Lauren Stevens Osoro

As owner of Thrive Art School, I have had the good fortune to work with Lauren Osoro in a variety of capacities and it is with great pleasure I write this letter on her behalf.

Lauren plays several important roles at Thrive Art School including Art Instructor, Office/Studio Manager, and Graphic Designer. Each position demands very specific skills, all of which Lauren possesses.

As an Art Instructor, Lauren works with children age 3 and up, adapting as necessary to meet the needs of students. She creates a perfect balance between Thrive Art School’s teaching methods and her own style and expertise in a wide variety of subject matter and mediums. Lauren goes well above expectations developing lessons, preparing for class and inspiring other instructors with her creativity and hard work. Lauren thoughtfully creates an inclusive atmosphere in her classroom by listening well to all students. The first time I observed Lauren’s instruction she greeted each student with a flower. This not only initiated a positive relationship with students, it was a prefect introduction to the day’s spring lesson. One year later, Lauren’s ability to create a supportive atmosphere and deliver high quality instruction continues to impress me.

As Office/Studio Manager, Lauren is well-organized, a clear communicator, and a highly effective liaison between staff and parents. Lauren also processes all registrations using QuickBooks and our enrollment database. Lauren is very detailed oriented, efficient, and timely. She has the intelligence required to run the office as well as an enthusiastic personality to build a positive rapport with customers and staff. I have received complementary feedback from Lauren’s colleagues and our customers regarding her communication skills and upbeat energy. As Studio Manager, Lauren keeps the school organized and tidy. All of this contributes greatly to the smooth running of the school.

In addition to teaching and managing the office and studio, Lauren designs our marketing materials. Her Photoshop work at Thrive includes flyers, promotional postcards, and posters to communicate upcoming events. I’ve greatly appreciated Lauren’s ability to quickly understand what design work is required for a project, and then complete it ahead of deadline. She manages the print process and assures that our marketing materials are high quality and professional.

In all capacities in which I’ve known Lauren, I have been continually impressed by her rare combination of skills. I believe she possesses the natural intelligence, the motivation, the poise and character, as well as the interest to excel in a variety of areas. She will be an incredible asset to any project or organization to which she contributes her talents.

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I employed Lauren as an Art teacher at the Ardeer Campus of Sunshine College after her fellow teachers recommended her. She was a very valuable member of staff. Lauren was always fully prepared for her classes and was a very competent teacher.

Lauren worked on a number of special projects with her students as well as her normal allocated classes. She organized a mural to be painted by students on a courtyard wall. This project involved students designing and painting the wall. She played a major part in our annual arts evening by helping organize the night and preparing a group of students to present a fashion display of their own clothing designs.

Throughout her time at the school she demonstrated her organizational and interpersonal skills. Lauren was respected by students, staff and parents.

I have recently retired from being Principal of the school and she was one of the most enthusiastic teachers I have ever met.

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This is to confirm that Lauren Stevens - Osoro was employed at the Ardeer Campus of Sunshine College as an Art teacher for the 2004 school year teaching students in years 7 - 10.

During this period of time Lauren demonstrated commendable qualities and teaching practices. Lauren was professional at all times and well organized for her classes. She was punctual, enthusiastic and had a positive and energetic approach to work. Lauren demonstrated very good skills in curriculum development and an ability to facilitate achievements in others. Lauren had well developed interpersonal skills, respected others and developed a very good rapport with both students and staff of the College.

Lauren participated in many school based programs and initiatives, and her experiences extended beyond the classroom environment. She was an active participant in Staff, Early Morning and Key Learning Area meetings, School based Professional Development Days and other staff forums. Lauren was instrumental in the development and implementation of the Fashion and Design elective for years 9 and 10 students. Her exceptional work in this area was reflected in a major College Musical Production – “2SHINE” which was highly regarded by all attendees to the performance. Lauren has left a permanent reminder of her good work and her ability to enthuse students through the organization and design of the mural on the wall of the basket ball courtyard.

I have no hesitation in recommending Lauren for a teaching position in the fields comparable to her qualifications and would be happy to discuss this further if required.

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Where and in what capacity did you know/work with this candidate?
a. Sunshine College Ardeer Campus
b. For how long? One year, 2004
c. Who was his/her immediate supervisor? Mr Robert Sanders – Campus principal in 2004. I was the Campus Assistant Principal at the time.

What specifically could you tell us about him/her in the following areas (please give examples where possible:

Classroom management skills:

Lauren was a very capable teacher and her classroom management skills were very good. Lauren treated all students with respect. Lauren always followed up on any issues with students and ensured she resolved problems. Lauren was firm but gentle in her approach, she was flexible and could adapt to different situations.

Instructional skills:

Lauren was always well organized and prepared for her classes. Lauren had the ability to engage students in all classroom activities and she was able to modify work to cater for individual differences/students abilities.

Relationship with students, staff and parents:

Lauren displayed very good interpersonal skills. She had a good rapport with all members of the school community and in particular her students. She was approachable and demonstrated professionalism at all times.

Ability to be a team player and whether a positive/negative influence on the work place and/or co-workers: Lauren was a very good team player. She worked cooperatively with her colleagues and her bubbly personality inspired others to try new approaches. Lauren brought out the best in people and she was an asset to our school community.

Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion:

Lauren was professional in her approach. She used good practice and tackled situations logically. Lauren was able to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion without any concerns.

Are you aware of any complaint filed against this candidate with OSPI, your agency/district or any place else? No

Please comment on his/her attendance and punctuality.

Lauren was punctual to all classes and there were no problems with her attendance.

Please tell me about how he/she deals with difficult situations or conflict.

Lauren applied logical and coherent processes to difficult situations. If she could not resolve issues herself, she informed the necessary personnel and worked together to rectify any concerns.

a. What do you consider to be his/her greatest strengths?

Lauren has a pleasant disposition; she has good values and treats others with respect. Lauren has the ability to draw out the positives in people. She has good interpersonal skills and is easy to work with. Lauren loves to work with children and this was reflected in the quality of the work her students produced.

b. Everyone can grow and improve. What would be an area of improvement for him/her?

a. Would you have any concerns about this person working one-on-one unsupervised with a student?

No

b. Would you want this person to teach your own child (grandchild or close relative)?

Yes

Are you aware of any past or current personal or professional issues relating to this person that could be of concern to the Bellevue School District or any other employer?

No

a. Has this person ever been on probation or a plan of improvement for unsatisfactory or deficient performance?

No

b. Is this person currently (or has he/she ever been) under investigation for any allegations regarding sexual misconduct or other unprofessional conduct?

No

Have you been limited in your responses by any direction or agreement or for any other reason?

No

Is there anything else you would care to add to help us make this decision?

Lauren is a very capable person and she was an asset to our school while she worked for us.

Would you hire this person without reservation?

Yes

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In 2005 I had the pleasure of teaching with Lauren Stevens. Lauren came to Swan Hill College and took up an art position. In my role a Student Services leader I quickly came to see how effective and liked she was as a teacher. All new teachers at this school are put under a lot of scrutiny by the students and this often makes the first year quite challenging. As I moved around the college and through the classrooms it was evident that Lauren had won the students over and had them engaged. Art classes are sometimes viewed by students as a soft option; however, to her credit, Lauren had them on task and producing some outstanding artwork. Lauren achieved this in a friendly, cooperative fashion, listening to her students and being flexible when needed.

One of her classes in 2005 was an eleventh grade Studio Arts class. This was the second to the last year of secondary education. Lauren was able to challenge and motivate this class and the students really warmed up to her. They were very upset when she was not here in 2006 as they thought that she would teach them in the twelfth grade as well. I know from the many conversations with the students that they missed her and many have continued to correspond with her in regards to assistance with their work. Some of these students have gone on to tertiary art courses, which in no small measure can be attributed to Lauren’s enthusiasm and skill.

I have no hesitation in recommending Lauren for any teaching position that you may have available. Lauren is very passionate about her art and from my experience she would enhance a school where student centered learning was the focus as she is intuitive, flexible and has a lot of common sense.

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During this time it was my pleasure to work with Lauren. She has an excellent knowledge of art, and has the ability to eagerly transfer this knowledge on to students.

Because Lauren is a practicing artist, her expertise in the handling of a wide variety of Media is a distinct advantage in her practical classes.

I have observed Lauren teaching senior classes drawing, painting, printing, etc., and she was achieving excellent outcomes for her students.

I have been particularly impressed by her ability to encourage and engage somewhat difficult students into meaningful practical lessons, and these students have been proud in displaying their excellent results.

I have taught at this college for 32 years, and rarely have I seen an art teacher like Lauren who has shown such enthusiasm, together with artistic talent, to produce excellent teaching which promotes individual expression.

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I have known Lauren Stevens for the past 12 months since she took up employment at the Swan Hill College. During this time I have had the pleasure of getting to know her a a college and also as a friend.

Throughout the year I have worked quite closely with Lauren, especially in Graphics and Art. She has always been approachable , courteous and works effectively and efficiently within the Art Department. Lauren has been willing to suggest and implement exciting and innovative ideas to enhance the curriculum. She has put an enormous amount of time and effort into ensuring her Art Room is bright, cheerful and an effective working environment. Lauren is a great believer in her students work, and makes every effort to display them professionally. Her input into the Art Expo and local Arts festival was outstanding, and she was able to develop a very positive rapport with the students involved.

Apart from teaching, I I could not help but notice Lauren's relationships with students, as we share an office. At recess and lunchtimes Lauren is always available for students. She has a special talent for enthusing and winning the confidence of students.

Lauren makes very sure that every student completes set tasks and she constantly follows up on both performance and behavior. She is very helpful to students who have difficulties with their work. Lauren is meticulous with assessment and keeping records of students.

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I have known Lauren Stevens since 2004 whilst were both working at Sunshine College in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne.

Sunshine College could easily said to represent the culture of poverty, students seeing school only as a platform for engaging in and continuing in relationships but viewing education as a non issue, particularly in the junior years.

Literacy is perceived as a major issue in the school with many students coming from an English as a second language (ESL) background, functionally illiterate homes, are homeless themselves or are school refusers (non attending of primary and secondary schooling).

Sunshine College had a large Deaf population whose primary language was Auslan (Australian Sign Language). This was another population that had demonstrated major problems with interpreting written language.

Lauren worked with students who were considered to be functioning up to 9 years beyond the expected literacy level and were functionally illiterate.

In summary Sunshine College had a large number of issues to address on a daily basis. Literacy, students’ values/culture not including education and as per most state funded schools an incredibly limited budget.

Lauren was hired because of her impressed student teaching skills (the equivalent to a teaching internship I believe) in her final year of university. Despite being a first year teacher she displayed a maturity and innovativeness that enriched both the curriculum and students’ connectedness to the school.

She worked closely with the Deaf Facility staff to create a series of power point demonstrations that would be both ESL and Deaf friendly. Things such as listing a topic first then adding the description next made it easier for many students to access written language.

Lauren was also masterful at finding images that would highlight a concept being taught rather than give a broad impression of the topic being covered.

She developed a set of describing cards so that each student would have at least one or two describing words for a particular topic. They would then hold up their card if it described a particular image. This meant that students could begin to expand on their lexicon in Art and students with literacy issues could participate to a greater level than ever before.

One of Lauren’s greatest successes was a school mural which students mostly worked on at recess and lunchtime. Many students came back to school purely to work on this project and were reengaged into the school community.

It was a pleasure to work with Lauren and Australia’s educational community’s loss is America’s gain.

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Where do I begin to start? You are a fantastic teacher! You are very easy to approach and easy to get along with. You always were prompt to class and made the boring theory classes interesting. The practical classes were a blast I can hardly call it a class because the great atmosphere created by you! You are also very intelligent when you put your mind to it, and you are an inspiration to all. Hayley Howard - Swan Hill College

Miss Stevens as she was known to me is an enthusiastic, friendly lady that loves teaching almost as much as shopping. She is an absolutely brilliant teacher. Lizzy Fox - Swan Hill College

You where one of my favorite teachers by far! We had heaps of fun in that class but I took a lot out of it as well you helped make a lot of things clear for me which has helped me get this far. (I'm studying graphic design its great I’m loving it! At the moment in one of my classes we are doing an essay on any movement we want and I actually searched all my old art folders looking for that essay I done for you to help give me ideas. Took me like a good 4 hours to find. You’re very passionate about teaching and getting the best result for the students in an easy and fun way.

She is an AWESOME teacher!!! The best art teacher I have ever had. I had so much fun with her. She also cares about each and everyone in the classroom. She makes the work fun and she is very easy to get along with, she has a great sense of humor and a great personality. Mel Evans - Swan Hill College

Miss Stevens taught my year 11 studio art class. Within the year that I had her as my teacher, we became good friends and she helped me to gather the knowledge that I needed, not only to pass the subject but for the rest of my schooling life at Swan Hill College and also into my university experience. I think that she will be an asset to your school and an inspiration to your students as she was to me. Julie Scrougall - Swan Hill College

You are a teacher that actually listens and cares that the students you teach have ambitions and this is the best way for a teacher to interact. - And that is the key you have, which makes you an awesome teacher!! Hannah Booth - Swan Hill College

My name is Shandy and I have to say that I once had the honor of having Ms. Stevens as my art teacher at Ardeer campus. She is a teacher who makes learning fun an d has a good connection with her students. With the time that she spent at my school, everyone came to be fond of her. She was the one who made me realize that I have a real talent in the arts and that I should be proud of it. If it wasn’t for her I would have given up on myself and would have hated art for the rest of my life. It was a very sad day on the day that she left, till this day we still talk about miss and how much fun she was. I would give anything to have a teacher like her again, because teachers who find a connection with their students are rare. Anyone will be lucky enough to have her and I would envy them for that. Shandy – year 11. Sunshine College