This letter of recommendation is in support of Victoria Joseph’s application for CAEE’s master-level environmental educator certificate. I am basing my recommendations on four months that I have had the pleasure to observe Victoria’s teaching in more than 50 hours in the outdoors and classroom environments, and evaluate her performance learning environmental education intensively during her time spent attending the TREE Semester, a program of the Colorado College run at the Catamount Mountain Campus, and operated by the Catamount Center. The TREE Semester ran from August 30 – December 22, 2021. My role was as professor in Victoria’s four TREE classes:
ED 120 - Environmental Education Practicum: Students gain 30 hours of classroom and outdoor teaching and observation experience through assisting in Outdoor School and observing indoor and outdoor classrooms under the supervision of professional environmental educators and licensed teachers.
ED 225 - Critical Foundations of Environmental Education, which focused on learning about the goals and critical theories of environmental education, pedagogy, assessment, and learning.
ED385 - Environmental and Sustainability Education: which is our advanced curriculum class that focuses on writing and teaching two different sets of environmental education curricula, one for a group of “at-risk” high school students requiring about ten hours of classroom and outdoor teaching, as well as a four-week, 20-hour outdoor curriculum on environmental inquiry for fifth-grade students.
EV 211-Independednt Studyin Systems Thinking: This independent study focused on an evaluation of how well the TREE Semester addressed systems thinking skills for college-age students. Victoria reviewed existing literature on systems thinking instructional strategies, coded student assignments for systems thinking skills, and proposed new assignments to better scaffold systems thinking skills within the TREE Semester.
Victoria comes highly recommended for CAEE’s master-level environmental educator certificate. During her time at TREE, she has demonstrated exceptional critical thinking skills, dedication to personal improvement, and strong organizational skills. As her academic advisor, I am aware that Victoria’s previous coursework displays her commitment to both of her majors: education and environmental science.
Victoria is deliberate in her coursework. She stands out among her peers in her ability to break down complex concepts and explain them in layperson’s terms. She has demonstrated this skill numerous times summarizing scientific papers. Victoria also exhibits critical thinking when asking compelling analytical questions. In class, she frequently poses questions that provoke engaging discussions.
Throughout the semester, Victoria has demonstrated a commitment to self-improvement. Although she entered the semester as a capable writer, Victoria sought out additional feedback on her writing and has clearly worked to integrate many of my suggestions. Her personal drive to refine her writing is an example of how Victoria holds herself to a high standard. Additionally, she took advantage of the opportunity to learn the basics of tai chi. Victoria embraced and incorporated constructive critiques into her practice, which allowed her to excel as a tai chi student.
Victoria’s self-awareness and organizational skills are commendable. She was able to stay in control of the formidable TREE workload and advocated her needs in a timely manner. Victoria’s organizational skills shine through in her fastidious notetaking. This allowed her to recall information from the entire semester and access that knowledge in the semester’s summative oral exam.
Victoria has significant experience teaching prior to her work at TREE. Her roles as a ski instructor, aerial silks instructor, tutor, and camp counselor empower her to be comfortable instructing children. Victoria has a remarkable ability to remain calm in circumstances that might frustrate many seasoned teachers. This ability provides one among many reasons for her strong classroom management skills. As a teacher, Victoria cares deeply about her relationships with all her students. She fosters mutual respect with students of all ages by treating every individual with dignity. Victoria demonstrated care for her students during every lesson, even from the very beginning, with a check-in that gave students the space to share how they felt, which she effectively used to inform her teaching.
In summary, Victoria is an analytical and organized student, experienced and caring teacher, and a dedicated individual. I highly recommend Victoria to be certified as a master-level environmental educator.
Sincerely,
Howard Drossman
Howard Drossman, PhD Colorado College Professor of Environmental Education