December 4, 2019

To Whom It May Concern:

It is a pleasure to write this letter of recommendation on behalf of Ms. Mara VanDeBerg. I was
Mara’s mentor teacher during her co-teaching experience at Dakota Prairie Elementary in
Brookings, South Dakota. Mara took on the challenge of student teaching during the year she
was with me, and exceeded the expectations put before her.

Mara and I had the unique opportunity to work together for an entire year. This allowed Ms.
VanDeBerg to experience two different groups of students. She taught one group during the
spring semester giving her the opportunity to see the end of the year procedures. Mara
returned right away in the fall participating in how the school year began, but this time with a
new set of students. During the fall semester, Ms. VanDeBerg and I developed a true co-
teaching model sharing the various duties of facilitating our students’ learning.

Language Arts in my classroom is structured around a “Balanced Literacy” model. This model
includes a Daily 5 Workshop, Guided Reading, Shared Reading, Word Study and a Writer’s
Workshop. Student progress is continually monitored allowing us to meet individual needs. I
was impressed with Mara’s willingness to learn more about each element as it was added to
her classroom assignments. She observed me as I modeled, asked questions when necessary,
and applied what she learned to her own style of teaching.

Math also follows a personalized workshop format where students move through daily
rotations. This allows us to meet with small groups or individuals based on individual needs.
Our district is using the Investigations series, which is inquiry based. Mara developed an ability
to use questioning and a more hands-on approach to permit her students to take on more
ownership and understanding of their learning. She knows that this style of teaching can be
applied to any math series she will be using in the future.

Ms. VanDeBerg developed into a very reflective teacher. She put a lot of thought into her
lesson plans, taking into account the student’s individual needs, as well as the Common Core
State Standards. When she finished a lesson she thought back on what had gone well and what
needed to be adjusted in the next lesson. She took the coaching and mentoring that was
offered and turned it into a positive learning experience. Mara came into my classroom with
good classroom control, but because of the unique opportunity of two different groups, she
developed and expanded her skills and confidence even farther.

Mara exhibited a good rapport with students and parents. She not only took on the
responsibilities of the classroom, but also became part of our multi-age team. Ms. VanDeBerg
developed an interest in what our students who received speech services were working on and
how that was applied to the rest of their learning in the regular classroom. She began to
occasionally shadow our students during their speech lessons and ultimately enrolled in
corresponding college courses outside of what she was already taking to complete her
elementary education coursework. I appreciate Mara’s initiative and perseverance to keep
learning new things.

I feel so fortunate to have had someone of Ms. VanDeBerg’s quality in my classroom. Her
organization, professional attitude, and dedication to teaching will be a great asset to any
teaching position and so many lucky children. I give her my recommendation and
support. Please call me if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Jodee Hadley

Second Grade Teacher
Dakota Prairie Elementary
(605) 696-4958 School
(605) 690-4361 Cell
Jodee.Hadley@k12.sd.us