March 5, 2020

To whom it may concern,

I am honored to write this letter of recommendation for Ms. Lauren Lewis. While I currently teach at
Fairfax County Public Schools, I was a parent and colleague of Ms. Lewis’ when she taught K3 at Merritt
Academy. This is my 13th year of teaching, so I have a deep respect for teachers, especially those that
commit energy and effort to their craft, as Ms. Lewis does. Her patience, perseverance, and true respect
for her students is evident in everything that she does in the classroom.

Along with my commitment to education, I am a devoted mother to my son, Luke, who is on the autism
spectrum. Through my experience as an educator and an autism mom, I have strengthened my
knowledge about children through coursework and parent trainings, as well as hundreds of speech, OT,
and ABA therapy sessions. Regardless of these resources, my son would not be where he is today if he
didn’t have the opportunity to have Ms. Lewis as a teacher.

At the time of my son’s autism diagnosis, he was three years old. Luke was in a preschool classroom
where he was aloof and parallel playing. After transferring into Ms. Lewis’ K3 classroom at Merritt
Academy, it was as if the whole world opened for him. He was supported, cared for, and most
importantly, enthusiastically encouraged.

Ms. Lewis’ classroom was an environment that effortlessly blended the students’ academic and social-
emotional goals into one. Students were always spoken to with a kind voice and positive feedback was
the norm. Ms. Lewis maintained consistency and structure for her students while highlighting their
creativity. Her classroom was truly a site to behold!

As a mother and teacher, I can truly appreciate Ms. Lewis’ honesty. My son had strengths and
weaknesses that Ms. Lewis would present to my husband and I with incredible grace and positivity. Ms.
Lewis never presented weaknesses as a challenge or a setback, but simply as opportunities to search for
answers and resources. She would empower us with the knowledge that we needed to move forward.

Ms. Lewis was such an asset to Luke’s social skills progress that we kept him in her class for an additional
school year. This is truly the best decision that we have made as parents. Our feelings about this are
reinforced each time we see Luke interact with his fellow kindergartners. Ms. Lewis helped him create a
strong social and academic foundation. We are extremely grateful that Luke had her as a teacher!

Lauren Lewis will make an outstanding addition to any teaching team. I give her my highest
recommendation.

All the best,

Nancy I. Bowser
5457 Midship Court
Burke, Virginia 22015
703-342-6556
nibowser@fcps.edu