Ruth MacVane

BEING A NANNY

"It is important to me to have a job that I wake up in the morning looking forward to and that I leave at the end of the day with a sense of accomplishment."

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Recommendations

I had the good fortune of working with Ruth MacVane on a year-long service learning project funded through a federal grant I administered as the Director of Service Learning at the Department of Education a few years back.

I had grant money available for schools that were interested in taking on an ambitious project, and Ruth applied successfully for Toddy Pond School in Swanville. Her application, in multimedia format, was so stunning that I sent it to my federal program officer in Washington, DC, and she used it nationally as an example of the kind of phenomenal things students could do with service learning. Maine was officially branded a Service Learning Star.

And that was just with the application!

Ruth and her partner and the director of Toddy Pond worked closely with the students, teachers, and community members on this project, and the result was a movie written and created by the students (ages 6 to 14) to be used for economic and community development for the nearby coastal town of Belfast. I visited the students during and after the making of the movie, and watched Ruth working with them. She was brilliant with them – engaging, supportive, challenging, and funny – and they responded with excitement and an eagerness to learn that reflects exactly what education is supposed to be. She is clearly in her element when she is teaching and working with students.

The end product, Time for Belfast, showed in movie theaters around Maine to rave reviews, and some of the students attended various performances and spoke to the audiences after the shows to answer questions and elaborate on the making of the movie. They spoke with great poise and very articulately, and they knocked the socks off the audience every time.

It was also terrific for me to work with Ruth. I needed finances accounted for and reports filed and surveys completed, and Ruth always got everything done on time. (Not all of my grantees were so responsible.) Even better, Ruth’s enthusiasm for her work and for education was infectious and made it a pleasure to go see her.

I highly recommend Ruth MacVane to anyone in the educational field. You will be very lucky to have her on your staff.

Sincerely,

Charlie Hartman

MLTI Project Manager

Maine Department of Education

207-624-6679

charlie.hartman@maine.gov

September 5, 2011

To whom it may concern,

It is with great pleasure, combined with a bit of sadness, to write a letter of recommendation for Ruth MacVane. I would not like to see Ruth leave CDS REACH, she has offered so much to our children and families.

Ruth has spent the last year within our program for developmentally needy 3-5 year olds. This was our first year in a new location, with new staff, and new leadership; needless to say this was a challenging year. Ruth’s determination help our students learn and make a difference for them was essential for us make to it thru that tough first year!

Ruth came to work each day with a smile for the parents and commitment in her heart to teach the children we serve. Ruth’s greatest strength is her honest respect for the children, regardless of their disability, she finds something amazing and wonderful about each child. When others were out, Ruth often stayed and worked longer than her regular hours, without being asked. Ruth wanted to make sure she was prepared for her students.

I would be more than happy to answer any questions one might have about Ruth but I can positively say she is honest, dependable, caring and a solid co-worker. It has been a pleasure to work with her over this last year.

Sincerely,

Carol Rush

Reach School Administrator

It is with unbridled enthusiasm that I write this letter of reference for Ruth Doody (MacVane) as she pursues a primary teaching position. She is without a doubt one of the most caring, compassionate educators I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Ruth has been the high school teacher in the West School day treatment program for the past two years, leaving a legacy that will be difficult to surpass. The West School program provides day treatment services for children K - 12 who have been identified as having serious emotional disabilities and/or mental health issues. Given that most of the students at West would require placement at an out-of-district program (e.g. Spurwink), it's fair to say that Ruth effectively worked with an extremely challenging group of adolescents.

Ruth's greatest strength as an educator lies in her unconditional acceptance of all students, which results in her ability to quickly form genuine, positive working relationships with all manner of students. Most of the students who entered the high school program have developed significant and deep-seated distrust of school personnel. Ruth reaches out to her students by showing a sincere interest in them as persons, first and foremost, which hen enables her to develop a highly effective student-teacher learning relationship.

As a consummate professional, Ruth approaches all her school responsibilities with aplomb. She was able to effectively deal with the oftentimes unpredictable behavioral manifestations of her students' social/emotional issues. She consistently demonstrates excellent judgment and initiative. Equally important, however, is that Ruth also knows when to ask for support, which is an asset in this setting. She solicited performance feedback, and responded promptly and positively to such. Ruth works collaboratively with her peers. She works long and hard to develop standards-based performance activities that engage her discriminating learners with relevant learning experiences. Her flexibility and willingness to always go 'above and beyond' was critical to the smooth functioning of our school high school program. Without teachers like Ruth, our school's ability to meet the complex needs of our students would be compromised.

As noted above, a strength area for Ruth is her ability to create and implement positive, relevant, Learning-Results-based learning opportunities for her students. For example, two years ago Ruth teamed with a local filmmaker to produce a student-produced video on why West School needed a library. She and her students then used the video as part of a well-orchestrated and highly successful "road show" to secure community-based funds for the library, which was dedicated in October 2001. This past year, in response to the budgetary reality that teachers would have to do more with less, Ruth secured a Service Learning grant that she used to develop a year-long, student-driven cultural project entitled "If You Don't Know Me, How Can You Judge Me?" This amazing learning experience really opened the eyes and minds of the students to the positive side of the rich diversity of their community.

Ruth Doody (MacVane) has my highest endorsement for any primary teaching position, or any teaching position for that matter. She has the experience, motivation, character, and interpersonal skills that will be an asset in any school setting. I would be happy to further discuss Ruth;s considerable qualifications with you. Please call me days at (207)874-8225.

Respectfully submitted,

Peter McCormack, West School Director

To Whom It May Concern,

It is a pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for Ruth Doody (MacVane). I worked with Ruth for two years when she was the teacher in the West high school program. During the 2001-2002 school year, I was the clinician for Ruth's classroom. During the 2001-2002 school year I consulted with Ruth and the high school team. Consequently, I feel that I am able to speak to Ruth's ability as an educator due to my extensive exposure to Ruth's personality, teaching style, and philosophy.

Ruth is an exceptional educator who is able to connect with many of the district's most challenging students. She is open, honest and authentic in the relationships that she builds with both students and staff. Day after day, Ruth would focus on the best of her students, respecting their needs and differences while showering them with prais for their attempts at positive behavioral change. We found that the population of our high school program grew with Ruth as the teacher because the students loved her vigor, energy, and compassion.

I was also extremely impressed with Ruth's ability to "hook" many students who were disenfranchised from the educational process. I remember speaking to a community based social worker who was providing counseling to a student from West. This counselor described to me that the student was spending part of his sessions talking about the projects he was working on at school, and how excited he was by the learning. That counselor remarked, "This is the first time he has ever talked to me about learning." Ruth structured her classroom so that students were excited and engaged in their learning. She utilized many hands-on activities and speakers, clearly structuring the learning so it was meaningful to the students. Ruth reached many of the students through her teaching and was able to structure activities that respected the needs of students with widely divergent learning styles.

On a personal note, I found Ruth to be extremely easy to work with. She is always seeking feedback and soliciting information to incorporate into her lessons and behavior plans. I found her to be positive, kind, compassionate, empathetic and flexible. She always walked into the building with a smile and energy for her teaching. Ruth is also not afraid to laugh at herself and take difficult situations in stride.

I feel that Ruth would be a valuable asset to any school community. Please feel free to give me a call with further questions.

Sincerely,
Nancy R. Smith, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Portland Public Schools

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter pertains to Ruth MacVane who was teacher at the Isle au Haut Elementary School (K-8). I write as a member of the School Committee which hired her, and which strongly urged her to stay. To our deep regret, she felt she must leave this position for family reasons, unrelated to her teaching position.

The School Committee is now in a search for her successor. As one reviews scores of applications, it makes one wonder what can ge said in a letter of reference which will make it clear that the applicant is truly exceptional. This is difficult because letters of reference are letters of recommendation, and there are good things which can be said about any applicant.

Ruth is one of those truly exceptional teachers. Her natural gifts as a teacher, and her training and experience, are so much a part of her that she almost instinctively does what needs to be done, and does it extremely well. She never seems to be groping for a course of action, but comes to the student in a manifestly understanding way to meet the student’s need. One does not feel she is ‘drawing on her professional training’ as a craftsman might draw on a bag of tools, but that it is she herself who is responding.

To see her in the classroom is to witness a scene more like a ‘club’ than a schoolroom. The students are all active members, motivated and energized by her. Her style is more that of a club leader or adult guide than the stereotypical ‘teacher’. It is a highly successful style which does not seem to allow for problems of discipline.

She is highly intelligent and I wish she were applying to fill our current vacancy!

Yours truly,
Robert DeWitt
School Committee Member
Isle au Haut School

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Dear Prospective Employer,

It is a pleasure to write this recommendation for Ruth MacVane. She began work for Early Exposure Productions in 2007 as Education Coordinator and initiated our Service Learning work in schools. I am now located in Boston and she continues to work as a part time assistant editor.
I can say Ruth is a hard worker but that fails to communicate the real truth of it. Ruth outperforms the terms of description themselves. She is more than a hard worker- she won't let a task go until see has eliminated any trace of it. Tenacious.

And creative. Ruth was my assistant in completing a weekly 60 min broadcast television program that had to be shot and edited in 6 days every week. The insight and creative energy Ruth brought to the process made it possible. The work was fun, but grueling and she consistently had to work late into the night. Ruth always finds something in the work that interests and challenges her. As her employer I can say you will not find a harder worker- nor a more conscientious one.

What sets Ruth apart however is more than tenacity and insight- Ruth has a natural compassion for children. Not just affection mind you- but a talent for engaging them in the world around them in a fun, directed way. You have to see it to understand it- or at least I did.

Ruth’s heart and talent lie in Education and specifically Service Learning Projects. We went into schools and, with grants from non-profit organizations such as the Unity Foundation, banks and small businesses, taught children film-making from A to Z. At the time Ruth was working for me as an assistant editor and it was Ruth who saw the potential for this type of work (having done a similar project for the Children's Museum) and opened all the doors to making it happen- including securing the first major donor.

To sum up- any method that can be employed to get Ruth in contact with kids of any age is a good thing. It's like getting Clara Barton in contact with a hospital! She is a natural.

If I can answer any specific questions, I'm happy to-

Caleb

Caleb Crosby, soc

Shooting Machine

53 Spruce St

Watertown MA 02472

504 355 6106

Portland Public Schools

To Whom it May Concern:

It gives me great pleasure to recommend Ruth MacVane for a teaching position. During the past three years at West School, Ruth and I have worked closely together in various capacities, and I have had many opportunities to observe her in and out of the classroom.

Ruth is truly a remarkable person and teacher. She continually shows enthusiasm for her profession and seeks to bring out the best in herself, her students and her coworkers. Her love of learning is contagious, and her courage and leadership for trying the new enhances her students’ capacity for learning and success.

Under trying circumstances Ruth always remains lever-headed, professional, positive and hopeful. As a problem solver, she is open minded, creative and persistent. Her can-do attitude is an inspiration to her students, her students’ parents and to the people she works with. Ruth has the rare ability to put herself in another person’s shoes. Her kindness and consideration for others shows in everything she does.

As a team member, Ruth takes the lead in generating ideas, accepting responsibility, and following through on details.

Perhaps Ruth’s greatest attribute as a teacher is her faith in her students. She is able to see and bring out the best in them. She believes in the gifts of each student and that each student is a gift.

Ruth has a delightful sense of humor, is not afraid of mistakes, and is genuine and reliable. She is also humble about her accomplishments.

In closing, I can’t recommend Ruth MacVane highly enough. Any school would be blessed to have her.

Sincerely yours,
Eleanor Steele
Partnership Developer

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