June 7, 2016

To Whom It May Concern:

It is my pleasure to write a reference letter in support of Ms. Edna Lau.  Ms. Lau has been my son Asher’s fourth grade teacher this past year (2015-2016) at the International School of Beijing.

I knew from the first time we met at Back to School night that Ms. Lau would be an exceptional teacher.  Rather than just covering the basic housekeeping information about schedules and curriculum, she jumped right into an animated discussion about Carol Dweck’s work on “fixed” and “growth” mindsets and how we parents could help our children face the year with a growth mindset.  I could tell immediately that she had not just chosen teaching as a career, but as a life’s calling.  She proved to be, during the course of the whole year, the kind of teacher who never clocked out at 3:30, but was always thinking about how she could implement a new math strategy she had just learned from a conference or better reach a child who was struggling.  She was just the kind of teacher my son needed.  Asher did not have a great start to his first few years of school and was left feeling a bit apathetic and frustrated, that school was a long day of hoops to jump through.  He loves learning on his own and is a very bright and creative boy, but did not yet have a teacher who knew how to access his enthusiasm in a structured school environment.  When I met Ms. Lau I knew that finally this year would be different.  She genuinely cared for him, gave him much more responsibility for his own learning through hands-on methods and projects, firmly but lovingly kept him in line, and helped him see that he could be not only a participant, but a leader in the classroom when he had a good attitude and a growth mindset.

One way Ms. Lau did this was by creating an enjoyable and adaptable system of homework (or “home learning,” as my son likes to remind me).  For example, she writes a weekly Math Menu that is clear and concise, with concrete examples, that allows the students to pick from a variety of exercises within a certain subsets of mathematic principles. The children were also grouped into teams and earned points for their team by turning in their homework, which could be redeemed for fun activities during free choice time.  She used real-life situations in the math problems and the real names of all the children in the class, and even had “secret agent” math assignment for more advanced students. This worked well for my son, because when he was given agency over which math projects or problems he did, he felt more ownership in his homework and consequently much more enthusiasm.  For example, one of the choices was to create a song, poem, poster, or piece of art illustrating specific geometric terms.  Asher loved the idea and spent all afternoon writing a rap (“Hey, hey, my name is ‘Ray’ / I start on a point and I go the other way / If I have a point on the other end / Then I become a rad ‘Line Segment,’ yes, my friend…”) and performing it at dinner for his younger brothers.  A boy who began the year rushing through his homework with minimal effort so he could go outside to play with his friends at the park, Asher came to anticipate each week looking at the Math Menu to see what he could choose from next!

I also appreciated Ms. Lau’s attentiveness to communication.  We parents received weekly updates to her blog, where she posted upcoming events, helpful information, links to educational resources, and even a list of her favorite books.  She also emailed out more immediate information so we could be prepared for field trips and school events.  I always knew what was going on.  Where I felt she really went above and beyond any other teacher my children have ever had, was that, in addition, she frequently posted real-time photos and comments on WeChat (a group chatting app used commonly here in China), so we could see the kids conducting science experiments, building water tables, rewiring their sumo robots, baking macarons in the school kitchen, playing in a dodgeball tournament, or touring an organic farm.  She also posted samples of the kids’ writing, brainstorming ideas on the whiteboard, math work, and even wrote brief recaps of discussions they had and solutions they had discovered.  She even asked for parent feedback and comments.  My husband especially loved these updates, since he is not able to come in to the classroom much.  These WeChat posts were a real window into what was actually happening at school (since, like many boys, sometimes my son only gives me a few lines’ summary of his day) and were the impetus for many conversations around the dinner table, sparking his excitement to remember and share his day’s learning with the whole family. She kept in touch with other teachers, such as the Chinese teacher and arts specialists, about her goals for the students, so they were on the same page working as a team.  I also appreciated that she would communicate as needed with my husband and me about our son, so that if he had a hard day at school or if there was a concept he couldn’t master, that we could be aware and continue the dialogue at home to love and support him.

I have many close friends with children in the class from all different backgrounds—one a shy, bright girl; another, a recently adopted girl with little English; another, a quiet but creative boy who loves technology—and we have all commented many times to each other that Ms. Lau has a gift for seeing a child’s unique strengths and helping them overcome their challenges to reach their potential.  It is for this reason that Ms. Lau is the teacher I wish my son could have for his entire school experience-- she saw his potential and helped him reach it, neither dragging him along nor pushing him ahead, but walking next to him as a guide, giving direction and encouragement.  I know that in her future she will continue to awaken and nurture a love of learning for all the students she teaches wherever she goes.

Sincerely,

Lindsay Sevy

Parent, International School of Beijing, Shunyi