College of Education and

Human Sciences

Department of Teaching,
Learning & Leadership

SWE 108 Box 507

South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD 57007-0496
Phone: 605-688-6418
Fax: 605-688-5765

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to recommend Samantha Blum for any position working with children. I have known Samantha
since August of 2015. Sam was a student in my ECE 362 course and was a student teacher in my 3 and 4 year
old classroom.

Samantha shows true excitement working with children and displays an excellent attitude at all times. She
was a joy to h ave in class as she was an active participant and always accepted feedback in an extremely
positive way. She was dependable and I knew I could count on her in all facets of the classroom. She
consistently planned activities that were challenging for both her and the students in order to give her
students the best possible learning experience. Samantha also d id a wonderful job regarding guidance. She
had a very active class of children and she h andled it professionally and with great patience. I enjoyed
watching Samanthas growth as a teacher and I could see that she was truly reflecting on h er experiences in
order for her to get the most out of her student teaching experience.

I truly enjoyed having Samantha in my classroom as she made excellent connections with the children and
always displayed professionalism, a willingness to assist families and functioned extremely well with a team of
teachers. Please contact me for more information regarding Samanthas performance. Thank you.


Dan Stluka






Mentor Teacher at the Fishback Center for ECE
Instructor in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership
Box 2218, PC 131
South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD 57007
605.695.1232
dan.stluka@sdstate.edu