1. December 17, 2011
To Whom It May Concern:
It is a pleasure to write this letter of professional reference on behalf of Ms. Vanya Duncan. I
had the opportunity to supervise Ms. Duncan during her student teaching at Cesar Chavez
Academy, in Denver Public Schools. Ms. Duncan student taught in a third grade classroom
during the fall semester of the 2011-2012 school year.
During her student teaching, I conducted five formal observations of her instructional delivery
across all content areas. Ms. Duncan planned engaging standards-based lessons using the
Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) strategies and planning format. Ms. Duncan
did an excellent job of using instructional strategies that met the needs of her ELA students as
well the diverse learning styles of all of her students. Another strength demonstrated by Ms.
Duncan was her ability to incorporate physical activity in the classroom. She had students
perform cross lateral activities, increasing blood flow to the brain to energize students for
learning.
In the area of assessments and evaluation, Ms. Duncan designed various forms of assessments
and evaluation to monitor the progress of her students. She used the data collected to plan
meaningful lessons aligned to standards. She also used the data to adjust her instruction to meet
the needs of her students. Ms. Duncan also demonstrated good classroom management skills.
Vanya Duncan is reliable, self-motivated and flexible. She is very reflective and self-evaluates
her teaching and lesson planning. Ms. Duncan does not hesitate to seek advice on how to
improve her teachings skills, accepting suggestions and constructive criticism well.
I firmly believe that Ms. Vanya Duncan will be an asset to any school staff and I have no
reservations in providing this recommendation. Please feel free to contact me, if you have any
questions or if I can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Jeanette Garcia Schlenvogt
Supervisor of Student Teachers
Metropolitan State College of Denver
jgschlenvogt@comcast.net
303-910-5410