LOR help for someone working overseas

[kt83]

Hi everyone. First post, so hopefully I'm doing this right.

 

I'm applying to MEd Elementary Education/K-6 certification programs for Fall 2016. My big problem is that I've been out of school and overseas since 2007, when I did my first masters. I've been trying to take online or night classes to find someone I can use as a recent academic references, but between my visa, the time difference, and the fact that I'm in the middle of nowhere have no one to proctor for me, I haven't had much luck.

 

So with all that in mind, I would love some advice picking three references. These are the options I have:

 

- The current principal at my school. She speaks English very well, but not fluently, and is familiar with my work with middle schoolers (age 13 - 15). Korea doesn't really do professional LORs the same way the US does, so I know that she would just write me one generic letter. Anything she writes will be very positive, though.

 

- The director of the program I volunteer through. This is where most of my experience with elementary students comes from. I've organized programming and events for the kids and currently manage the other volunteers.

 

- My supervisor for a second job connected to my first one. It has nothing to do with students, but it requires me to advise and supervise almost a hundred adults through email and instant messenger and to act as a translator.

 

- The dean I did my grad assistantship with back in 2007. She isn't in an academic department, but the university is very prestigious and she's offered to write me an LOR before.

 

- A tenured professor from my first masters. I took a seminar with one of them that relates to elementary education and got a lot of praise for a research project I did. I haven't been in contact with her, though, and I doubt she remembers me after almost ten years.

 

All of the schools I'm applying to will allow a professional reference to be subbed for an academic reference because I've been out of school for more than five years. I have decent scores (undergrad GPA 3.6, grad 3.9, good Praxis and GREs) and I've done a lot of work with underprivileged and ESL students through my volunteering, which a lot of the schools specifically ask for.

 

I don't have the option of taking classes once I go back to the US, because my contract in Korea finishes well after all of the applications are due.

 

Any advice would be really appreciated.