About Me

My name is Jennifer Valenti and this will be my eleventh year teaching ESOL at Eastside, but this begins my 27th year of teaching overall.  I love helping my students realize their academic potential in a new language, country, and culture.  

I grew up in a small town near Tampa, Florida and came to South Carolina for college where I attended Columbia College in Columbia, SC.  I graduated in May of 1997 with a M.A. degree in Spanish and teaching certification for grades K-12. I returned to Columbia College to earn my M.Ed. in Divergent Learning from Columbia College in 2000.  I completed my +30 hours, beyond my Master's degree, in 2010 in the area of technology.  I spent several summers working with curriculum writing teams to create and revise portions of the world languages curriculum for Greenville County.  During the summer of 2011, I received the necessary training to become a certified PAS-T Evaluator and Mentor in the district.  I completed the graduate work necessary for my ESOL add-on certification in May 2013.  I graduated in June 2021 with my Ed.D. in Professional Leadership from Converse University and am learning to adjust to the title of Dr. Valenti. 

I began teaching in 1997 at W.J. Keenan High School in Columbia. There I taught both Spanish I and Spanish II classes for four years. I joined the Northwood Middle teaching staff in the fall of 2001.  I taught the high school credit Spanish I course there for twelve years. I enjoyed my time as a middle school teacher very much.  I always tell people that there is never a dull moment.  I love watching students "think" and learn to reason.  It's amazing what they'll show you on their faces and communicate what they're thinking without saying a single word.

In my free time, namely summer, I enjoy watching and playing tennis, going to the movies, doing crafts, DYI projects around my home, reading, shopping, and spending time with friends.  In the fall, I love watching college football (Go Gamecocks!); however, art, traveling and experiencing other cultures are my biggest passions.  I have been lucky enough to visit Venezuela, Spain, France, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico, and England.  This summer, I was fortunate to spend a month traveling in Europe (Spain, France, & the UK) before returning to work this August.