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 currently works for Orleans/Niagara BOCES as an itinerant ESL teacher.

In her free time, she serves as the Vice President of Communications for NYS TESOL and previously contributed to the Annual Conference Planning Committee.

Katie is entering her 19th year in the classroom and has a decade of experience teaching academic English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). Since 2016, she has provided professional development for teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs) through the Orleans/Niagara Teachers Center.

In 2023, Katie created this website as a growing professional platform to share practical classroom ideas and help other educators develop a positive mindset, allowing them to truly enjoy their work with students who are learning English.

Katie's expertise has been featured in numerous presentations across New York State for organizations such as WNYFLEC, NYS TESOL, the Orleans/Niagara Teacher Center, the Grand Island/Tonawanda Teacher Center, and RBE-RN West.

In 2024, she was honored with the Baecher Teacher Leadership Award by NYS TESOL. This award recognizes a teacher who demonstrates leadership beyond the classroom—at the school, district, or regional level—to support the academic and social well-being of English learners in New York State ESL (English as a Second Language) and bilingual programs. This leadership role is not administrative but rather focuses on coaching, professional development, curriculum design, or community organization.

She was also recognized as the Teacher Leader of the Year by RBE-RN West in 2023. This award is given to a teacher who has exhibited exceptional leadership in supporting ELL education by stepping beyond classroom responsibilities to assist colleagues, provide professional learning opportunities, and promote best practices for supporting ELL students.

Katie is the creator of the Intentional TESOL podcast, a free bi-weekly resource that provides encouragement and insights for educators of ELLs.

Her professional development sessions on productivity and mindset help educators become more intentional with their personal, professional, and instructional time so they can focus on what truly matters. She brings a wealth of experience and research-based strategies to support any teacher who wants to learn more about language acquisition techniques for struggling learners.

Katie’s mission is to help teachers of ELLs lead more intentional lives. Through her community of practice, hundreds of teachers have learned best practices for ELLs, taken control of their time and energy, and found renewed enthusiasm for their work in TESOL—allowing them to stay in the profession for years to come.