
It’s no surprise that she values collaboration among not just her third-grade team but the entire staff at South Canton, which has outperformed the district for eight years.
“That is the thing that’s the cornerstone for my success here,” she said. “I work with three extremely talented teachers alongside the rest of the staff. I love to see people’s talent and tap into that.”
Walter is in her ninth year at South Canton. She started as the before and after care program director, creating memories for students with project-based learning.
On Polar Express Day, students encountered a different holiday-themed experience such as cookie decorating or globe-making in each classroom they visited. An adaptation of the book “Balloons Over Broadway” turned into “Balloons Over South Canton Scholars” as kids paraded around the halls.

And on Market Day entrepreneurs were made as students created a product and sold it others. These activities give younger students a glimpse at what awaits them in each grade and breaks up any monotony with learning that also is celebratory.
“Those are the things that we do that keep our juices going, just being creative and just creating memories for the kids already don’t like school,” Walter said. “The computer takes up their whole life. They know every game. We try to make it so that they want to come to school, that they love coming to school.”
Walter first taught in New York and lived by the motto “Not for school but for life we learn.” She wants students to be aware that she is teaching them things that will translate to life outside the school in addition to the curriculum. And even though these are important life skills, there still is plenty of time for lighthearted learning.
“Sometimes we might have bad days, and that's OK,” she said. “You don't have to be frustrated or upset. Some of my kids use the word ‘stress,’ and I'm like, ‘No, this class is a stress-free classroom. You cannot be stressed. Let the adults be stressed.’ You’re not allowed to have stress in my class. You're allowed to have fun.”

Derived from her time running track and field at Michigan State, Walter tries to motivate students by giving them jobs in the classroom and stressing to be on time. She learned to push past discouragement and believe in herself and passes on those sentiments to class after class each year.
“People are not always going to be there to encourage you. Those are the skills that I want them to learn because this is a tough life and this generation, it's going to be tough for them,” she said. “I just want them to know that you have it inside of you. We have that potential on the inside and they just have to build that for themselves.”

Keep up the excellent work, Mrs. Walter!
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About South Canton Scholars
South Canton Scholars is a tuition-free, public charter school in Canton, Michigan, serving students in Young 5s through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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