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To Whom It May Concern,

Please accept this letter of recommendation on my behalf for Steven
Pavlakis. I had the pleasure of serving as Mr. Pavlakis cooperating
teacher at his fall placement at Centennial High School during his
senior year at the University of Illinois during the fall of 2014.
Mr. Pavlakis responsibilities at Centennial High School included
teaching full lessons, instructing small groups, and reflecting on his
experiences. He excelled at all three. From his first day in the
classroom, it was very clear that Mr. Pavlakis was a natural math
teacher. He is an intelligent, enthusiastic, friendly force in the
classroom that easily connects with students. Mr. Pavlakis consistently
brought out the best in high and low achieving math students.
Mr. Pavlakis taught two full lessons to Algebra 1 classes in his
placement at Centennial High School. Both were very innovative and
centered on group work. In the first lesson, Mr. Pavlakis helped
students learn how to write a linear equation through two points.
During this lesson, students bridged new knowledge with core
concepts from earlier in the year, including the analysis of multiple
representations of linear functions and determining domain and range.
Throughout the lesson, Mr. Pavlakis demonstrated a remarkable
aptitude for facilitating discourse between students. This continued
during the second lesson, where students learned how to distribute.
Distribution is as essential skill for all high school mathematicians, but
Mr. Pavlakis found ways to raise student awareness of distribution
through calculating the price of large quantities efficiently by hand.
Steven Pavlakis is a determined, intelligent, and creative teacher that
designs lessons students enjoy. Mr. Pavlakis provided students with
high expectations and gave students the support and confidence to
meet these expectations. He is truly wise beyond his years and would
make an outstanding addition to your schools math department. If
you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at (217)
898-8007 or chedissc@champaignschools.org.
Best Regards,
Scott Chedister
Math Teacher
Centennial High School
Champaign Unit 4 Schools
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