Memorandum

Department of To : Whom it May Concern

Special Education
From: Diane Diven
Towson University
College of Education Date: February 27,2017
Hawkins Hall 404
Re: Amy Wallo
8000 York Road,
Towson, Md. 21252 CC: Betsy Neville, PhD. Special Education Chairperson
Towson University
Office: 410-704-4499
Fax: 410-704-4985
To Whom It May Concern:

I have had the pleasure of supervising Amy Wallo in the Elementary Educations
dual certification program or EESE cohort (Elementary Education/Special
Education cohort)

During the fall semester, Amy excelled in her ability to learn all aspects of the
elementary school experience, by establishing a rapport with her students and her
mentor. Ms. Wallo was both organized and creative as she planned and
implemented her lessons, always aligned with Common Core Standards.

Amy was a self starter! She was pro-active in all areas of her internship
program. She was not afraid to ask questions, to work long hours, or to strive for
perfection. She wanted to know what her mentor and supervisors knew which
impressed me when I met her.

Her relationship with her students was very positive. She valued the importance
of making connections with her individual students, and took opportunities
between classes, during lunchtime, and during transitional times to connect with
them. The classroom climate that she fostered was not only positive, and none
threatening, but always encouraged risk taking and critical inquiry. There was
never a time I entered Amys first grade classroom that her students were not
actively engaged in instruction, but at the same time, the atmosphere was inviting
and caring.

Ms. Wallo was sensitive to the life styles and learning styles of her students. Within
the first five minutes of Ms. Wallos lesson, I was able to see the logical progression
of the concepts unfolding. She was extremely intuitive, and when her students
struggled grasping a concept, she quickly adapted her lesson to service their needs.
Amy just knew what to do!

Her positive energy for learning was contagious, and her students caught her
enthusiasm. This is so important! Not only to foster a culture for learning, but to
encourage appropriate classroom behavior as well. .
Amy worked very closely with her veteran mentor teacher to demonstrate skill in her
subject matter. She was confident and poised during her lessons; it seemed like she
had been teaching for years. Throughout her internship, she created flip charts and
hands-on materials. She did a wonderful job of modeling her instructions, always
using the Promethean Board to focus on important instructional strategies. Her
behavioral objectives were clear and compatible with the goals of the Core
Curriculum Standards. Her lessons ALWAYS motivated her students, and provided
her students with numerous opportunities, utilizing such UDL principles as multiple
means of representation, and engagement.

Classroom management is traditionally very difficult for interns to master. She was
able to manage her classroom, by utilizing a fair, caring, and consistent approach.
She had the teacher voice and the teacher look down to a science! Her students
enjoyed interacting with her, and she was well versed in providing consistent
strategies that provided smooth transitions to minimize the loss of instructional time
in her classroom.

It was evident after entering Ms. Wallos classroom that her students respected and
loved her and she felt the same. Amys professionalism can be reflected in her dress,
her instructional delivery, her classroom management, her interaction with her
students, her colleagues, her mentor teacher, and her supervisors. She was always
reflective and encouraged constructive feedback to enable her to fine-tune her craft.

Amy will enhance any school community she enters. She is skilled in planning,
implementing, differentiating, motivating and engaging diverse learners in a positive
classroom environment. She is a natural, and she loves what she does! I would
highly recommend Amy Wallo as an elementary educator!

Regards,
Diane Diven
PDS Supervisor (EESE Cohort)
Towson University