East High educator named Ohio Teacher of the Year

staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — Jennifer Walker, a teacher at East High School in Youngstown city schools, was named the 2009 Ohio Teacher of the Year by the Ohio Department of Education.

Deborah Delisle, state superintendent of public instruction, made the announcement Wednesday during a school assembly.

“There’s nothing more important to an educator than providing students with the tools necessary for success,” Delisle said. “Jennifer, our 2009 Teacher of the Year, is leading the way. Her passion for the classroom and dedication to her students set a standard for teaching at East High School and throughout the state.”

Walker said she was “very surprised” by the honor, which is “great for our district.” What quality does she have as a teacher that singled her out? “I think I was able to express and share my passion and love for teaching and my students,” she said. “Every day is different ... no two days are the same. You may spend hours on lesson plans but then the students dictate where it goes,” she said.

Walker, a 14-year teaching veteran, has taught English and reading in the junior high and high school grades. She has taught English in Youngstown city schools for 10 years. “I want my students to use what I teach in their lives. I want them to be able to relate to what they’re reading,” Walker said.

Her current duties include teaching English and Advanced Placement Literature and Composition to ninth- through 11th-graders, as well as serving as lead literacy teacher and chairperson of the English department at EHS.

Walker taught English and Foundations of Reading to ninth- and 10th-graders at Rayen High School for four years before it merged with Wilson High School to form EHS in 2007. Before that, she taught Language Arts to seventh- and eighth-graders in Choffin Junior High’s Gifted and Talented program.

Previously, she taught English and reading at Geneva High School in Geneva City Schools for four years.

Walker’s accomplishments include achievement of National Board Certification in 2002 in Early Adolescence/English Language Arts, and being named a fellow in the National Writing Project. She also is a member of the Ohio Council of Teachers of English.

“It is my passion to help students see school and my classroom as a place that is safe, a haven. A place where they can feel confident and successful, loved and nurtured. This is my greatest contribution, and my passion, as a teacher,” Walker has said.

Walker has received numerous honors and recognition for her teaching including: 2008 Teacher of the Year for Youngstown city schools and East High School; recipient of National Education Association Books Across America grant; recipient of WYTV Steel to Scholars grant; Best Academic Practice School Teacher Award, Rayen High School; and chief EHS coordinator for Youngstown State University’s English Festival. She received both a bachelor’s in English education and master’s in education from Youngstown State University.

As the lead literacy teacher, Walker has refined her instructional techniques and team responsibilities. She designed a literacy manual, used newsletters to share literacy strategies and led the literacy team in presenting at schoolwide professional development meetings.

Walker also served for three years on the governance team that converted EHS to a “small school” model as part of a KnowledgeWorks grant. She is a teacher leader for The Freshman School of Excellence.

The 2009 Ohio Teacher of the Year was selected from nominations submitted by schools across the state. Nominations were reviewed by a statewide review panel made up of representatives from a wide range of professional organizations and school constituencies, including community and business representatives, elementary and secondary administrators, principals and teachers — including teachers who have been recognized for their excellent performance in the classroom.

The review panel chose four finalists and interviewed each of them before selecting Walker.

The Ohio Teacher of the Year program was initiated by the ODE in 1969 to honor and promote excellence in teaching and the teaching profession and to build a network of exemplary teachers who are leaders in school improvement initiatives. All Ohio school districts and chartered nonpublic schools may nominate outstanding teachers who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and leadership to classroom, school and community activities.