May 4, 2001

 

To Whom It May Concern,

 

Aaron Bennett worked as a student teacher under my direction At Southfield High School for 11 weeks during the second semester of the 2000-2001 school year. During that time he assumed the teaching responsibility for four of my Language Arts classes including an Honors section. Within the guidelines of the school's curriculum, Mr. Bennett performed all the duties of a classroom teacher: setting class objectives, planning lessons, checking papers, and evaluating students' progress. He also made parent contacts and attended Parent Teacher conferences.

 

Mr. Bennett performed admirably in a challenging context. Students at our school can be difficult to work with for a number of reasons and Mr. Bennett handled the situation with calm and developed an outstanding rapport with many of the students in his classes. He demonstrated regularly that he could connect with his pupils and still maintain a sense of professionalism.

 

In addition to natural sense of how to talk to teenagers, Mr. Bennett exhibited a keen understanding of his subject matter. He displayed a strong and varied intellect and was able to communicate a diverse range of ideas to his students. Furthermore, he planned interesting, engaging lessons that stimulated students to stretch their abilities. Re included a variety of cooperative learning strategies and was able to address their individual needs by employing techniques that accounted for different learning styles.

 

Not only did Mr. Bennett provide a stimulating intellectual experience, but also handled any issues with student discipline with increasing skill as the weeks passed. He learned new classroom management skills through observing me and other teachers. By the end of his time at our school, he was able to prevent most problems, and handled those that did occur with appropriate measures that were fair and effective. At no time did it become necessary for me to intervene m his handling of a situation with an unruly student.

 

All in all my experience with Aaron Bennett was a positive one. I believe him to be an extremely intelligent, capable and ethical young man whose instructional abilities will continue to develop as he performs his teaching responsibilities in his own classroom. It was a pleasure to serve as his cooperating teacher. I strongly recommend him as a positive addition to any faculty. Please feel free to contact me at the address or phone number listed below if you require any more information regarding this excellent prospective teacher.

 

 

Respectfully,

 

 

 

                                                                                                 

 

                                                                                                 Robert F. MacFarland

Language Arts Instructor

Southfield High School

2465 Lahser Road

Southfield, Michigan 48034

248-746-8626