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March 17, 2013 To Whom It May Concern, I have known Catherine MacDonald for the past two years

as she has pursued a graduate degree in Theatre Education at Emerson College. In my capacity as faculty member and head of undergraduate Theatre Education, in the department of Performing Arts, I have had the opportunity to work with Catherine in three classes and supervise her student teaching. She has shown impressive skills in each capacity. Catherine is an engaged and committed student. She has an abiding interest in a broad range of topics, and is both a creative and analytical thinker. Catherine is quite bright and grasps new material quickly, easily integrating it into her existing knowledge base. She is warm, funny, and good-natured, making her a gift to any classroom dynamic. Further, her willingness to listen to others ideas and her ability to clearly and concisely explain her own thoughts moves the learning forward for the entire group. Catherine was a student in my Multicultural Education course. Though it was an exceptionally challenging class, both reading and writing heavy, Catherine had no trouble excelling. She has a commitment to the topic and is motivated by the challenges of addressing diverse student needs in our current educational climate. She is passionate about looking for, and implementing, solutions to the problem of equity in education, and incorporated these goals during her student teaching experience at a Boston Public Middle School. Catherine student taught at Josiah Quincy Middle School, an International Baccalaureate program for a student population that is both racially and socioeconomically diverse. She was very successful in this difficult environment, inspiring her students to engage successfully with theatre and to succeed academically in her

classes. Further, she was able to foster community among the students, creating a safe space for social and academic risk-taking, and improving student performance in her classes. Catherine demonstrated a true gift for curriculum design, drawing even reluctant learners into her lessons. She has terrific presence as a teacher, and uses her performance understandings to hook students into her curriculum. The students truly loved her. Further, Catherines classes functioned seamlessly. She is adept at establishing classroom routines which maximize time on task and at incorporating students into these routines in order to facilitate their sense of responsibility for their own learning and for the functioning of the group as a whole. She establishes and maintains a welcoming classroom climate and her behavior management is pro-active and effective. Catherine holds high standards for all students, and is able to differentiate instruction to facilitate learners of all abilities. In one of the classes I observed, there was a very broad range of academic, behavioral, and theatre abilities represented, and Catherine was able to include and challenge every student in the room, and encourage and push them to achieve to the limits of their potential. Every student was an integrated member of the community of that class. Finally, Catherine is a talented actress and director with an impressive breadth of theatre knowledge. The classes she took with me included theatre and performance elements, and Catherine was a standout. Catherine MacDonald is a gifted educator, with a deep commitment to urban students and outstanding competencies in her subject area, curriculum design, and classroom management. Her warmth and humor make her a positive addition to any teaching community. I recommend her highly. Sincerely,

Bethany Nelson Head of Undergraduate Theatre Education Department of Performing Arts

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