TESTIMONIALS & REFERENCES

April 2022 

To Whom It May Concern: 

Lauryn Collins-Holt worked as a teacher candidate at the Shirley G. Moore Laboratory School three mornings per week from January to May of 2021. She was responsible for working in an outdoor inclusive preschool classroom composed of 8 children ages 2.5 to 3 years old during the Covid pandemic. Her responsibilities included: co-teaching with me for 13 weeks, lead teaching for 2 weeks, participating in daily and weekly team planning and evaluation meetings, planning and facilitating focus group activities based on the children’s interests, creating a developmental summary for a child, and conducting a parent conference for that child. 

Lauryn was a reliable co-worker and a wonderful addition to our program. She was a hard worker who mastered the details of classroom setup and cleanup. She developed a friendly working relationship with me and the other program staff. She has the ability to ably present herself verbally and her writing shows the ability to describe developmental processes well. 

Lauryn was able to develop positive relationships with the children in our classroom. She was approachable and worked to support children to join curriculum areas she was invested in. Lauryn was comfortable supporting a large group of children at any moment. She became increasingly adept at helping children negotiate conflicts and moving children through transitions. She became skilled to observe and scan the classroom atmosphere while also maintaining focus on the individual needs of the children. She was clearly committed to understanding how to best adapt our practices to children who may have required extra support and offered suggestions and adaptations. Lauryn communicated confidently with caregivers and provided verbal updates on the children’s day. 

Lauryn became more adept at tuning in to the many small details of classroom management which are important to maintain a productive and safe environment. She worked to anticipate problems and grew in her ability to alter plans given unexpected events or children’s individual situations. Lauryn could be appropriately comforting and also provide firm and clear expectations when needing to be more directive. 

Lauryn developed her lesson plan with both meaning and purpose. She made a conscious effort to create an environment where the children were able to express and explore their feelings and needs through expressive art and movement. Lauryn finished her student teaching experience with a solid presence in leading large group meetings. She experimented with commanding the group’s attention through vocal modulations, modeling of games and experiments, and often adjusting the offering of large group materials to meet the energy of the group. 

Lauryn Collins-Holt was always highly professional and engaged in the classroom with children. She is a mature individual who takes her responsibilities seriously. She took an active role in team planning. She was open to suggestions, took constructive criticism and direction to heart, and made adaptations in her practice. She is clearly fascinated by the process of child development and seeks to learn and grow in her practice. I highly recommend her as a candidate for a teaching position. 

Ayuko Uezu Boomer, 

Early Childhood Specialist 

Child Development Laboratory School 

921 17th Ave SE, Minneapolis, 

MN 55414 

646-660-2710 

boome004@umn.edu

Additional references are available upon request.