August 31st 2014

 

To Whom it May Concern:

 

My name is Jonathan Bracewell, and I have been asked to write this letter of recommendation on behalf

of Theresa Harcourt. I currently teach English Language Arts and Debating to Secondary 3, 4, and 5 at

Selwyn House School in Westmount, Canada. I have eleven years of experience as a full‐time high‐school

teacher, and have been at Selwyn House for the last seven years. Theresa came to Selwyn House as part

of her Bachelor of Education program at McGill University for the fall term of the 2013-2014 school year,

and I worked with her as her mentor.

 

The program required that Theresa plan and teach classes fairly independently, and that she participate

in the life of the school. I am pleased to say that she met and exceeded these expectations. She often

came to work early, and stayed late to plan, organize, and correct for her classes. She also maintained a

presence at the school so that students could come to her with questions and explanations.

 

Theresa's strongest qualities lay in her professional demeanor, and her caring for the students. Most of

the students came to respect her and her quality of teaching. She was always prepared for lessons, and

corrected work in an expedient manner. Many of the students recognized the effort that she put into

lessons, and respected her for this. She was knowledgeable about the topics that she taught, and made every effort to answer all questions asked by the students. She could also admit when she didn't know an answer, and endeavoured to answer the student at a later time. To my knowledge, she was never

late for class, or absent at any time. She worked well with other staff and integrated herself into the life

of the school through attendance at events and through the sports program.

 

She was also very caring about all of the students that she taught. Even though, she was only there for a

term, she quickly learned the names and work habits of all of her students, and was able to interact with

them on an individual level. She made every effort to make sure that her students were known and

cared for, without showing any favoritism for any students. When she left, she was able to give positive

feedback to each of the 100 or so students that she had taught. In the later terms, I was often asked if

she was returning.

 

Any doubts that I had about Theresa stemmed from her inexperience in the classroom. Given that the

point of this exercise was to gain experience, it is hard to be too critical on these manners. What I can

say is that Theresa learned very quickly, and was always open to suggestions and criticisms from me and

other staff and instructors who saw her lessons. What was truly excellent was that she would modify her

teaching to meet these criticisms and I believe that she will do this throughout her career.

 

In conclusion, I sincerely believe that Theresa would be an excellent candidate on any school staff or in

any position where young people are learning in her charge. She has the foundation for a very

productive career in education.

 

If you have any question, or would like to contact me concerning Theresa and her time at Selwyn House,

please find my contact details below.

 

Sincerely:

 

Jonathan Bracewell

English Teacher / Debate Coach

Selwyn House School

95 Cote‐St‐Antoine,

Westmount, QC

Canada H3Y 2H8

bracewellj@selwyn.ca

514-931‐9481 ext. 2302