Dear Mr. Smith, My name is Lauren Paz and Im a Junior at Rider University. I am majoring in Elementary Education and Music.

I am excited to be working with you in your classroom and learning more about becoming a teacher. For as long as I can remember Ive wanted to be a teacher; I adore children and enjoy watching them grow. Teaching is not my only passion, I also enjoy music. Ive been singing since I could talk and havent been able to stop. I love to listen to music and sing-a-long so if I have the opportunity to use music in the classroom that would be fantastic. I have previous experience working with children. From the age of thirteen I have been babysitting children from one year to around fourteen years. I spent four years working at a daycare center as an assistant teacher. I spent most of my time working in a kindergarten classroom assisting the teacher. I did everything from teaching lessons if the teacher was not present to sitting with the students and helping them with reading, writing and homework. I also spent a semester at Stony Brook Elementary School where I did my professional experience. During my time there I was placed in a first grade classroom where I assisted the students and teacher with daily activities. In the fall of 2009 I went abroad for a semester to London and while I was there I interned at an Elementary School. I worked in three different classrooms, kindergarten, first and fifth grade. My duties were similar to what I have previously done, assist students with activities and I also did a lot of prep work for the teachers. Last semester I had the opportunity to intern at Wycoff Elementary School. For my field placement I was assigned to a first grade classroom where I assisted the students with daily activities and taught lessons. During my time there I learned about a new math program called envisions and was able to use this in the classroom. While at Wycoff I also learned how to use a smartboard. Several of the lessons I taught required the use of a smartboard and I was able to learn about all the different ways in which it can be used. I look forward to working with you and your students throughout the semester and learning all that I can. You can reach me by phone 862-432-1144 or e-mail pazla@rider.edu. Sincerely,

Lauren Paz