March 21, 2023

Dear Selection Committee:

It is an honor for me to write this open letter of reference at the request of Ella T.
Rayl. I have known Ella since August of 2022 when she began her year-long internship at
Jefferson Elementary School in York, SC. Her interest in teaching and learning has been
evident to me and everyone at Jefferson Elementary School since she started her internship.
Ella has a thorough understanding of the needs of students in diverse early childhood
settings and she demonstrated this throughout her year-long internship. She is adept at both
long and short range planning and she knows how to design lessons that meet the academic
and social needs of diverse students. She is adept at planning meaningful learning activities
for her students and she uses formative assessment during each lesson. Ella has extensive
experience and success in teaching language arts, math and social studies.
Ms. Rayl has excellent oral and written communication skills. She has an effective
and engaging teaching style. Both students and observers enjoy listening to her as she
teaches a lesson. Ella’s written communications follow all expected professional standards.
Ella is very organized and she is adept at using technology to enhance her lessons.
Ms. Rayl has high expectations for her students. She believes that all students can
and will learn in her classroom. She is adept at using positive reinforcement in both verbal
and non-verbal forms. Students enjoy her class and want to do well. Further, Ms. Rayl is
adept at using non-verbal cues to improve time-on-task behavior as needed. She is also adept
at using verbal statements to encourage positive student behavior.
During her internship Ms. Rayl was an active member of the first grade team. She
took part in discussions and provided input when appropriate. She demonstrated leadership
skills by taking the initiative to take on the teaching of many lessons before she was required
be responsible for that teaching load.
Ella has demonstrated the professional dispositions to be a superb candidate for any
PreK – 5th grade teaching position. She has outstanding interpersonal skills, works well in
grade level and school wide initiative teams, appreciates all cultures, and has a flexible
proactive mindset. Please call or email me if you have additional questions.

Sincerely,

Mark W. Dewalt

Mark W. Dewalt, Ph.D. 704 860-8391 dewaltm@winthrop.edu

Faculty Emeritus
College of Education Adjunct Faculty