STATE COLLEGE AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT PARK FOREST MIDDLE SCHOOL 2180 School Drive + State College, Pennsylvania * 16803-1130 Telephone: 814-237-5301 April 27, 2023 To Whom It May Concern: It is my privilege to write this letter recommending Emma Dewit, who has just completed her student teaching experience in 8th grade science at Park Forest Middle School in State College, PA. She also spent time in Park Forest starting in September of 2022 during her pre-service student teaching. Throughout this time, Emma grew as a teacher as she applied her natural skills to foster a nurturing learning environment in the classroom. The Park Forest science department has very high standards for instruction, with which even veteran teachers struggle. Ms. Dewit embraced our pedagogy and content with absolute dedication, and fit in exceptionally well into our collaborative environment Planning a NGSS-aligned curriculum around an Ambitious Science Teaching framework is not an easy task. There is a requirement for a deep understanding of students, content, and scientific reasoning. This challenge can cause veteran teachers and interns alike to grow frustrated, but Ms. Dewit has remained consistently determined and positive about the work she does in the classroom, She has tenaciously sought to produce well-designed lessons and coherent units of instruction. The lessons she led consistently engaged students in practices that promote the sharing of ideas, and the development of argumentative discourse skills. From the onset, Ms. Dewit's dedication and high standards for herself allowed her to develop impressive skills in guiding student learning in class. She was consistently thoughtful about how she planned for a lesson, ran a class, and then used itto inform the next step. At the same time, Ms. Dewit demonstrated an inspiring level of attentiveness to student activities and needs. This allowed for Ms. Dewit to patiently assist students when they inevitably stumbled while working through difficult concepts, as she caught where they went off-track and helped them find the thread of the lesson. During Ms. Dewit's time in my classroom, planning lessons and working with students, one thing that stood out to me was her reflective nature. Both during lessons and following them, Emma engaged in constructive criticism of her own performance in a way that allowed her to quickly adapt and continue ‘making progress toward the lesson goals. Ms, Dewit is clearly prepared to be a classroom science teacher. Any school to which she is hired will be better for it. In my 16 years teaching in public schools, | have met few people who are both as dedicated and as capable as she. She would be a wonderful addition to your school and your science department, Sincerely, Bryan Brightbill 4th & 7th Grade Science Teacher, Park F orest Middle School