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March 18, 2016

To Whom It May Concern:


I am writing a letter on behalf of Patricia LeGrand whom I had the distinct pleasure of having in the
courses Secondary Teaching: Curriculum and Instruction, Inquiry and Application in Developing
Secondary Mathematics Pedagogy, and Teaching Mathematics in the High School I and II. During my
interactions with her I have been continually impressed by her ability to align learning activities with
objectives and assessment, her desire to grow as a practitioner and in the early evidence of her teaching
abilities.
Throughout the courses Ms. LeGrand was clearly grappling with how to engage all learners in meaningful
mathematics while supporting them in their learning. This was evident in her contributions to class
discussions, her reflections on field experiences and in her lesson planning and other assignments. At an
early stage in her education program she was attuned to the importance of finding rigorous tasks and
tailoring instruction to engage and challenge all learners. I believe that this will make her a young educator
who will bring creativity to her classroom and instruction.
Ms. LeGrand is always finding ways to grow as an educator. She is very involved with Golden Apple
Scholars and I can see how she connects what she learns there to our classroom tasks. In addition, she takes
advantage of various speakers, panels and education-related events at DePaul. In the past two years, I
cannot think of an event that I have attended where I havent seen Ms. LeGrand, and if I miss an event I
know that I can turn to her for an honest and accurate account. Ms. LeGrand is the type of educator who is
a stand out among her peers, but is continually striving to grow. She will be a reflective practitioner ready
to take advantages of resources to learn and grow as an educator.
As part of the last course I was able to see videos of Ms. LeGrand teaching. I was impressed with her
ability to plan a lesson involving student group work, small group and whole-class discussion around the
topic of standard deviation. This particular class was not accustomed to working in groups. The video
evidence that I saw was overwhelmingly positive. She had a very strong presence in the classroom while
being able to create a comfortable learning environment. The students were very focused on mathematical
work aligned with the objectives and Ms. LeGrand orchestrated opportunities to formatively assess her
students, for students to talk with peers and to share as a class. In this teaching episode she proved that she
was able to put into practice the ideals and visions aligned with her philosophy.
I highly recommend Ms. LeGrand for a secondary teaching position. I believe that she is a creative
educator who will challenge her students in meaningful ways and who will continue to challenge herself in
learning about effective teaching and holding herself responsible to enact her philosophy of education.
Please feel free to contact me with further questions.
Sincerely,

Stephanie R. Whitney, PhD


Swhitne4@depaul.edu

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