May 20, 2017

To Whom it May Concern:

I have great pleasure in writing this recommendation for Katie Serrao. Having
worked with her in my fifth grade classroom, I can say with complete confidence
that Katie is well organized, creative, and will be an inspirational teacher.

I first met Katie last fall when she began observing my fifth grade classroom.
During this time, Katie spent two weekdays working with my twenty-five, fifth
grade students up until the end of last year. She joined our classroom full time
from the start of the new year and we are very fortunate to have had her.

Katie has been an excellent observer and participant in her journey to becoming
a teacher. She quickly adapted to the classroom environment and takes great
initiative in planning lessons, dealing with individual student difficulties, and
developing her own teaching philosophy and techniques.

As Katies supervising practitioner, we have worked together to develop lessons

that consider the needs of each individual student. In particular, she has spent a
great deal of time working with English Language Learners and modifying, and
adapting to their particular language needs. Throughout the process I found her
to be open and enthusiastic to new ideas, and very easy to work with.

Her past experience in working with children was quite apparent in the rapport
that she has developed with the students. She was able to connect with
individuals and meaningfully teach both simple and complex concepts to the
entire group. Katie consistently ensures that learning objectives are being met,
by using a variety of teaching strategies and assessments.

Katie has been a model student teacher to work with. Her positive attitude,
organizational skill, and experience make her an excellent candidate as a
teacher. She would be an asset to any school and I have no hesitation in
recommending her for a position as an educator.

Sincerely,
Barbara De Lorenzo
barbara.delorenzo@tusd1.org
5th Grade Teacher
Carrillo Magnet Elementary School