A Lyn chburg Coll lege School of Education, Leadership Studies, and Counseling March 13, 2017 To Whom It May Concern: Please accept this correspondence as a recommendation for Mrs. Tyler Cooke. | am aware of Mrs. Cook's teaching preparation and expertise because she was a student in two teacher preparation courses that | teach at Lynchburg College and I serve as her academic advisor and college supervisor for her student teaching placements. Mrs. Cooke is intelligent, professional, knowledgeable, and goal oriented. In addition, she works very well with others and seeks opportunities for collaboration and professional growth. As a student, she completed her assignments promptly and received excellent grades. In class, she was focused and contributed often. Also, she frequently verbalized her desire to make a difference for students and her passion for teaching was evident during each clas. {As a student teacher, Mrs. Cooke has demonstrated poise in the classroom. She is always well prepared because she uses the curriculum standards and student learning data to guide her planning. Her pacing and transitions during the school day are smooth and seamiless. Also, her demeanor is calm and focused. Mrs. Cooke has developed strong relationships with her students and this has assisted her in ‘maintaining a safe, calm learning environment. She balances praise with reinforcement of procedures and she is positive and calmly firm when necessary. Students respond well to her as she delights in their daily progress. In addition, Mrs. Cooke maintains an active learning environment as she provides a variety of appropriate learning opportunities for her students. She frequently checks for understanding and strives to use effective questioning to encourage higher levels of thinking. Finally, Mrs. Cooke was selected to participate in the Lynchburg College Mentor Teacher/Cooperating Teacher Support Program. This is a pilot program designed to enhance conversation centered on effective teaching practices. As a participant in the program, Mrs. Cooke, her cooperating teacher and | have utilized New Teacher Center, Santa Cruz mentoring/coaching strategies and tools such as the Virginia Continuum of Teacher Development and the Collaborative Assessment log to deepen ‘opportunities for reflection and to reinforce appropriate/effective teaching “habits of mind”. Asa result, Mrs. Cooke's ability to reflect on her instruction and to convey her thinking regarding teaching goals/next steps is ahead of the norm for those entering their first year in our profession. + Educate * Engage * Lead * Serve * 1301 Lakeside Drive Lynchburg, Virginia 24sor-n5 | 4345448382 | wwelynchburgeduI highly recommend Mrs. Tyler Cooke for an elementary teaching posi have questions, please contact me at 434-544-8515. Fagg te Mayhew, y; 4 Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies Director of Curriculum and instruction Graduate Program Lynchburg College ion in your school division. If you