1. 10216 Thurston Groves Blvd, Seminole, FL 33778
727.465.4120
JARED HIRSCHFIELD
Regarding Mrs. Fran Siracusa | jarhirschfield@shorecrest.org
May 28, 2013
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing this reference at the request of Mrs. Fran Siracusa, who is applying for an award of
excellence in teaching with the use of technology. I was in daily contact with Mrs. Siracusa for two
years in my capacity as a student at Country Day School in Largo, Florida. Mrs. Siracusa taught several
levels of Spanish at Country Day, including intermediate Spanish (Spanish 2-3) in which I was enrolled
for my seventh and eighth grade years. Based on Mrs. Siracusa’s passion for her subject area and
extensive integration of technology in the classroom, I would rate my experience with her no less than
exceptional and the wealth of knowledge gained from her truly astounding.
Mrs. Siracusa has a number of strengths that she consistently displays in her classroom and utilizes to
constantly improve the learning environments around her. Thanks to her strong leadership and
unwavering dedication to the field of technology and learning, this year the entire Country Day Middle
School adopted an iPad-based curriculum aiming to even further promote the implementation of
technology in the educational and academic realms. Being an above-average student, I felt that in my
time with Mrs. Siracusa my study of the Spanish language was significantly influenced and improved by
her unique employment of technology in many aspects of my learning. For example, Mrs. Siracusa does
not simply make use of technology to provide reinforcement or constant repetition, but she also uses
her technological tools and techniques to encourage independent learning and to take the material
beyond a simple lesson plan, extending its meaning into real-world applications.
In conclusion, I would highly recommend Mrs. Fran Siracusa for any award recognizing teachers of high
caliper in the use of technology to aid and advance twenty-first century learning. If her performance at
the front of the classroom is any indication of how she would represent this award, Mrs. Siracusa would
be an extremely positive addition to the respect and significance of this award. If you need any
additional information, feel free to contact me at (727) 465-4120 or by email at
jarhirschfield@shorecrest.org anytime.
Sincerely,
Jared Hirschfield
Rising Tenth Grader at Shorecrest Preparatory School