To Whom It May Concern,

Alyssa Smith has asked me to provide a letter of recommendation in support of her educational career as a
teacher. Alyssa Smith was my student teacher for one semester and additional volunteer hours in my classroom.
As a certified educator in Elementary Education, Special Education, and School Counseling, I feel qualified in saying,
Ms. Smith has skills beyond her peers. She is a qualified teacher as she has demonstrated effective skills in
organization, leadership, building rapport, and classroom behavioral management.

Ms. Smith has shown organization skills in lesson planning, time management, and daily tasks. She is goal oriented
and works hard to accomplish her long and short term goals. Once she decides upon a goal, she explores all
options to complete her goal. She is creative in seeking out support systems by asking questions and keeping open
communication with a variety of people. Her drive to succeed is unwavering by staying focused and organized on
her long-term objectives: preparing to become a quality teacher. For example, examining the writing curriculum,
she has developed a unit on opinion writing by using Handwriting without Tears: Building Writing program, other
writing strategies, and graphic organizers. Students have been successful with opinion writing, and are enjoying
learning about writing. Also, to strengthen her time management skills, she has studied the Daily 5 Independent
Literacy Program where students rotate throughout learning objectives, including reading, writing, word work, and
other subject areas. She is up-to-date on the current English Language Arts curriculum. With some students who
are struggling with reading and phonics, she has been successfully implementing phonics programs based in Orton-
Gillingham. Her knowledge on these programs is outstanding.

Ms. Smith has demonstrated characteristics of leadership and professionalism by being dependable and
responsible. She has consistently arrived on time for class. She knows how to keep herself accountable by starting
and finishing her required responsibilities. She seeks out opportunities to work with children to learn about
different developmental stages, learning styles, and disabilities. Ms. Smith is a hard worker who is committed to
the teaching profession.

Ms. Smith is aware of the importance of building relationships and having empathy with children to promote
effective learning. When working with children, she connects and builds rapport quickly by engaging in activities
appropriate for that age level. For example, she has built rapport by being willing to follow students’ interests,
have conversations, and check-in with students. She and the students are successfully accomplishing daily
academic goals due to the trust they have built with each other. Also, while engaged in academic activities, she
and the students are positively encouraging each other. When engaged, she is present and open to their
conversations.

Finally, Ms. Smith knows how to take behavioral data to analyze and determine if a student is in need of
accommodations, what type of interventions should be implemented, and if the student should be referred to the
Teacher Assistant Team. Comparing other students with the target student, helps the teacher determine the
duration, intensity and frequency of the behaviors. This in turn helps her to analyze what strategies could be tried.
I highly recommend Alyssa Smith for any future teaching career. Please feel free to contact me directly 605-691-
2684 or email (lara.langelett@k12.sd.us) if I can provide any further information.

Sincerely,

Lara Langelett
Ms. Lara Langelett
M.S. School Counseling,
B.S. Elementary and Special Education
Orton-Gillingham Certified
ADHD Certified Specialist
3rd grade teacher at Medary Elementary
718 5th Street South, Brookings, SD 57006