May 15, 2019

Chaminade University of Honolulu

3140 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96822

To Whom It May Concern:

Organized. Responsible. Committed. These are the words that I use to describe Marisa Paz. She
successfully completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education at Chaminade University
of Honolulu. From the beginning, Marisa was organized and ready to begin student teaching. Her
adherence to assignment requirements and deadlines was consistent. She also stayed in communication
with her team members and responded to emails within a timely manner.

As a university supervisor, I had first hand observation of Marisa’s performance in the classroom. There
are two areas in teaching that I observed Marisa execute effectively. Those two areas were behavior
management and application of content. Throughout student teaching, Marisa demonstrated good
management of her classroom. Strategies that were observable included good organization skills, using
behavior specific praise, stating expectations, holding students accountable, and using a variety of
strategies to engage students in learning.

Learning takes place when the content is made accessible and meaningful for learners. Marisa
demonstrated knowledge of content by her ability to unpack the standards and explain concepts in simpler
terms for students. Marisa did her own research to locate and use a variety of resources outside of the
standard curriculum to explain and break down key concepts. I observed her use a variety of cognitive
organizers, visual representations, and examples to make content accessible and meaningful for learners.

From my time with Marisa, I concluded that she is a great collaborator and will only progress in her
teacher effectiveness. From our discussions and meetings with her Cooperating Teacher, Marisa was very
receptive when she received positive and constructive feedback on her performance. On a weekly basis,
she asked critical questions and shared of her triumphs and challenges experienced in the classrom. Most
importantly, Marisa considered our recommendations and took action to improve her practice. Her ability
to collaborate openly with other educators and learn from master teachers shows her commitment to
teacher improvement that will support as she continues on as full-time a teacher.

I believe Marisa’s intentions to enter the field of teaching are genuine and I’m positive she will remain
committed despite the challenges that come with teaching as a first year teacher. With this, I place a full
recommendation for Marisa Paz to be accepted for licensure and a position in Elementary Education.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at (808) 780-1626. Thank you and I hope you will
consider Marisa as a qualified and exceptional candidate for teaching.

Sincerely,

Joy Mahiko, PhD

University Supervisor