Amy Walter

1. What is your educational background and what positions have you held?

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary English Education degree with a minor in Film and Media Studies in 2006. I then went straight into my graduate program, while working as a Long Term Substitute for two consecutive years at Karns City, New Castle, and Seneca Valley school districts. I graduated with my Masters in Elementary Education with a Reading Specialist focus in 2010. I was offered a position at Grove City Middle School to teach 8th grade reading a few weeks before I graduated. Nine years later I am still employed at Grove City Middle School where I still teach 8th grade.

2. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

The most rewarding aspect of my job is to see students fall in love with reading all over again. That is why I do what I do. I love sharing my love of books to my kiddos to help them understand how magical a world can be when you live it as a life-long reader. Eighth grade is a difficult age, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

3. What advice would you give to current students who are enrolled in the teacher preparation program, and to SRU students generally?

The best advice I would give to SRU students is to get involved. I truly believe that the co-curricular knowledge I gained during both my undergrad and graduate time set me apart from the competition. I also recommend picking up a minor. My minor in Film and Media Studies has been extremely beneficial to me throughout my career because it allows me to see things through multiple perspectives. Also, take advantage of traveling with the university. I attended professional conferences with faculty, most notable was my first- the Sigma Tau Delta conference where I presented my first academic paper. Following this experience, I then presented at the National Council Teachers of English conference with two notable authors. As a reading teacher, this experience definitely set me apart, and it helped me mold my career in the direction I wanted to take it when I first began in this profession.

4. Name an SRU experience or faculty that had a positive influence on you and explain why.

The first decade of the 21st Century truly was a great time to be at Slippery Rock. There are so many professors during both my undergraduate and graduate programs that I owe my career to.  
I wouldn't be the teacher I am today if it wasn't for Dr. Kathleen Strickland and Dr. James Strickland. They introduced me to the NCTE organization where I met my first mentor in the field, Mr. Bob Dandoy, who later became at adjunct at SRU. In the English department, both Dr. Rachela Permenter and Dr. William Covey were two professors who I felt really challenged me in both film and literary criticism. Their teaching helped me to lay my own educational foundation.

During graduate school I was honored to serve one year as the GA for Dr. Marilyn Yensick, who helped me rekindle my passion for education, after I was frustrated that my long term substitute positions hadn't turned into anything permanent at the time. I credit both Dr. Suzanne Rose and Dr. Debbie Wells from turning me from an English teacher into a Reading Specialist, a professional identity I hold in high regard.

And finally, Dr. William Boggs helped me to find my voice as a poet. Taking his class for professional development credit on a whim, I am now a published poet (who knew I had that in me?). Dr. Boggs knew, and I thank him for the continued guidance and support years ago.