May 30, 2019

To Whom it May Concern:

I am writing this letter on behalf of teacher applicant, Courtney Jacobs. Courtney is an excellent
candidate for teaching secondary science. I worked with Courtney throughout her teaching
internship at Rochester High School as her Oakland University supervisor. I observed Courtney
teaching Chemistry and Block Science throughout the year. I worked with her and/or observed
her creating unit and lesson plans, developing classroom culture, collegial relationships and
teaching practices.

Courtney collaborated with her mentor teacher to develop the chemistry curriculum around the
state science standards. Courtney’s mentor teacher had not taught chemistry and Courtney took
advantage of the opportunity to develop objectives and lessons for her classes. She was very
thorough in making content explicit and eliciting student thinking. Her relationship with her
mentor teacher was based on respect and open communication. Courtney was very open to
feedback and would apply it immediately.

Being open to feedback helped Courtney develop the classroom culture she desired. She would
take advice from her mentor teacher and me and use it to make improvements. Courtney used
humor to interact with her students resulting in a comfortable learning environment for everyone.
She was always looking for opportunities to grow both in terms of her classroom culture as well
as her delivery of instruction.

The area where I saw the most growth in Courtney was eliciting student thinking. The science
curriculum is inquiry based. It was very important for Courtney to understand her students’
thinking and the questions they had as she developed her lessons and units. She became very
skilled at guiding her students to figure out the answers to their questions, resulting in deeper
understanding for the students.

Courtney works very hard. She is kind, thoughtful and has a wonderful sense of humor. She is
open and honest. Her students liked her and worked hard in her classes.

I recommend Courtney Jacobs for any position for which she is qualified. Her commitment to her
teaching and her students would make her an asset to your school. Courtney is committed to
becoming the best teacher she can be.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,

Kate Bass - Oakland University Supervisor

brennan3@oakland.edu