
embrace as a new teacher since teaching is an art that requires flexibility as well as
adaptability. As an example in her final evaluation from her mentoring teacher Ms.
Chmoila states: “Lily has done a wonderful job in my classroom. She came in and was
fully prepared to jump in and begin teaching. She brought in my ideas which she
successfully implemented and was always willing to listen to other ideas. She handled
many situations including discipline (she saw the need to change seats) and learned how
to encourage students to do what was being asked. The past week she implemented a
new idea in the classroom and successfully got the students to participate and had learn
a new way to understand the material. She will definitely be an asset to her school
district.” As her supervisor, I wholeheartedly agree with Ms. Chmoila’s assessment of Ms.
Goense and her abilities as a teacher.

I wish I had more student teachers like Lily. She is bright, personable, and dedicated to
the teaching profession and I know that she has a bright future ahead of her as a future
educator. It is evident that she is willing to invest time and effort necessary to provide
the best instruction possible for her learners. Ms. Goense displays many of the qualities
that are present in a successful teacher. I would highly recommend her for a teaching
position in your district and feel she would be an asset to your teaching staff. Please feel
free to contact me by email or phone if you need any further information.

Sincerely,

Tracy A. Kaster

Tracy A. Kaster
tracy.kaster@wilkes.edu
570.606.9325