GS Lakie Middle School

50 Blackfoot Blvd. West,

Lethbridge AB T1K 7N7

November 17th, 2014

To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Andy Tyslau and I had the great pleasure of working with Julia Vandezande during
the Spring 2014 semester during her Professional Semester Two. During my secondment to the
University of Lethbridge, I was her instructor for her Curriculum and Instruction: Science
Majors course and I also has the great pleasure of supervising and working collaboratively with
Julia during her six week professional practicum in Calgary.
Julia is an exceptionally hard working and organized individual. Her lesson planning and
preparation were outstanding, and she consistently prepared engaging and meaningful lessons
for her students. Her positive energy and eager attitude to teaching was energizing and
contagious. She regularly integrated a wide array of instructional strategies and approaches,
and was repeatedly trying out new methods to teaching she was certainly not afraid to step out
of her comfort zone in an effort to maximize student learning and success. Julia found herself
in a very complex and diverse teaching assignment accompanied by students with a wide variety
of individual needs. To this end, Julia was highly flexible in her approach to teaching and easily
recognized when her plans or methods needed to be changed or adapted to maximize student
success. Julia developed a very strong teacher presence and displayed strong and confident
leadership qualities. She approached teaching in a highly professional and collaborative
manner, working closely with all those involved in her placement. She was very willing to
discuss improvements and suggestions to help develop her teaching craft, and was more than
willing to implement these suggestions immediately. Her reflective practice is incredibly strong,
in that Julia thinks deeply and clearly about her teaching and her own learning and would
constantly seek to make improvements or changes where needed.
Most importantly, however, Julia developed exceptionally strong, positive and caring
relationships with her students. She was able to create a safe learning environment in the
diverse classroom where all of her students felt respected and were treated equally and with
fairness. Julia did an absolutely outstanding job of providing clear and defined classroom

GS Lakie Middle School

50 Blackfoot Blvd. West,
Lethbridge AB T1K 7N7

expectations for student learning and success. In Julias classroom, all students are capable of
success and each student brings to the class their own strengths and contributions. Classroom
management was also strong for Julia. She excelled at developing her own personal
management styles and practices and was not afraid to seek advice and expertise of her mentor
teacher and practicum supervisor for new or modified approaches to teaching. Julia maintained
a high level of professional and respectful relationships with staff as well, including her Faculty
professors and supervisors.
Julia has undeniably demonstrated that teaching is a passion and approaches teaching with a
student-first focus. Her personal and professional visions, beliefs and values about teaching are
foundational to her teaching and she consistently strives to improve her practice. She is a
model student and exemplary future educator and I would welcome the chance to have Julia on
my school staff.

Sincerely,

Andy Tyslau,
Learning Support Lead Teacher,
andy.tyslau@lethsd.ab.ca
(403) 327-3465