November 2, 2014

To Whom It May Concern,

It is an honor to write this letter of recommendation for Jolyn Horton. I worked with Jolyn for two years from August 2012
until June 2014. During this time, we were the fourth grade teaching team. I collaborated with Jolyn and saw her teach on a
daily basis.
When I think of Jolyn, the two words that come to mind are educator and mentor. As an educator, Jolyn has an
incredible ability to create inviting and warm classroom communities. Through positive classroom management and fun
community building activities, such as a play that integrated standards from several subject areas and was developed over
months, students in Jolyns class strengthen their character and develop respect for each other. Daily, I saw the close-knit
relationships Jolyn formed with her students, which came from her excitement of teaching and her dedication to ensuring
that students were consistently engaged and challenged.
When I first met Jolyn, the thing that struck me most was that, while she has been an educator for over 25 years, she
approaches teaching and helping students with as much enthusiasm as a first year teacher. Not one to rely on previous
years units and lessons, Jolyn recognizes that each group of students is unique, and possesses different learning styles
and interests. I could see this in her classroom on a daily basis, whether it was introducing read-alouds that she had never
used before, or developing a new end of unit assessment for a science unit on energy and electricity in which students had
to install lights and fans in a doll house utilizing various circuits. While Jolyn builds on a careers worth of educational best
practices, methodology, research, and experience, she is always excited and determined to keep learning experiences
fresh and exciting.
I began working with Jolyn in my first year of teaching and she quickly became an important mentor. Jolyn frequently
offered support however she could, whether it was sharing teaching strategies, offering feedback, or providing countless
educational resources. We collaborated on a daily basis, planning our units for every subject together. During these
planning times, I saw Jolyn demonstrate a high level of organization and place a heavy importance on differentiating
student learning. Jolyn often suggested that we draw students from both classes to create similar ability groupings in order
to better differentiate our instruction. It was in these planning meetings that I also became amazed at Jolyns reflective
nature. She often discussed how she thought she could have improved a lesson or learning activity, and was excited to
hear what ideas I had or recent best practices I had learned. This all came from her genuine love of learning and teaching.
An example of her love of learning and teaching melding together is after we acquired a new classroom library that we
shared. After advocating to our school leadership on the importance of having an abundance of literature that would meet
the needs of students at various reading levels, we received several hundred new books at the beginning of the year. Jolyn
wanted to know exactly which books to recommend to each of her students, so she began a yearlong goal of reading the
200 or so new books that she had never read before. I often overheard Jolyn telling her students about an exciting book
she had read the night before.
Finally, Jolyns passion for education and ability to form meaningful relationships extended beyond the classroom. Jolyn
formed strong relationships with the parents of her students, creating an inviting classroom where they always felt
welcomed and maintained strong communication with them through a weekly newsletter she has been writing every year
she has been teaching. Furthermore, Jolyn was instrumental in the development and success of the school-wide Parent
Advisory Committee, which has since become a vital aspect of the school. Those strong relationships carried over with her
other colleagues. Whether it was discussing the scope and sequence of social studies in elementary or preparing a report
for accreditation, Jolyn was a consistent leader who others greatly admired and respected.
My initial years as a teacher would have been vastly more challenging and definitely less fun had I not had the pleasure of
working with Jolyn. Her sense of humor and positive personality made each day a joy. I cannot think of a more
experienced, dedicated, and enthusiastic teacher to recommend. Jolyn is a gifted educator who approaches every school
year and day with as much energy and engagement as if it was her first. Jolyn will be an incredible asset to any students
and teachers with whom she has the good fortune of working. If you would like to speak further about my experience
working with Jolyn, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Andreas Clesle
Former Grade Four Teacher at Yangon International School:

andreasclesle@gmail.com