Dan LaLonde
Physical Education
Letters of Recommendation & References
“In summary, Dan continuously displays the qualities that make a teacher successful. He is motivated, dependable and is in tune with the needs of all students. He works well with colleagues. I highly recommend him for a teaching position.”
-Shawn Riordan
My first student teaching site was at Congress Park Elementary in Brookfield, Illinois. “Congress” is a very diverse school by race, SES, and student motivation and that gave me a real-life experience that prepared me to teach in a variety of settings. My corresponding teacher, Shawn Riordan, did a great job providing me feedback and letting me find my own teaching style. Attached here is my letter of recommendation from Mr. Riordan completed in October of 2014.
"He worked efficiently to implenment well-structured lessons to fit into the curriculum that kept students focused, engaged, active, and interested. He used a variety of teaching methods and creatively differentiated to address the needs of all students."
-Kevin Kolar
"Within my six years teaching at the higher education level I would rate Mr. LaLonde in the top 5% of students I have taught."
-Dr. Williams
Attached here is a letter of recommendation that Dr. Williams from Illinois State University has written for me. Dr. Williams was a professor of mine for two classes and I also was his teaching assistant for another. He has seen me transform from a student to a future professional.
In my time at LaGrange Highlands Middle School in LaGrange, Illinois I was given the opportunity to student teach for eight weeks. Highlands is a one-to-one person laptop school and that gave me the freedom to use technology to enhance student learning. I created multiple assignments, close reads, and assessments to ensure students were achieving their potential. This letter of recommendation from Kevin Kolar who was my corresponding teacher at Highlands speaks about how I was able to create interest inviting activities for all students among many other.
References
Dr. Skip Williams
Illinois State University
School of Kinesiology and Recreation
(309) 438-1114
Dr. Jay Percell
Illinois State University
Assistant Professor
School of Teaching & Learning
(309) 438-0274
Shawn Riordan
Congress Park Elementary
Physical Education Teacher
(630) 277-1743
Kevin Kolar
LaGrange Highlands Middle School
Physical Education Teacher
(708) 476-3044
Tom Sloan
Lyons Township High School
Head Varsity Boy’s Basketball Coach
(630) 670-2410
Dr. Williams was my professor for multiple courses at Illinois State University. I was also his teaching assistant during the Spring 2014 semester. We worked together to instruct lessons for my fellow PETE major peers. He has been an influential part of my development as a physical educator.
Dr. Percell was my professor for multiple education courses at Illinois State University. He has continued to be a role model for me to strive to be the most effective teacher as possible. His passion for teaching is a characteristic that I seek to mirror onto my future students.
Mr. Riordan was the teacher that I worked with for my student teaching placement at Congress Park Elementary. This was my first site for student teaching and he saw me transform from a student into a teacher. Mr. Riordan provided corrective feedback as much as possible to ensure I succeed in my future classroom.
I student taught at Highlands Middle School. Mr. Kolar was the teacher that I worked with during my time at Highlands.
Mr. Sloan was my high school basketball coach. He helped devlop my leadership skills and passion to become a coach.
Mr. LaSage has known me since I was a child. He has always made sure that stay on the correct path. He is the reason why I am driven to be successful
Kevin Kolar
LaGrange Highlands Middle School
Physical Education Teacher
(708) 476-3044
Karen Foley
Gemini Junior High School
Assistant Principle at Gemini J.H.S.
(847) 827-1181