TCU Box 297900

Fort Worth, TX 76129

817-257-7660www.cue.tcu.edu

February 5, 2015
To whom it may concern,
Please accept this general letter of recommendation in support of JENNIFER MONTGOMERY
who is applying for an elementary teaching position in your district. I first met Jennifer two years
ago when she enrolled in one of the English as a Second Language (ESL) classes that I teach
at Texas Christian University (TCU).
Jennifer has developed a strong understanding of appropriate practices to create classroom
experiences for students in the process of acquiring English and academic content. As part of
her ESL undergraduate coursework, Jennifer conducted research on mathematics sheltered
instruction practices. She recognizes the linguistic demands that ELLs might experience in this
particular content area but is also aware of a variety of instructional strategies to scaffold
language and content instruction across other academic areas. She is particularly at ease
implementing cooperating learning structures to enhance class interaction and communication.
During her senior year Jennifer successfully developed an anti-bias unit. The unit was well
thought out and demonstrated her skill at developing integrated curriculum and creating texts
sets to support readers with a range of experiences and reading abilities. She is comfortable
differentiating reading instruction to support literacy development for all learners. Jennifers
undergraduate program was recognized with the Certificate of Distinction by the International
Reading Association for its preparation of well-qualified reading teachers.
As a graduate student Jennifer enrolled in additional ESL coursework. In this context she
participated in a project involving refugee families who have children enrolled at the
International Newcomer Academy (INA) in the Fort Worth Independent School District. INA
enrolls recently arrived middle and secondary English language learners. In collaboration with
Catholic Charities, a community agency that supports refugee families as they resettle into the
Fort Worth area, Jennifer was a key player in planning a family dinner and family school visit to
INA. The experience provided her with the opportunity to understand various aspects of the
resettlement process and develop and awareness of community resources to support recently
arrived refugee families

Jennifer is a mature individual who is excited about joining the teacher profession. If I can
provide any further assistance please feel free to contact me by e-mail (c.silva@tcu.edu) or
phone (817-257-6769).
Sincerely,

Cecilia Silva
Professor