WEST ORANGE HIGH SCHOOL {ST CONFORTTAVENDE: Wr Ona NJ -OTOSD EDS OTS-LGU RIO Tye OTS GOD TED Website: wie. wobos.orghvohe, To Whom It May Concern: Kathleen Boyle is a hard-working, intelligent, and eager individuel, She has all of the characteristics that are needed to bo an exceptional teacher. From Januaty to April of 2017 Kathleen was my student teacher at West Orange High School in West Orange, New Jersey. As part ofher student teaching requirement, se liad been observing my clesses since the spring of 2016. From the very first conversation I had with her last year I instantly knew that she would make a great teacher. Throughout hier observation period Kathleen demonstrated her commitment tothe profession by paying close attention to cach Jesson and offering assistance to both me and the siudents in my cass. It was clear from the beginning that Kathleen ‘vas an individual who catehes on quickly In January of 2017 Kathleen officially took over two of my Honors World History classes. ‘Teaching Honors students as brand new teacher can be intimidating but Kathleen handled it with relative ease. She created lesson plans that perfectly suited the academic level to whieh she was teaching, Every day she planned something that was new and fresh and really engaged the class. { was extremely impressed with her confidence and clarity in front of the room. If there were ever any nerves, I didn’t notice. Her daily lesson plans covered multiple parts of the New Jersey Stucent Learning Standards, She incorporated technology into almost every single lesson. We are fortunate to have a laptop cart in cach classroom and Kathleen made excellent use of this available technology. On one occasion she had students compare and contrast Apartheid in South Africa and the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Students used laptops to examine multiple primary and secondary sources. They worked in groups to agree upon similarities and differences and towards the end of the period Kathleen led a whole class discussion that tied all of the information ‘tngetiter. I ean honestly say that students truly leamed from her valuable and engaging lessons. Our students will certainly miss her (and Iwill too) Kathleen is also willing to listen to advice and suggestions. After one of her early lessons did not go as well as she had hoped in regards to timing, I offered a few words of advice. Later in the afternoon she taught the lesson again but had changed a few things, and it went much better. After that day she began critiquing herself after cach lesson and making modifications to make them better for the next time, That kind of self-reflection is what makes Kathleen such a great teacher, During her tine at West Orange High Schoot Kathleen endeared herself to not only the students but the staff as well. ‘was patieularl impressed with her ability to easily work with both me and her main cooperating teacher, Mr. Drab, She effortlessly incogporated both of our teaching styles along with her own. The three of us meta few times a week to discuss lesson plons, student progress, ct. She handled almost everything on hcr own but we were there to offer assistance when necessary. Kathlcen furthered her professional development by attending faculty meetings, department meetings, and Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings. There, she communicated with other teachers and became an integral part of the Social Studies Department, She ft right in at West Orange High School. [am pleesed to say sho excecded every expectation I had and lam confident tht if selected for your vacancy, Kathleen will provide the same high level of teaching skills that she has shown here at West Orange. Ifyou have any questions or wish to speak further about Kathleen's qualifications, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Rockl Opti: Rachel Ostanski Social Studies Department West Orange High School rostanski@westorangeschools.org