April, 2013 To Whom It May Concern: Todd Polansky has a strong will and desire to be an effective educator and

embodies the characteristics administrators seek in their staff. I recommend him for a teaching position in your school district. He started his student teaching experience at Merrill Middle School in January and will complete it next month. Merrill is one of only two MYP (Middle Years Programme) International Baccalaureate World Schools in Iowa. While here, he is working with 8th graders in Language Arts. His assignment includes four classes of regular Language Arts, one class of advanced students and one class he teaches in collaboration with a special education teacher. It is a very diverse learning environment. A total of 115 students are taught on a daily basis. Merrill is a school with over 600 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Strengths are easy to outline. Todd has a strong grasp of content area knowledge. Hes familiar with a wide range of genres in literature and writing and his personal characteristics and professional behavior are consistent with the high expectations for any teacher. His lessons are aligned with District objectives and Iowa Core Standards. Both formative and summative assessments are designed to measure the objectives and standards written into the unit plans. A variety of learning strategies are used to engage all learners. The IB Programme is inquiry based with the emphasis on key concepts and questions which the students work to answer throughout the unit. Being a life-long learner is part of being an effective educator. Todd shows this through continually working to change his approach and accept direction and guidance for making adjustments. He works at finding ways to relate to all students, especially those who are the hardest to reach. Understanding and compassion for student differences and needs are a part of his approach. Todd became a part of the Merrill faculty, working with staff and administrators, attending meetings, working with students before and after school, completing parent/teacher conferences, and carrying out after-school supervision duties. He established himself as a respected adult in the building I am confident that Todd would enhance the learning environment in any school community. Sincerely,

Betsy Jayne Mentor Teacher Merrill Middle School