Overland High School 12400 East Jewell Avenue Aurora, Colorado 80012 720.747.3700
April 5, 2010 To Whom This May Concern: I am writing this letter of recommendation for Shaina Johnston. I have known Shaina for many years. I first worked with Shaina when I was her principal in high school. Afterwards, I hired Shaina as an English teacher when I moved to another school. I feel well qualified to comment on her many fine qualities. A true academic, Shaina has travelled the world. She brings her experiences into her classroom. One of the courses that Shaina teaches is British Literature. Her lessons on Shakespeare are always accompanied with slides from England showing where Shakespeare lived and performed. She teaches literature with an integrated approach, including the history of the time period as well as the content. This background knowledge allows students to learn about the subject but at a deeper level. Shaina also knows that being a teacher is not an eight hour a day job. Shaina has found many ways to contribute to our school. Shaina has become a technology expert. She willingly lends her expertise to the other members of her department. Her knowledge of computers is extensive, and she has no problems trouble shooting computers and solving most of the problems she encounters. In addition to her technology expertise, Shain a is a talented performer. She has assisted with the theatre productions at school for the past three years. Those who have worked with her would describe her as invaluable. This past year, Shaina participated in a special program called literacy lab. We selected a few teachers who received in-depth training and coaching on literacy. This program teaches teachers how to integrate literacy into their lessons and evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts based on the results of their students' work. This work is centered around the Understanding by Design work of McTighe and Wiggins as well as the literacy work of Cris Tovani and the coaching work of Samantha Bennett. The results of this work have proven to be successful. Fewer students are failing courses and retention has increased based on test scores. I have known Shaina Johnston and her family for many years. She has a sound support system, extensive knowledge of her subject area and has received
special training in pedagogy. I would recommend her for an English position in yo!!r school. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can answer any questions. r
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