1. December14, 2014
RecommendationforAmandaTietjen
To Whom It May Concern:
I have had the pleasure of havingAmanda inmyCE 215 class(EarlyChildhoodCurriculum
Planning) and,mostrecently,inmyCE230 class(Creative ActivitiesforYoungChildren) atKaplan
Universitywhere she isworkingonherAASinEarly ChildhoodDevelopment. Herplansare to continue
hereducation andeventuallyreceive aB.S.inEarly ChildhoodDevelopment. Amandaisthe motherof
three children,andthe stepmotherof three children.. She hasa passionforyoungchildrenandenjoyed
learningaboutMaria Montessori andherbeliefsabouthow youngchildrenlearn. Basedonthe two
termsI have taught Amanda,Ibelieve she will be alovingassettoanyEC classroom.
Amandawas one of the strongestand mostdedicatedstudentsinbothclasses. She hada clear
sense of purpose andstrongwork ethic,andI couldalwaysdependonhertoset the bestexample for
herclassmatesas she engagedwiththemonourdiscussionboardand inseminars. Her responseswere
original andinformal,academicwriting. Ina discussion boardondramaticplay,she wrote:
Unit 7 Discussion Board Creative activities,
I was a drama queen, and was friends with all different kinds of people. I often got into
trouble because I could not sit still; I was a very hyper young girl. As a child I would play
pretend with my dolls a lot as well as listen to music and pretend that I was the singer (Michael
Jackson was my favorite). I was in a couple of the school plays but the one that stands out the
most for me was the production of “PT Barnum’s Circus” I was the 101 year old woman. It was
an interesting part for me because I was a tween and had no idea how to act like a 101 year old
woman. But I practiced at home and I practiced at school even in the hallways during class and
eventually I was able to walk and talk like a 101 year old woman, it was such fun learning this. I
had a small singing part but I did not have to sing good because I was to sing like the old lady. I
was able to experiment with being an old lady, and I discovered my creativity. Support of
children’s individual and collective expression occurs by promoting creative and artistic choices.
Creative expression helps children learn at deeper levels, provides enjoyment, and leads to
problem solving (Raines & Isbell, 2012). Discovering this creativity within myself led me to
have the confidence to try out for the drill team which was always a dream of mine. We were
always using our creativity in making up dances to songs and routines for games and half time
shows as well as costumes for our shows. Those were the best and most creative years of my life,
besides my years as a stylist. I really miss drill team.
All children learn through play. And dramatic play can be one of the most fun. I still enjoy
hours of singing, making up dances, and playing pretend with my children because they are
developing through the use of their creative minds. I enjoy learning and watching the children
use their creativity to make up songs and dances and be the creative little ones that they are.
Dramatic play can open up a whole new world of creativity for a young child also helping them
develop language skills, social skills, cognitive skills, adaptive skills, and motor skills. So keep
playing and have fun.
Amanda

2. References:
Isbell, Rebecca, and Shirley C. Raines. Creativity and the Arts with Young Children, 3rd Edition.
Cengage Learning, 2012.
I believe this response clearly shows Amanda’s love and concern for the children she will teach. She
understands the importance of creativity and how children learn and develop through exploration. She
was an explorer on our discussion boards as she read and reflected on her weekly assignments. When
respondingtoclassmatesonthe discussionboard,Amanda askedspecificquestionsabouther
classmate’sposts, elaboratedon pointsthatwere made,andoften providedclassmates with
information thatwouldextendlearningonthe topic. She wasalsoan active participantinall of our
seminars.
Duringour classesAmandademonstratedthroughherworkthatshe understoodthe
importance of playinearlychildhoodeducation,helpingchildrenexplore anddiscoverbyusingtheir
creativity, andthatshe had a clear understandingof the variouslearningstylesanddevelopmental
domains of children. She alsolovestolearnandisespeciallyinterestedinthe Montessori methodof
teaching.
Recentlywhilewatchingthe movieThe Lorax withmy grandchildren Iwasreminded of the Dr.
Seussquote,“Unlesssomeonelikeyoucaresa whole awful lot,nothingisgoingtogetbetter. It’snot.”
Amandaislike TedWigginsinthismovie because she “caresawhole awful lot,” andshe will encourage,
support,andpositivelychange the lives of the studentsshe teaches.
Marsha Crawford
AdjunctProfessorinEducational Studies
KaplanUniversity
mcrawford@kaplan.edu