UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE, [BERKELEY «DAVIS «IRVINE = LOS ANGELES + MERCED > RIVERSIDE > SAN DIEGO” SANFRANGISCO ‘School of Education 3200 Education vine, CA 92697-5: May 7, 2016 Dear Hiring Personnel, It is my privilege to write a letter of recommendation on behalf of Lena Oh. As her student teaching supervisor, | have had the pleasure of observing Lena in her field placement. Presently, Lena is placed in a 3" grade classroom in a large public school district, where 63% of the student. population at the school is identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged and 60% are English Learners. During this placement, Lena has impressed me as an individual who sets high expectations for her students, who is attentive to the diverse needs of her students, and who demonstrates commitment and compassion to help each student achieve. Lena is a thoughtful teacher who is cognizant of the students’ academic, socio-emotional, linguistic, and behavioral needs. She goes above and beyond to plan lessons that are engaging and challenging for the students. In one of her lessons, she led the students in thoughtful math discussions on how to compare real-world fraction problems using multiple strategies. The students were not only able to verbalize the strategies that they used to solve the math problem, but they were encouraged to provide examples and counterexamples that showed evidence for or against one another's reasoning. It was evident that math discourse was a norm in the classroom, and that the students were challenged to develop a deep conceptual understanding of the math concepts. Lena also has excellent behavior management skills. She is clear about her expectations and she reminds the students frequently to be respectful to their peers by not talking over them. She has a calm and commanding presence in the classroom, and she enforces classroom discipline in a consistent and firm manner. Lena is a one-of-a-kind teacher. In the short amount of time that I have known her, I can tell that she is the type of candidate who offers the complete package that schools are looking for. The creativity of her lesson plans and the natural ease with which she conducts herself in the classroom are exemplary for a beginning teacher. I am confident that Lena will be a great asset to your school. If I can answer any specific questions regarding Lena’s candidacy, please feel free val ne | Sincerely, a PhD. Supervisor of Student Teachers School of Education University of California, Irvine