To Whom it May Concern:

It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to recommend Hera Zinno on the basis of her educational preparation, teaching skills, and the enthusiasm and creativity she brings to her teaching. I was Hera’s instructor and supervisor for the pre-practicum in the fall of 2004 and the practicum in the spring of 2005. Each semester I taught the seminar course designed to guide student teachers through the observation phase into active teaching and the creation of their professional portfolios for certification and licensure. In addition, I made scheduled visits throughout the year to Amherst High School to meet with Hera and her sponsoring teacher, Adriana Morehouse. In the seminar classes, Hera’s exceptionally strong language skills, experience teaching at the college level, and excellent range of previous coursework combined make her one of the best-prepared students. In the high school she consistently drew upon that preparation to provide well-planned, highly interactive instruction at an appropriate level for her students. The mentoring relationship she and her sponsoring teacher established was among the best I have seen and Hera did not hesitate to continue learning and refining her teaching in that environment. In addition, I was always struck by the energy and genuine joy she brought to the classroom, and I believe that enthusiasm is evident in her professional portfolio, and in all of these contexts I was greatly impressed with Hera’s preparation, commitment and professionalism. I recommend her without reservation.

Sincerely,

Donna D. Binkowski, Ph.D.

dbinkowski@spanport.umass.edu