April 3, 2022

To Whom It May Concern:

I am pleased to write this letter of recommendation on behalf of Mikayla Kasparian, who has served as my
student teacher for the 2021-2022 school year. Washtenaw International High School is an International
Baccalaureate school with both the Middle Years Program and the Diploma Program. We serve a diverse
student body, and students have varied levels of Spanish within classes, and Mikayla has connected well with
students and has also met the needs of our students, helping them perform to the best of their abilities.

During this school year, Mikayla has taught the Spanish MYP2 classes, and has also spent time observing and
assisting with lessons in my Spanish MYP1 and Spanish IB1 classes. She is a creative teacher who is able to
teach students in Spanish that is comprehensible and engaging. Mikayla incorporates students´interests into
the materials she creates and allows time in every class for students to connect both with her and with each
other. Mikayla designs her units and her lessons using backwards design, to ensure that students will be
prepared for assessments. She is a very capable teacher who can both write her own materials and can modify
materials to meet the needs of learners. Mikayla worked on her own and also collaborated with me to develop
content and curriculum that met the national ACTFL standards and the IB guidelines, and this content was
consistently of high quality. During our Bias in Advertising unit, she was responsible for developing and
implementing materials for students. Mikayla engaged her classes with timely topics, such as the importance of
the body positivity movement and our responsibility to care for the health of children and the health of our
planet.

Mikayla also excels with her ability to use technology in pedagogically sound ways that facilitate student
learning and add interest to a lesson. She was always willing to collaborate with teachers in our department or
teach others how to use tech tools that would help our students. In addition, she has excellent classroom
management skills and readily commands the attention of students, knowing when to use appropriate humor
and when students need to be reminded to complete their work. She is both respectful and commands respect,
and listens to students carefully to help them meet their own goals.

Prior to working with Mikayla, I have had 5 student teachers and have also had several students completing
their practicum observations in my classroom. From the very beginning, Mikayla distinguished herself with her
resourcefulness and readiness to teach in the classroom, even during a school year that was not typical. Of
course, Mikayla had previously stepped up to teach students in a district without a teacher during the height of
the COVID pandemic, and she knew of the challenges that schools were facing. This year in my classroom, she
brought that knowledge with her, as well as compassion for students, and a passion for teaching them the
Spanish language. I have truly enjoyed partnering with Mikayla this year, and appreciate her willingness to be a
thought partner and all of the diligence she has shown while preparing and teaching lessons to our students.
Mikayla has my highest recommendation, if I can provide any additional information, you may reach me at
kshaffer@wihi.org or 734-780-6635.

Sincerely,

Kristi J. Shaffer