Date: May,2001
To Whom It May Concern:
Paul Estrada has been the art teacher at Conant Elementary School for the past year and for half of the previous year. He interviewed in a highly competitive pool of candidates and was selected because he came highly recommended by his professors and his mentor/cooperating teacher, NH Art Teacher of the Year.
Paul has been a creative force at Conant School! He's imaginative and has worked well with his art colleagues as well as with the regular classroom teachers. He has developed numerous art projects to support the academic curriculum and worked effectively to enhance musical productions. The kids adore him and he's very generous with his time. His low key manner is refreshing in a school environment and Conant parents are very pleased with his work. He has various volunteers helping him and puts in many hours after school and on weekends. His work with "The Endangered Species Class" has been quite rewarding to the young man who worked for over a year trying to get someone to sponsor the club.
I am saddened by Paul's decision to leave Conant and would hire him without hesitation. He comes to you with my full support and highest recommendation.
Sincerely
Kathleen Sciarappa
Principal
Date: May 21,2001
To Whom it May Concern:
It is with pleasure that I write this letter of reference for Paul Estrada. Paul has been employed in the Concord School District, Concord, New Hampshire at the Rumford and Conant Elementary Schools since January 2000 when he was hired to complete the year for a teacher who retired at the end of December 1999.
Paul teaches one and a half days at the Rumford School, a 180 student Kindergarten theough grade 5 urban school. His art classes are held in a mini gym which is 'custom made' for the art classes. In January 2000 he quickly adapted to being an intinerant art teacher in public schools. Classroom management was his first focus and his prime target. Through his own initiative, combined with support from a teacher mentor, he has become very successful with his classroom management and recognizing students with management issues before he/she can manifest into a classroom problem. Paul's ability to teach and excite children about art, is his strength! Art classes provide the children with a veriety of art mediums and enable the children to demonstrate their wide range of skill levels. It is evident that the children are comfortable with Mr. Estrada and his expectations of them. Whether it is creating clay sculpture, a Native American mask, mobiles or an architectual design, the children know from his interaction with them, that their work is appropriate.
Integration of the art lessons with classroom curriculum and/or specific activities-classroom or school wide-have been another strengths of Paul's. Communication with the classroom teacher affords him the ability to stretch what is happening in the classroom with the art lessons,i.e. Native American mask, clay penguins, or solar system mobiles.
In the year and a half that Paul Estrada has been with us at Rumford, I have been very impressed and pleased with the art education the children receive. He displays student art work in the entry area cabinets and on the modular 'walls' in the art area of the gym for the students, parents, and visitors to enjoy. Paul will be an excellent addition to your faculty. The Rumford School facluty and I will miss not having Paul with us next year. Please feel free to contact me if you have specific questions regarding this very qualified and excellent teacher.
Sincerely
Deb McNeish
Date: October 22, 1999
To Whom It May Concern,
It is with pleasure that I recommend Paul Estrada for a position as art teacher. Paul and I worked together in a pilot mentorship program through Plymouth State College and the New Hapshire Department of Education during his sophomore and junior years of college. In his senior year, Paul also worked under me as a student teacher for eight weeks. I currently teach elementary grades Readiness-4, covering 21 classes. In additon I teach a fourth grade group of fifteen gifted/talented art students. Paul was also able to observe the music teacher, a special education case manager, and a third grade teacher.
During Paul's time here he has become actively involved in the daily operation of the school. He attended all dutied (playground duty) and all meetings (teachers meetings and workshops). In addition, Paul has designed several art projects based on the work of New Hampshire artist Maxfield Parrish. This is in prepartion for an upcoming 4th grade field trip to the Currier Gallery of Art for the Maxfield Parrish Exhibit.
In summary I would like to say that I consider Paul to be an excellent candidate for an art teaching position. He will not only dedicat himself to further education, but also will involve himself in making his school a better place. I recommend him without reservation.
If you have any further questions or if I can be of further help, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Marcia Congdon
Date: November: 16,1999
To Whom It May Concern,
Paul Estrada has been working with me as a student teacher for three weeks. In that short period of time he has exhibited a remarkably mature manner in the way he deals with both students and faculty. He has impressed me with having the correct demeanor for becoming a teacher.
Not only is Paul a thoughtful person, he also takes his responsiblities very seriously, the the point of going well beyound his "job requirements." Paul seems to want to learn all aspects of the art teaching profession, from use of different media, to variousteaching techniques, to procedural elements.
Aside from hos calm manner, Paul's strengths are his communication skills and his command of defferent art media, including drawing tools, photography and graphics. From my short -term observartion, I would say that Paul is a very strong candidate for the art teaching profession.
Sincerely,
Glenn Kelly
Date: November 14, 1999
To Whom It May Concern,
Paul Estrada is currently participating in Plymouth State College's student teaching program under my supervision in the Milford, NH School District. He has successfully completed the elementary teaching component at Milford Elementary School with a grade of A and is currently teaching at Milford High School. I have had several oppurtunities to observe Mr. Estrada's teaching at the elementary level and conference with him as well as with his supervising teacher, Marcia Congdon. Mr. Estrada has consistenly demonstrated that he has the enthusiasm, determination, potential and commitment to become highly effective in the art room.
Throughout student teachin, Mr. Eatrada has presented a variety of creative art activities that are appropriate to the learning level of the students in his classes and planned to build on prior learning experiences. Lessons are presented with visual supports and teacher-made samples. They are planned to challenge every student and to encourage students' problem solving skills as well as to develop technical and artistic competence. He has developed a positive and professional teaching style in his concern for his students artistic graowth. As he approaches the conclusion of stundetne teaching, he has developed an effective teaching voice and has established workable methods for classroom management. He has a warm and nurturing quality in the classroom, yet he is firm and consistent with each class.
As Mr. Estrada begins his final weeks of student teaching, he is demonstrating that he has the potential and determination to be a highly effective art educator. Should you wish to discuss the content of this letter, you may contact me at the Art Department at Plymouth State College at 603-535-2401.
Sincerely
William Haust
Art Department Chair
Date: November 12,1999
To Whom It May Concern,
i am writing this letter in behalf of Paul Estrad. He participated in Plymouth State College's Mindflight 99, in the Multimedia Madness workshop where I was faculty responsible for the event. Multimedia Madness as a one week experience designed for kids ages 9-12 and intended to endable them to communicate their ideas through type and image, video, animation and sound. Paul was invited to participate because his participation in both, Art Education and Graphic Design. He accompanied the kids in the lab and was in charge of them as a counselor during the entire week. The workshop itself was a very thoughtfully developed process where children got to brainstorm, select, evaluate and analyze the issues that wereto presented through multimedia. Paul's listening, and contributing presence was very much welcome not only by the workshop teachers but by the kids themselves who said he helped them in talking about what they wanted to do, reassured them in the tasks given, andhelped them focus. During th development sessions, he would make comments that would have the same focusing effect. Once in the lab, the children were learning how to make their ideas and software work, and Paul helped facilitate that process. Not only is he a creative person but also he is able to promote collaboration and intelligent interaction where he is. Nowadays that the media showers us with imagery that not always makes sense, his level of visual awareness and technological knowledge are a rare and valuable combination for people who are learning to think through images. He deserves the best recommendation a professor like me can write.
For more information on the Multimedia 99 workshop, check
http://mindflight.plymouth.edu/mf99/media.htm
Information on the workshop is under "Project" in the menu.
Best Regards
Julieata Aguilera