8/3/2019 Rayna Gilll Recommendation Letter
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PLYMOUTH-CANTON EDUCATIONAL PARK
Canton High School • 8415 Canton Center Road, Canton, Ml48187 • (734) 416-2850Plymouth High School • 8400 Beck Road, Canton, Ml48187 • (734) 582-5500Salem High School• 46181 Joy Road, Canton, Ml48187 • (734) 416-7800
December 18, 2011
To Whom It May Concern,
PLYMOUTH-CANTONCommun i t y •Schoo l s
It is with enthusiasm that I recommend Nick Olson for a Social Studies teaching position in your district. Nick ha s
worked as a student teacher in my classroom for th e past four months. For th e past two months, he ha s been th e full-
time teacher for both of my sections of tenth grade U.S. history, taking on the full load oflesson planning, content
delivery, an d assessment. Nick is responsible, kind, polite, intelligent, organized, efficient, creative, an d very
committed to teaching. I have seen hi m work hard da y after day to develop interesting lessons for the students. He will
be sorely missed in this classroom!
I have been particularly impressed by th e diversity and quality of th e lessons that Nick ha s designed. For a student
teacher, classroom management responsibilities, as well as the scope of th e content standards for history, can be
overwhelming; I have seen student teachers tr y to deal with these challenges by lecturing day after da y in order to
keep order and get through all of the content. This was no t th e case at all with Nick. Over the course of th e past
months, I sa w him try out a myriad of teaching methods- partner work, small group work, jigsaw, primary source
research, fishbowl, creative writing, essays, presentations, station work, lecture, and so on. He constantly presented
the students with new an d interesting ways to receive th e content. He wa s also willing to give th e students challenging
readings an d assignments that encouraged problem-solving and higher-order thinking. As a cooperating teacher, it
was fun for me to witness all of th e different methods that Nick employed to deliver the content. While delivering this
type of varied instruction, Nick was also able to cover all of th e standards.
Nick is a very professional beginning teacher. He was early to class every da y and was always prepared with the
materials he needed for instruction. He also di d a serious amount of grading while he was here, always at home and
very efficiently though thoroughly; the kids received timely and thoughtful feedback on their work throughout Nick's
tenure as student teacher. I suspect that he is a more diligent and eflicient grader than I am , even given my greaterteaching experience. N ick was also professional in all of th e quiet, subtle ways that on e has to be as a teacher; by the
respectf'ul way he would respond to student questions or problems, by th e way he interacted with me, by the way I
could depend on him to take charge of any task. If I were hiring, I would appreciate having a candidate as mature,
personable, and reliable as Nick. He is a pleasure to work with.
I recommend Nick Olson fo r employment with your district. His professionalism, intelligence, and genuine care for
students will be a welcome addition to an y teaching staff. Please feel free to contact me at 734-255-3782 or via e-mail
at [email protected] with any questions.
Sincerely,
~ C 1 : : . . . . . - - - - -Rayna Z. Gill
Social Studies Department
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