Daniel Gordon's Recommendation - Matt

[Signed hard-copy on Dhahran Middle School letterhead.]

September 2018

It is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for Mr. Matthew Kaun. As the principal of Dhahran School, I have been his direct supervisor for five years during which he has taught Algebra I, coached sports, advised activities, and contributed to committees. 

Mr. Kaun is as effective an educator and as professional a colleague as you will ever find! He has the skills, dispositions, and experience to be an immediate contributor to your school and community.  Mr. Kaun is an extraordinary teacher who gets results. He meets students where they are and gets them to where they need to be. He does this by creating a classroom atmosphere that is inspiring and confidence building. His relationships with students are positive without exception. He is a cheerleader with an extensive toolbox of strategies from both the 20th and 21st centuries. He pushes his team’s use of technology tools, but is not afraid to employ traditional methods if it helps maximize learning. Mr. Kaun goes to the wall for students. He makes himself available an additional nine times each week (five lunches and four after schools) to help students.

Mr. Kaun is an extraordinary colleague. He loves to collaborate and work with teammates to improve his lessons and his program. He is a member of the 8th grade team, the math department team, the NJHS advisor team (7 of them), and the Sunshine Committee team. Across them all, he is enjoyed, appreciated, and respected. He is humble and soft-spoken, yet he leads by example and has a contagious energy. He is a “do-er” who follows through on his commitments. Matt Kaun’s value added as a team member cannot be overstated.

Mr. Kaun is a life-long learner who is reflective. He has embraced the lesson structure and methodology of the Connected Math Program and Common Core Math. He consistently works to demonstrate the eight mathematical practices in his lessons. He successfully incorporates the use of laptops within our 1 to 1 program. He is an eager participant in our school-wide PD program. He is a walking example of a growth mindset, spurred on by his own desire to keep growing and improving when others would rest on their laurels.

Mr. Kaun is held in high esteem by his colleagues and the parents of our community. He also receives my highest recommendation and will be a great asset to the school lucky enough to hire him. 

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any additional information.

Sincerely,

Daniel P. Gordon

Principal, Dhahran School

=> LINK TO TOP OF PAGE

Riyaz Ismail's Recommendation - Matt

[Signed hard-copy on Dhahran Middle School letterhead.]

August 6, 2018

To whom it may concern,

Re: recommendation letter for Matt Kaun

The purpose of this letter is to highlight Matt’s qualities as a Mathematics educator and as a member of our Dhahran School Math team.  I have known Matt for five years in my capacity as Instructional Coach for Mathematics at the Dhahran School. During this time, Matt has taught our Algebra course to grade 8 students. We have had numerous opportunities to co-plan, co-teach, discuss best practices, co-engage in/ co-lead professional development and observe/ discuss individual aspects of instruction and learning.

Matt is an excellent mathematics educator; he facilitates best practices in his instruction and planning, he engages students in the Mathematical Practices (processes) and plans well to address different abilities, learning styles and to increase engagement among students. He facilitates rich tasks, asks questions that promote connection-making and meaningful discourse and creates a safe and comfortable environment for productive struggle. In particular, Matt promotes a growth mindset for all his students (and for himself as an educator) and encourages them to take on challenges; in this regard, Matt has been a driving force in facilitating math contests and challenges for all our students.

While he will admit he is not perfect, he is dedicated to improving as an educator, he solicits feedback, he shares ideas with colleagues, invites me regularly to work with him, and reflects continuously; all the attributes of an exceptional educator. More recently, he continues to work me with me on co-sponsoring a district-wide mathematics tournament, he shared strategies for increasing engagement with colleagues, he facilitated co-teaching/ peer feedback with others in his team, and implemented new classroom strategies to ensure his instruction was differentiated to meet the needs of all learners; I love walking into Matt’s classroom.

Above all else, Matt is a wonderful man. He is mild-mannered, approachable and compassionate with his students and colleagues. He actively seeks opportunities to help others in the Math department and throughout the school. On numerous occasions, I have leaned on him to support me with math projects, service-learning activities, and other tasks.  With Matt, you know he will do his best and immerse himself in the task whole heartedly. As a result of his personal character, he is very well liked and respected by students, staff and parents.

As a Mathematics Instructional Coach, I have appreciated Matt’s active role in collaborating with peers, in following through on department goals and in striving to improve mathematics instruction and learning not only for his own students but for all students at our school. I am certain Matt would add great value to any Mathematics department he becomes a part of. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have additional questions.

Sincerely,

Riyaz Ismail

Instructional Coach for Mathematics

Dhahran School, Saudi Aramco Expatriate Schools

=> LINK TO TOP OF PAGE

Andy Valadka's Recommendation - Matt

[Signed hard-copy on Yangon International School letterhead]


June 4, 2014


To Whom It May Concern,

As Secondary Principal of Yangon International School I have had the profound pleasure of working with Matt Kaun since August 2012.  This is his second year with YIS.  Matt's primary responsibility has been as a High School mathematics teacher.  Much to my chagrin, he has completed his initial contract with YIS and is moving further afield along with his wife.

First and foremost, it should be noted that I have found Matt to be a thoroughly dedicated and knowledgeable teacher with tremendous skills at bringing mathematics to life for our students.  He is a digital native and works hard to integrate IT, inquiry and project based learning and teamwork into his courses.  He has also been a member ot Technology Committee for the past two years and piloted our Mimio Interactive Whiteboard and our Engrade programs.

Outside the classroom, Matt is a tireless extra-curricular contributor.  He has coached Middle School badminton and table tennis for both years, and has run an SAT Club after school.  Matt has also been highly engaged in a variety of off-campus activities (we run a Week Without Walls 6-12 at YIS).  He has strengthened these learning opportunities for our students and has been the spearhead for the Grade 9 trip to Chiang Mai.  He's been a member of our WASC Math Home Group as well as on our WASC Steering Committee this year.  He has been a driving force in the social lives of many of our faculty and is praised by his peers and colleagues.

Matt's energy, understanding, compassion and straight out love for his subject and students will be sorely missed.  His decision to pursue his career in another environment will truly diminish our faculty, along with the potential for our mathematics program to grow.  He has also been the driving force in starting up a Statistics program here, which will become an AP Statistics course next year.

I trust that you will consider his candidacy favorably.  I know that wherever he accepts a new posting, he will become an integral part of the institution's faculty and will help it move forward.  As indicated earlier given the opportunity, I would have absolutely no hesitation to hire him again.

Sincerely,

Andy Valadka
Principal
Yangon International School

=> LINK TO TOP OF PAGE