March 1st, 2012 Re: Letter of Recommendation for Morgan Elliott To whom it may concern: It is my pleasure to write this

letter for Morgan Elliott, who was a student teacher in our 2nd grade classroom at Shuler Elementary. Morgan was in this placement for eight weeks. Without a doubt, Morgan will be a dedicated, passionate, and effective elementary teacher. In her position as a student teacher, Morgan was the full-time teacher for three weeks. During this time, she planed units of study, differentiated instruction to meet the needs of every student, and collaborated with staff in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). She also created and used formative assessments to determine where students were at with their learning in all areas of the curriculum. Starting from her very first day, Morgan built relationships with students and maintained a caring and positive classroom environment. Morgan absolutely has a passion for education. She was always reflecting on her teaching. When lessons went well, she was able to discuss and share what lead to the success. If a particular lesson needed improvement, she articulated what she would do to improve for the future. Morgan understands that teaching is not an 8:00-4:00 job; she would arrive early to school and continue to work on lessons and assessments on the weekend. Again, she has the enthusiasm that is needed to be an effective elementary teacher. I highly recommend Morgan Elliott for an elementary teaching position. She is driven and motivated to be the best teacher she can be. Any elementary school would be lucky to have her on staff! Please contact me if you need any further information on this applicant. Sincerely, Valerie Steele Valerie Steele, M.S. in Ed. 2nd Grade Teacher Shuler Elementary (Waukee Community Schools) Clive, IA 50325 515.710.0583 (c) 515.987.8597 ext. 6527 (w) vsteele@waukee.k12.ia.us