March

12, 2015

To Whom It May Concern:

It gives me great pleasure to recommend Jessica Burton for an Art Educator position at your school.
Over the year, I worked with Jessica as she prepared for her student teaching position at my high
school; more specifically, over the last several weeks, she fulfilled her clinical hours working with my
Art classes. I was impressed by Jessicas character, hard work, creativity, and professional demeanor.

Jessica is a unique candidate. Before making a career change into art education, she had valuable
professional experience outside of education. Her experience as an on-site central service center
supervisor for United Airlines Corporate Real-Estate division clearly gave her a solid organizational
leadership base and understanding of managing several tasks at once, as well as dealing with a
multitude of personalitiesalways a plus when working with teenagers!
Working with Jessica has been one of the best student teacher experiences that I have had. She knows
how to balance when to step up and when to step aside. She can walk into a situation and quickly
figure out how she can assist without needing to be prompted. Her interactions with staff have been
professional, pleasant, and smooth. She has been able to acclimate herself to every environment, from
the classroom to the teachers lounge to department meetings.
In the classroom, Jessicas delightful sense of humor, positive attitude, and real world experience
translates well. She makes students feel comfortable while challenging them to do their best. Jessicas
caring personality shines through as she tries to connect on a personal level with students and use
information about students to create lessons that engage them on a personal level. I want to add, too,
that Jessica has done remarkable work with our students with special needs, including introducing the
use of a special font for students with dyslexia. This speaks to her ability to differentiate and also her
willingness to explore new resources.
Jessica enthusiastically collaborated with me to build a studio-based classroom by assisting in
implementing stations for the first time. This effort included making sample pieces and demonstrating
use of materials to students. She shared her real life art experiences to help inspire the young artists in
my school and was able to easily communicate with students at all levels, ages, and backgrounds.

Jessica deeply values the importance of art education, which is evident via her involvement with the
Illinois Art Education Association and the National Art Education Association. She has established
herself in leadership roles for both organizations. Jessica will be an excellent art educator, and any
school would be lucky to have her on their team. Her passion for art and concern for students
achievement in the arts will enhance any art department. She will be a valuable asset to your faculty, a
caring educator for your school community, and an outstanding art educator for your students.
Sincerely,

Ms. Jeanette Thompson
Art Educator
CICS Northtown Academy