C.E.

MacDonald Middle School

Learning for all...All for learning

1601 Burcham Dr., East Lansing, MI 48823

August 21, 2012

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter to offer my support of Shelby Schulte as an excellent teacher candidate. Shelby consistently initiated opportunities to take on responsibility and demonstrated excellent leadership ability throughout her placement. As a part of her TE 494 class during fall semester 2011, Shelby was placed in my ESL classes at MacDonald Middle School in East Lansing, Michigan. Students in TE 494 are fulfilling the practicum requirement for an endorsement (minor) in English as a Second Language. Because my ESL program is fairly large and complex, it is important to understand a little about my classes in order to know a bit about the program. In each of my middle school classes I have from eight to twelve students from approximately six different countries and with widely varied levels of backgrounds and English proficiency. My charge is to provide differentiated instruction in areas of literature, vocabulary, reading, writing, speaking and listening skills as well as to offer academic support for students mainstream classes. Ms. Schulte observed a highly organized program in which four to five different levels of instruction are occurring simultaneously. Among other requirements, students in TE 494 must fulfill eight hours of observation and five hours of reflection in an ESL classroom. I always make sure to take some time after each observation to discuss with TE students how the lessons went, and how the students performed. I was impressed with the insights Ms. Schulte had about my lessons and students. Through our discussions, I believe she seems to have a very good handle on classroom dynamics, including differentiated instruction and classroom management. TE 494 students are also required to spend a minimum of twelve hours tutoring ESL students. Ms. Schulte consistently demonstrated respect for all students in my program. She recognized the many challenges facing ESL students as well as the resources they bring to our learning community. She had high expectations of the students she worked with and was resolute in working toward their well-being, learning, and achievement. She even continued working with my students, on a voluntary basis, even after fulfilling her required hours for TE 494. This speaks to her dedication and commitment to student learning.

Ms. Schulte has a passion for teaching, tremendous enthusiasm and energy, and a deep appreciation of her students as the treasures they are. It has been my absolute pleasure to work with Shelby Schulte, an accomplished teacher candidate. Sincerely,

Mary Lou Turnbull English as a Second Language Teacher turnbull_ml@elps.k12.mi.us