April 30, 2017
To Whom It May Concern;
It is my sincere pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for Heather Hansmeyer. Heather has been an incredibly gifted teacher working with me for most of the 2016-17 school year at Belgrade High School. She has been with me for 7 months teaching General Art Classes, Advanced Photography and a Life Skills class. Because of the length of time she spent with us, she and I both found it to be a more realistic experience of what teaching in a high school is all about.
Heather is very successful at getting to know each students’ backgrounds and needs, she communicated with administrators, teachers and parents when necessary to benefit her students. She developed a strong relationship with students and they learned to trust and rely on her due to her nurturing, fair demeanor.
In the units and lessons she designed, Heather stated objectives and made them very clear to the students at the start. Students were aware what was needed for them to achieve the grades they wanted. She is a very fair teacher and if there was a misunderstanding, she made sure the student’s best interest always came first. Classroom routine and rules are stated and fair which makes classroom management more effective. Criteria for assessment was clear and students were able to participate in the assessment of their work.
Heather’s classroom was organized, even though the room is far from the ideal art classroom, so every day started with getting supplies ready. She became very efficient in that task! She worked with students individually, gave constructive ideas for their projects, and sincere praise. Students learned new art concepts, explored historical time periods and saw their work grow due to her instruction. Heather is very good at reviewing her lessons and adjusting where necessary to make the students’ learning more successful. This is one of the traits I admire most, she could see what she needed to do to be more effective in the classroom.
She kept a clear, current gradebook for the students and their parents. Her grading was very fair and immediate, but often gave incentive for students to rework a project for a better grade. It was evident she wants students to achieve the grade they deserve.
Heather developed strong, working relationships with me, two other art teachers, administrators and counselors during her student teaching at Belgrade High School. Outside the classroom she helped with graphic design projects important to the school. Heather also helped organize the greatly received Belgrade High School Art Show at Zoot this past winter. Even though Heather is now done with her student teaching, she has volunteered to help out with another BHS Art Show for Graduating Seniors at a downtown venue.
I am so pleased to recommend Heather Hansmeyer for an Art Teacher position, she is truly a wonderful teacher with a heart for the profession.
Sincerely,
Karolyn Williamson
Belgrade High SchoolArt/Photography Teacher
kwilliamson@belgradeschools.com 406-539-0289
805 Washington St.
Belgrade, MT59714