April 23, 2018

Dear Sir or Madam:

I was Dakota Farmer’s cooperating teacher during his students teaching assignment in the
Winter & Spring of 2018. Dakota completed over two months of student teaching in eighth grade
science at Circleville Middle School under my supervision. I am pleased to be able to write a letter
of recommendation for Dakota.
During Dakota’s student teaching experience, he was highly motivated to learn as much as
he could and perform to his best capabilities. He frequently put in long hours developing lesson
plans, researching outside current issues he could incorporate into lessons, and monitored student
progress. He received constructive criticism well and took feedback with acceptance. Dakota
understood his limitations as an inexperienced teacher and frequently asked questions or asked for
my feedback on areas he could improve on the help in his instructional effectiveness. By the end of
his assignment he had greatly improved his teaching abilities.
Dakota has several strengths but his main strength, from my observations, is his ability to
adapt his teaching according to student understanding. For example on a particular lesson about
constructive and destructive forces of earth’s surface after discussing the previous days lesson and
looking over post instruction data Dakota decided to reteach a particular part of his lesson again
differently because it was clear that the students misunderstood the material even though it meant
revising the rest of the week’s itinerary. Another strength Dakota has is incorporating as much
technology into instruction that he can. Anytime he could utilize computers or the Internet he did so
in a way that allowed students to be engaged in the learning process. His lessons were outstanding,
well thought out with a wide variety of student-centered activities that kept students engaged and
attentive. Dakota is a team player, creative, and flexible. He did a wonderful job managing the
classroom in terms of discipline, handled time limits effectively, had clear expectations and
behavioral goals, and he also was very well prepared. Dakota also did a good job of recognizing
when a student needed special assistance or attention. I have truly enjoyed supervising and watching
Dakota mature in his teaching ability.
In summary, Dakota displayed the qualities that make a teacher successful. He is highly
motivated, dependable, and conscientious with the needs of students. He works well with colleagues
and is able to learn from his experiences. Dakota has the dedication and knowledge to be a
successful teacher and has much to offer the teaching profession. I highly recommend him for a
teaching position.

Sincerely,

Alison Gross
Cooperating Teacher
Circleville City Schools