MARIST

March 15, 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

It is my pleasure to recommend Ms. Krista Rivera for a position of teacher of English Language
Arts at the secondary level. During the past two years, I instructed Ms. Rivera in Secondary
English Methodology at Marist College, supervised her student teaching at Our Lady of Lourdes
High School and mentored her during her interim appointment at Our Lady of Lourdes High
School this fall. Through these experiences, I have come to know and admire Ms. Rivera’s
passion for teaching and her undeniable teaching talents.

Ms. Rivera brings successful teaching experience, intelligence, thorough knowledge of subject
matter, technical skills and work ethic to the teaching profession. She excelled in her student
teaching assignments and was asked to take an interim assignment the following semester. As
a teacher, Ms. Rivera is prepared, poised and flexible. She combines tested educational theory
with exciting hands-on activities that grasp the attention and curiosity of her students. She
develops supplementary/visual materials that surpass anything I have seen or used in the past.
She is resourceful; she researches educational websites, professional publications, and
colleagues for teaching materials that maximize student understanding. Her no-nonsense
approach and organizational skills in the classroom are respected by students, teachers,
administrators and parents. To put it simply, Ms. Rivera is an excellent teacher.

In the college classroom, Ms. Rivera read and responded to In the Middle and Understanding by
Design. She collaborated with her peers in literature circles, using Persepolis and The Pact as
texts; and she developed an impressive three-week unit plan using the Backward Design model.
In our small methodology class, just five students, Ms. Rivera demonstrated time and again her
commitment to teaching and probed for differentiated learning strategies to teach all students
effectively. Because the class stressed experiential learning activities and authentic discussions
about educational issues, I observed Ms. Rivera as an active and enthusiastic learner. She
brought interest and depth of understanding to each lesson, along with new ideas and
questions. Ms. Rivera is a life-long learner.

In addition to Ms. Rivera’s impressive academic and teaching experiences is her commitment to
reading and writing. Ms. Rivera is a reader and writer. She has received recognition and
accolades for her work. In my mind, there is no better teaching tool than modeling what you
teach.

As a retired middle and high school principal, I understand the importance of making teacher
recommendations. With that understanding, I am delighted to recommend, without hesitation,
Ms. Krista Rivera for a position of English Language Arts teacher at the secondary level. In fact,
I would hire her immediately if I had not retired!

Sincerely yours,

Lorna Thompson

Teacher Education Department Marist College 3399 North Road Poughkeepsie NY, 12601-1387
Telephone: 845-575-3028 Fax: 845-575-3965 teacher.education@marist.edu