• Hello! My name is Jennifer Walter. I live in Pleasant Gap and love being a member of the Bellefonte Area School District. I am proud to be a community member and an educator here. 
     
     
    My background 
    I grew up in Johnstown, PA and was part of a family of teachers including my grandmother, my mother, both of my sisters, 3 of my aunts, 3 of my cousins, and a nephew. Needless to say, I have a good grasp on the profession and its ins-and-outs. I graduated from Greater Johnstown High School in 1996 and attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania for 4 years. I earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education of Person's With Hearing Loss and, while working one year as a long-term substitute as a Hearing Therapist in Mifflin County School District, I moved with my husband to Centre County. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a new teaching position for several years after leaving MCSD, so I worked a variety of jobs including a technical writer for a software development company, an administrative assistant at a real estate office, and a database coordinator at a financial group. These experiences prepared me for the rigor and expectations of being a teacher! However, still wanting to pursue my dream to be a teacher, I earned two additional certifications in English, Composition, and Literature and Family & Consumer Sciences. In 2009, I was hired at Bellefonte Area High School as an English teacher, and I could not be happier with the position! Shortly after being hired here, I went back to school to earn a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction through Clarion University. Bellefonte is a wonderful place to work with a fantastic faculty, amazing administration, and excellent extra-curricular opportunities. The students are some of the best I've ever met and the parents and community are supportive as well. My career is very fulfilling and I can't wait to see what each year will bring me in experiences, surprises, and proud moments. 
     
    My favorites 
    Personally, I am an avid reader and a big fan of television. I will read almost any genre and style and especially love the classics, young adult fantasy, and mysteries. My favorite all-time books are Frankenstein, The Neverending Story, The Notebook, 1984, My Sister's Keeper, the Harry Potter series, and The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. I love getting and giving book recommendations with friends, colleagues, and students! I love to read and I am almost always reading at least 2 or 3 books at a time. Furthermore, I get very excited to talk about the books I've read and hearing about books others have read. 
    As for television, I am a big fan of Psych, Supernatural, This is Us, Schitt's Creek, Locke & Key, and Gray's Anatomy. I don't watch anything live, though, but binge watch multiple episodes at a time on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Basically, I enjoy stories of all kinds, whether I'm reading them or watching them. My favorite thing about both books and TV shows is seeing characters grow and change through their circumstances and how they give messages to the readers/ viewers about life's struggles and triumphs.
     
    My philosophy
    As a teacher, my passion lies with sharing my love of reading with the students I get to work with. I want my students to see the value in stories - real or fictional - and all that they have to offer an individual, our society, and the world. I want to show my students how writing about what they read helps us make sense of things and sort out our own thoughts so we can grow and improve. I hope that students in my class learn how reading and writing can be a path to places they never dreamed were possible.