West High School 241 North 300 West Salt Lake City, UT 84103 (801) 578-8500 Date: March

13, 2014 To: Whom It May Concern Re: Ryan Robinson Fr: Julie Adams, Language Arts Teacher I have taught at West High School for 24 years, and Ryan Robinson is one of the better student teachers Ive had the pleasure to work with. He is not just a very good student teacher; he is, quite honestly, a very good teacher. Ryan taught two sections of Language Arts 12 and two sections
of Language Arts 11; the classes all had 35-40 students. He was responsible for all lesson plans, all assessments, and all contact with parents. He also attended our Parent-Teacher Conference.

Ryan has a very strong grasp of content area as well as the ability to teach that content well. He always comes to class with well-prepared and fascinating lesson plans, and when he finds that he suddenly needs to make changes (due to shortened class periods or unexpected visits from the counseling department), he is able to be flexible and adapts quickly to the changing environment. His intense desire for students to do well and his willingness to go the extra mile on their behalf is apparent. One of Ryans strengths is his ability to work one-on-one with students. He is able to recognize learning styles and ability levels, and then adapt his teaching style to meet those needs. He has worked with students before and after school, during lunch, whenever they would meet with him. He goes out of his way to help them succeed. And yet, he is also strong in his resolve that if they are not willing to meet him halfway, they will not be passing the course. Ryan insists that a certain level of work is required, and stays true to his word. Ryan takes personal responsibility for continuous self-development and self-improvement. He researches the topic areas thoroughly, discusses what worked and didnt work in each class, comes up with innovative changes when he feels a need to tweak a lesson plan, and is very aware of his own metamorphosis. He also gave our Language Arts department a much-needed heads-up when it came to the SAGE test, Utahs new state-wide test. He discovered through his own research that the test our department had been preparing our students for was in fact nothing like the test they would be taking in April. This allowed us, as a department, to contact our district and get some answers. I would highly recommend that Ryan Robinson be considered for any teaching position for which he is applying. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Sincerely, Julie Adams/ julie.adams@slcschools.org