To Whom it May Concern:

Madeline Colvin served as a student teacher at Sandhills Middle School part time in the fall of 2018 and
then full time from January 2019-May 2019. During her time at SMS, she engaged in a 7th and 8th
grade Humanities classroom and experienced personalized learning, a multi-age environment, and
Montessori practices.

During her time at SMS, I observed several strengths of Ms. Colvin. She formed relationships with
students and showed a positive demeanor towards the students. She showed respect, care, and
acceptance towards them, and this demeanor helped students feel comfortable with her.

She also used data to drive her instruction. Together we examined data from pre-assessments, warm up
activities, exit slips, observational data from the classroom, and formative scores. Ms. Colvin used this
information when she conferenced with students or conducted small group lessons.

Ms. Colvin also showed immense flexibility and responsibility. Even though her experience varied from
her peers, she asked many questions, sought advice, and often wrote down new strategies she observed
in the classroom. She is willing to try new ideas and has many ideas to contribute as well. She also
showed responsibility by keeping track of all of her USC coursework while still being fully present
while here at school.

Another positive for Ms. Colvin is her improvement. She has improved her questioning, wait time, and
pacing skills. She also improved with her small group lessons. She was able to create engaging lessons,
command the attention of the small group with more ease, and show her knowledge and thinking about
the content. Her main strength is questioning as she often asked a range of questions to the students to
engage them with the lesson.

Overall, Ms. Colvin would be a strong addition to your team. She is positive, data driven, and flexible.
She also has experience with a variety of instruction such as whole group, small groups, and individual
conferences, and she is very responsible, professional, and organized.

If you have any additional questions about Ms. Colvin, her teaching strengths or areas of growth, or her
time here at SMS, please contact me at ​kkouba@lexington4.net​.

Best,

Kristine Kouba
7th and 8th grade ELA/Humanities
Sandhills Middle School