[Signed hard-copy on International School Nido de Aguilas letterhead.]
October 3, 2011
This letter serves as a professional and personal recommendation for Matt Kaun. I had the pleasure of working closely with Matt during the last three years, at which time he taught Algebra, Geometry, IB Math Studies, and IB Math SL 1. I supervised Matt as both the assistant principal and then as the principal. Immediately upon meeting Matt, you will be touched by his warm personality and approachability. Over the last ten years, he is one of the most outstanding educators I have had the pleasure to work beside.
I observed Matt in several contexts: classroom teaching, professional responsibilities, and as a student advisor (grade 11 class advisor, math team sponsor, and I co-taught SAT Prep with Matt for three years). In all three areas, Matt is a teacher who gives his heart and soul to his craft; a talented educator who touches students both academically and personally. His talents, enthusiasm, and positive attitude were contagious to both students and faculty. His courses were academically challenging, engaging, creative, and original. He presented learning activities that grounded students in math principles, in addition to practical application skills. Matt's students were well prepared to sit the IB Math Studies exam and I am confident the Math SL exam if he would have been here for the second year of this series. Matt could differentiate instruction in order to serve a wide range of abilities in all his classes. He could apply the rigor needed for his top quartile students, while also providing the support and building the foundation for the lower quartile.
Matt was an advocate for technology, regularly using his Smart Board and the associated technologies. He was one of the my key allies when I launched a pilot project with Personal Response Devices (clickers). His collaboration within his department was outstanding, utilizing the common prep time to assure vertical and horizontal curriculum alignment and common assessments. He maintained a model classroom, the first stop whenever I had visitors to campus wanting to see our facilities or to observe a Nido teacher in action. Matt was always open to suggestions, new ideas, and was always looking for ways to improve his practice and student learning. As stated earlier, he was quick to pilot clickers, and again quick to jump on-board when I arranged professional development applying the Harkness method to maths. Matt quickly looked further into the method honed at Philips Exeter Academy, and was an active participant in the training offered at Nido with Exeter faculty.
In closing, Matt is the consummate professional and an outstanding maths teacher. He will excel in teaching a wide-range of math courses from Algebra I to IB Math. I would hire Matt in a second if give the opportunity again.
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Dr. Jared Harris
High School Principal
The International School Nido de Aguilas
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Friday, October 7, 2011
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