References
Original letters and phone numbers are available upon request.
A special thank you to the writers for such kind words.

To Whom It May Concern:

Anna Hallock was the tutor for my son, Bradley K., during his fifth grade school year, 1999-2000.

Bradley is eleven years old with several learning issues including, visual/auditory learning difficulties, reading comprehension, and test anxiety.  He has great difficulty learning and comprehending basic mathematical concepts.

Anna was always patient and inventive in dealing with Brad's tutoring.  She was able to find ways to keep him interested and was always coming up with different effective ways to help Brad learn, especially mathematics.

Brad's classroom teacher and IEP instructor were always impressed with the advances Brad made with the additional help from his tutor, Anna Hallock.

This year the fifth grade class took the ISAT exams.  Mathematics and writing were the subjects tested.  Anna spent a good deal of time the first quarter helping Brad review for these tests.  We recently received the test results.  We were very pleased to learn that Brad's scores were at grade level in all subjects, including mathematics.

I know this would not have been possible without Anna's additional tutoring.  We cannot recommend her highly enough for any teaching position.  She is a wonderful, caring and very creative person.  We feel we were very privileged to have had Anna touch the life of our little boy.  I know her influence will remain with him always.

Please contact me if you have any questions or would like to discuss any of the information I have provided. 

Sincerely, 
Lynn K.
Bloomington, IL

Jeff & Teresa E.
Bloomington, IL

To Whom It May Concern,

I understand that Anna Hallock has applied for a teaching position. We hope you will give particular attention to her application.  She has much to offer you.

We became acquainted with Anna in 1998, when our daughter Makenzie enrolled in a reading program sponsored by our local public library.  The library paired college students, willing to donate their time, with elementary school aged children.  The college students and children worked together on a one on one basis, during which time they would read together and share in activities aimed at fostering the child's interest in reading.  Makenzie was fortunate to have Anna as a partner through the 1998-2000 school years.  As we observed Anna working with Makenzie, it was apparent that Anna has a talent for working with children.  We feel that Anna's creativeness, enthusiasm, intelligence and genuine interest in children make her an outstanding partner, as well as a positive role model for Makenzie.  Thanks to Anna generously donating her time and talent, Makenzie had a wonderful experience.

We are certainly sad to see Anna leave Bloomington to pursue her student teaching experience and eventually a teaching career, but we know she will make an outstanding teacher.  We hope you will be able to reap the benefits of her talent.

Sincerely,
Jeff & Teresa E.
Bloomington, IL

Anna Hallock has been employed by my cafe during breaks from school for the past two years.  Her responsibilities were food preparation and sanitation in the kitchen as well as prepping sandwich orders for customers.  It can be a fast paced environment that requires patience and good listening skills.  Anna quickly learned our systems and constantly performed well in her job responsibilities.  As an employee, she has strong communication skills, is consistently willing to take on additional responsibilities and is a team player.  I was able to delegate tasks to her and knew that the work would be done quickly and correctly.  She is a confident and hard working young woman that would be an asset to any teaching staff.

Sincerely, 
Lynn W.
Lynn's Garden Cafe
Elgin, IL

Dear Educator:

I am writing this letter of recommendation for Anna Hallock who seeks your consideration for an elementary teaching position.  Anna is a very personable, intelligent, articulate, and honest young woman.

I have known Anna since her junior year when she played basketball for Elgin High School.  I also had the pleasure of having Anna in my computer class in which she excelled.  My wife and I have also used Anna for babysitting our three children during her high school days and college summers.  It is always a pleasure to have her work with our children.

However, the most important job Anna has had with us is tutoring my first grade son for the past two year in Math and Reading (several times a month).  We have found her teaching techniques with our son to be most valuable.  My son had really excelled in Reading and Math and loves school.  We credit a lot to Miss Hallock for her successful reading strategies. 

Anna attended Illinois State University and will be certified to teach K-9 (type 03) and will have endorsements in social sciences, language arts, and middle school.  Anna will have a concentration in Speech Pathology and Linguistics.  Anna is currently student teaching for the whole school year in the Professional Development School Program in Wheeling, IL.  Anna enjoys reading, athletics, mathematics, computer and science classes.

Anna has a wonderful, supportive family and lives with her parents and two sisters.  Anna has a part-time job at the YMCA/Elgin Recreation Center as an aerobic instructor.  Anna would be a well-deserving candidate for employment because of her background, academic accomplishments and achievements, school and church activities (St. Josephs) and her desire to succeed in all of her endeavors.  Giving Anna a position with your school district, would be a most lucrative investment.

Again, I strongly recommend Miss Anna Hallock be given the opportunity to enlighten and instruct the children of your school.  If you need further information or have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Thomas J. Meaney
Business Instructor and Varsity Football Coach
Bartlett High School

To Whom IT May Concern:

This letter is to highly recommend Anna Hallock for a teaching position in your school district.  Anna is a bright, enthusiastic, and dedicated young woman.

Anna is an extremely well rounded and mature student.  Her academic abilities and achievements have been outstanding.  In addition to her course work, Anna has contributed countless hours to several social and educational organizations.

I had the unique experience to be the assistant basketball coach during Anna's high school years.  I found her to be a dedicated team player that interacted positively with her teammates.  This asset will enable her to relate well with fellow peers as she enters her post school days.

Additionally, I observed Anna interact with young children during our summer basketball camps.  She consistently showed a genuine interest in the children whether they were the better players in the camp or not.

I strongly urge you to give serious consideration to hiring Anna to a teaching position in your district.  She is smart, hard working, and sensitive to the needs of others.

Sincerely Yours, 

Mark Sharf
Lady Maroon Basketball Staff

Anna is a team player, both on and off the court.  Her willingness as an athlete to sacrifice individuality for the betterment of the team, and to do so without question or complaint, is very evident.  Anna is not a quitter.  She is very persistent in achieving her goals.  Her sensitivity and sincerity towards others is one of her positive qualities.

She has worked at my summer basketball camps and has shown eagerness to teach and yet was sensitive to the needs of all the girls she came in contact with. She always brought out their positive achievements.  During our summer league games, when a volunteer coach was needed, you could count of Anna to jump right in and do an excellent job.

I have kept in touch with Anna during her college years, and it is easy to see that many of the lessons learned through sports has carried over into her everyday life.  Loyalty is the quality that best describes Anna in which she goes "above and beyond."  I'll always remember when Anna was at ISU and I achieved my 300th win.  There was a celebration after the game and Anna was adamant about being there.  Due to classes, she missed the game and due to prior commitments, she had to return after only staying an hour.  Her aunt drove to pick her up and returned her that very night to Normal.  (A 2 1/2 hour trip one way.)  She felt a strong need and responsibility to be there, even though it was not easily accomplished.  I felt honored that she would go through all that for me; but that's Anna. 

Dedication, loyalty, and a strong work ethic best describes this individual who possesses the sensitivity that I would want in my son or daughter's teacher.

Lee Turek
Elgin High School
Lady Maroons Varsity Head Coach

Letter of Recommendation

Anna Hallock is a very dependable friend to our family.  We relied on her to care for our two young boys while my husband and I were both working.  Anna has such an even tempered nature that Evan and Mitchell had a good time while maintaining a reasonable calm while under her care.  We have since moved out of state and still stay in touch with Anna and her sisters.  As we have come to know young people while living in South Carolina, we can appreciate Anna's maturity as a teen and now as an adult.

Anna stressed education to the boys even while they were still babies!  She would spend time on learning activities and always made them feel special and encouraged their natural curiosity.  She has that way about her.

Anna has demonstrated her dedication to her studies, sports, jobs and family.  This strong foundation surely carries through to her teaching as well.  Anna will be an asset to the community and school district in which she teaches. 

Sincerely,

Bob and Kim D.