April 28, 2016

Two Whom It May Concern:

I am Carolyn Tuchels university supervisor at Sonoma State University.
Carolyn is an intern in the Department of Curriculum Studies and Secondary
Education working on her Secondary Education Credential in Fine Arts.
Carolyn is currently completing her student teaching assignment working as
an intern in ceramics at Healdsburg High School. She is teaching three
periods of ceramics.
This semester, Carolyn has very successfully taught three periods of
ceramics. She took over three ceramics classes at the beginning of the
semester. As an intern, she has been totally responsible for teaching,
designing curriculum, and organizing units for the ceramics classes. Carolyn
also had to cope with a move to a totally new classroom as well as taking
responsibility for designing and organizing her new room. She has also been
responsible for ordering and maintaining all supplies for the ceramics
classroom. Carolyn has very good organizational skills. It is important in an
art room to be able to organize materials so they are easy for students to
use, but at the same time easy to clean up. Carolyn has done an excellent
job of organizing the new ceramics room and seeing that students are
responsible for keeping their table work area clean.
Carolyn has designed the curriculum for the ceramics classes. She began
her semester teaching the students to make coil pots, explaining the color
wheel, and the elements and principles of design. She also did a number of
outstanding presentations including the ceramicist, Richard Shaw, a review
of ancient myths so students could create a hybrid animal reflecting a myth,
and how to design a Sgraffito bowl. She also created units on designing slab
houses out of clay, pinch pots, masks, bowls, and animals. The students
have learned about creating texture, creating thumbnail designs, and how to
glaze. Carolyn has made the students keep a sketchbook that serves as a
journal of ideas and criticism. Carolyn has also included group work,
presentations, and student self-criticism in her classes. Students have
learned to think critically and analyze their own and others art work. They
have also written personal statements to help them reflect upon their art.
She has emphasized critical thinking and analysis in the choices each
student makes when creating a piece of art.

Carolyn is a very effective teacher that has created a relaxed atmosphere in

her room where students feel comfortable exploring and expressing
themselves through art. She has encouraged the students to develop their
critical thinking skills through self-criticism and learning how to critique
others. She has encouraged the students to develop their writing skills by
asking them to use rubrics to evaluate their pieces, and she has taught them
the elements of artistic criticism; description, analysis, element and
principles, and interpretation. She has provided good written instructions for
all her assignments, and has used the LCD projector and Apple TV effectively
in the classroom. She has also made some excellent choices of videos and
images to inspire her students. She has done a good job of asking for
student feedback on the projects they have done this semester, so she can
modify her curriculum if she needs to. Although I have not had a chance to
see Carolyn teach this curriculum, she also has knowledge of the visual arts
curriculum, specifically painting, printmaking , and drawing.
Carolyn has a great deal of potential. She has done an excellent job this year
under very difficult circumstances. She will be an asset to your school, and
she will continue to improve her craft as time goes on. I highly recommend
her to you.
Sincerely,
Patricia Ajemian
Sonoma State University
Department of Curriculum Studies and Secondary Education
ajemian@sonoma.edu
pajemian@sbcglobal.net
650-619-9424