Certified Native English Teacher Offering IB, IGCSE & Essay Writing Tutoring

I am pleased to recommend Rachel Ravelli for a teaching position at your school. Rachel joined Newton North in October as a long-term maternity leave substitute and her position ends in a few short weeks. Rachel began as
a full-time substitute, teaching three sections of juniors and a senior “Women in Literature and Society” class.

She eventually dropped the senior class, but then picked up another two junior classes when we found ourselves in need of a short-term substitute. Though we’ve thrown several curve balls at Rachel, she has always been up
for the challenges and has met each one with diligence, responsibility, flexibility, and enthusiasm.

When you first meet Rachel, you’ll immediately notice her warm demeanor, passion for teaching, and desire to be part of an educational community. While we interviewed several local candidates for our substitute position,
Rachel was our top choice despite the fact that she was currently living in California. Rachel was ready and willing to meet our accelerated timeline and move across country quickly in order to join our school. When our
teacher ended up starting her maternity leave an unexpected three weeks early, I called Rachel immediately.

Though she had just taken the red-eye across country and hadn’t even begun to settle into her new apartment, Rachel started with us two days later. I share this story with you because it reflects Rachel’s flexibility and dedication to teaching. Her commitment to her students, our department and our school has been consistent and apparent ever since.

Rachel prioritizes student relationships, knowing that students are unable to learn unless they feel valued, respected, noticed and safe. She quickly distinguished one student from the next, working tirelessly to understand each individual student in her classes. Similarly she worked carefully and thoughtfully to help her students transition, making sure she built upon the routines they were used to even if those routines required her to adjust further. Rachel consulted with many colleagues in our large department to design curriculum and to familiarize herself with departmental expectations.

Rachel’s commitment to student centered learning has been evident in her planning, instruction and assessments. She varies her instruction and her assessments in order to both engage students and meet their unique needs. In
each class, Rachel works to make the literature (and the discussions of literature) alive and relevant. Students are often active in their learning — it is common to see students collaborating in groups, working through ideas at the board or connecting the text to some current issue in the world around them.

Rachel adjusted quickly to our school’s routines and expectations. Similarly, she quickly picked up our school technology such as ASPEN and Schoology so students and parents never missed a beat. Rachel is available after school regularly to provide extra help for students. It is clear students really like Rachel and feel comfortable seeking her out when they have questions or need help. As a new teacher, Rachel is reflective and open to feedback. Overall, Rachel is someone that I am rooting for — she is kind, creative, compassionate, collaborative, responsible and ready for her next teaching challenge. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is any other way I might be useful as you try to find the best fit for your school.

Sincerely,

Melissa Dilworth
English Department Chair
Newton North High School

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to recommend Rachel Ravelli for an English Language Arts teaching position at your school. As the Director of Learning Services at Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School, I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Ms. Ravelli in a push-in capacity, supporting students with diverse learning needs. Through my time in her classroom, I have been consistently impressed by her dedication to crafting engaging and creative curricula that meet educational standards.
Ms. Ravelli possesses a unique talent for making learning accessible and exciting for her students. Her approach to curriculum design is methodical, with each lesson plan outlining competencies to be achieved, enduring understandings, and essential questions that guide the learning process. This approach ensures that students are not just passive recipients of information but active participants in their educational journey.

A standout feature of Ms. Ravelli's teaching methodology is the use of journal prompts at the start of each class. These prompts are carefully selected to connect with the current topic of study or to reflect the diverse interests of her students, thereby fostering a love for writing and encouraging self-expression. This practice serves as a warm-up activity, significantly enhances student engagement, and promotes critical thinking.

In addition, Ms. Ravelli is fully committed to her student's success, and every student feels valued and supported in her class. As a Learning Specialist, I have witnessed the positive impact of her teaching on students with learning differences, proof of her adaptability and empathetic approach to education.
Furthermore, Ms. Ravelli's commitment to discussing current topics ensures that her students are knowledgeable and informed global citizens. Her ability to include contemporary issues in her lessons gives students a comprehensive understanding of the world around them.

Lastly, Ms. Ravell demonstrates teamwork skills within the Humanities department, actively engaging with her colleagues to meet her students' educational needs. She embraces a collaborative spirit, incorporating feedback and adapting her methods in response to her colleagues' insights. This approach enriches her teaching and fosters a dynamic and responsive learning environment for her students.

In summary, Rachel Ravelli is an exceptional educator whose passion for teaching and ability to create a stimulating learning environment make her an asset to any educational institution. I am confident that she will bring the same level of dedication, innovation, and excellence to your school as she has to ours.
Please feel free to contact me if you need any further information.

Sincerely,
Karen Bendelman

March 12, 2024

To Whom It May Concern,

Rachel is a thoughtful classroom teacher who leads our 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts program. In both grades, she masterfully guides students through sensitive, deep, and challenging topics in a way that honors differences, elevates student voices, and exposes students to the richness of a novel. Rachel is not satisfied with the status quo. She is constantly learning herself to bring more to the classroom.

Rachel consistently creates innovative lessons that are exceptionally engaging, creative, and based on educational standards. She works diligently to ensure that each student reaches the expected benchmarks through differentiation, and her communication style with each student is always patient and reflective; she is clearly aware of each child’s unique interests, needs, strengths, and challenges. Her passion for supporting a diverse student body with foundational skills in reading and writing as well as public speaking results in students prepared for the challenges of the next grade level.

Over the last four years, Rachel has worked to build positive relationships with the parent community and developed a respectful and direct communication style. She seeks partnership through contacting parents when students are struggling to meet expectations and often offers to speak with them outside of school hours. Her desire to see students succeed and include parents in the process is a commendable trait in middle school as parents and students navigate the adolescent years.

Rachel is a reflective practitioner who seeks opportunities to grow her practice. Recently, she attended multiple sessions on AI and how to use it as a tool in the classroom. Rachel took initiative and created lessons using AI to help students learn the tool in an academic, respectful way. Due to her efforts, she was asked to present at a professional community meeting to her peers and share her lesson so others can learn from her.

I recommend Rachel with confidence.