Cheryl Ebert Adjunct Professor - MAT English Graduate School of Education - Binghamton University 6 Marlayne Drive Johnson City, New York 13790 (607) 761-1600 Ceberi@stny.rr.com December, 2016 Dear Educators: Brianna Smith is one of the student teachers | have supervised this semester in her two placements, one each of high school and middle school in two distinctly different districts. She has shown the qualities of a very mature and knowledgeable young professional in both of these settings. While any student teacher is anxious for the first observation, Brianna faced a challenge. Immediately after settling the class of sophomores into the lesson, a fire drill was called. It was impressive to see her calm and efficient handling of this complication. It was a testimonial to the planning and flexibility that are two of her strongest qualities. The flow of instruction from previous classes and in preparation for the future was clear; students who had been absent were included in ways that brought them up to date, but still held them accountable for missed work Brianna’s second placement is in seventh grade, and her ability to beam instruction to this age group is noteworthy. The class was working on original writing and organized into small groups, which can be a risky design for an observation. Her explanation and modeling of the task were supportive and thorough. Monitoring of the work was effective, and a transition to a different task was smooth and swift. Students were fully engaged throughout the period. Brianna is very well prepared for this profession. Her knowledge of content and instructional process is obvious. She has mastered the skills of implementing a lesson as designed and adjusting activities to accommodate learning challenges. She is very eager to be the best. If! still had a department of my own to staff, | would be pleased to add her. | would be happy to add any information if requested. Sincerely, Und Toad Cheryl Ebert