School of Education, Leadership and Public Service

1401 Presque Isle Ave.

Marquette, MI 490855

April 3, 2016
To Whom It May Concern:
It is my privilege to write this letter of recommendation for Courtney Olgren. Courtney was my student
in three literacy methods courses at Northern Michigan University. Since these courses had a strong
field-based component, I observed her teach several small groups of students in kindergarten through
fourth grade. Within these teaching opportunities, she created individual lessons as well as two fivelesson units while managing student behaviors effectively.
One of Courtneys strengths is the amount of patience she has with students during learning experiences.
Whenever I observed her teaching, she held a calm demeanor and patiently listened to students
questions in earnest. Even in times she needed to redirect students who were taking the conversation off
task, she did so with graciousness, usually tying something the student said back to the focus at hand. For
example, when teaching a lesson metamorphosis to first grade students, she redirected a student who
excitedly shared his knowledge about a different animal by asking him how that animal compared to the
caterpillars they were talking about.
Along with being patient, Courtney is a careful observer when it comes to assessing childrens literacy
knowledge and skill. Although she is quite adept at administering more formal assessments, such as
comprehension and decoding reading assessments, she also looks closely at childrens ongoing
interactions and keeps anecdotal records to accompany the more formal assessments. This was evident
within a single child profile report she wrote in which she assessed multiple literacy domains of one
student within her first grade field placement. Within her report she noted aspects of the childs reading,
writing, oral language, spelling, and print concepts and suggested appropriate instruction based on her
observations.
In addition to these strengths, Courtney was always professional and participated in class activities,
providing her peers with useful thoughts and opinions. She consistently turned in assignments on time
and asked for specific feedback to better her practice. Most of all, she demonstrated a commitment to
being a reflective practitioner, which I believe will serve her well in this profession. For these reasons, I
recommend Courtney Olgren for an elementary teaching position. I believe she will be a welcomed
addition to any school faculty and district.
I would be happy to answer any questions you have, so feel free to contact me anytime.
Sincerely,

Melanie Reaves, Ph.D.

mreaves@nmu.edu
(906) 227-1804 (office)
(541) 980-9771 (cell)