About

Katie Leven is a New York State Certified Teacher with a master’s degree in Spanish Education. She fluently speaks Spanish and has taught Spanish, French and English as a New Language (ENL). 

She is currently entering her 18th year in the classroom, has a decade of experience as a teacher of academic English to speakers of other languages (TESOL).  She has been providing professional development for teachers of ELLs (English Language Learners) through the Orleans/Niagara Teachers Center since 2016.

Katie created this website as a growing professional in 2023 to share practical classroom ideas and help other educators build a positive mindset so they can truly enjoy their work with students who are learning English. 

Katie's ideas have been featured in dozens of presentations throughout New York State for organizations such as WNYFLEC, NYS TESOL, the Orleans/Niagara Teachers Center and RBE-RN West. 

She is perhaps best known for being awarded Teacher Leader of the Year by the RBE-RN West in 2023. This award is given to a teacher who has exhibited exceptional leadership in support of ELL education. This is someone who steps outside of their normal classroom responsibilities to support their colleagues, provide professional learning opportunities, and bring awareness to others about best practices to support ELL students. 

She created the free Intentional TESOL podcast, which provides bi-weekly encouragement for educators of ELLs.

Katie's professional development on productivity and mindset helps educators become more intentional with their personal, professional, and instructional time so they can focus on what really matters.  She brings a variety of experiences and a ton of research to support any teacher who wants to learn more about language acquisition strategies for any struggling learner!

Katie's mission is to help teachers of ELLs to live a more intentional life. Through her community of practice, hundreds of teachers have learned best practices for ELLs, to take charge of their time and energy to feel energized by the work they are doing as TESOL and stay in the profession for years to come.