About

ABOUT VANESSA

Hi, I’m Vanessa.

Let’s be honest.

This whole teaching thing is a lot harder than you ever thought it would be.

You started out with big dreams! You were filled with excitement about the possibilities of “touching the future” and changing little lives– You sang along with Whitney because you know “children are the future” and you believed you would be the one to “teach them well and let them lead the way.” And all that jazz.

But then the reality set in. When you’re in the trenches of teaching, it’s so easy to lose sight of the joy you thought you were going to be a part of. Every day in the classroom is not always rainbows and cute puppies.

Teaching is hard work- sometimes it can become impossible work.

Juggling a career, family, finances (don’t get me started on the low pay!), and battling the never ending paperwork and bureaucracy, you can easily lose sight of the joy you thought would be part of it.

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking:

“I never thought being a teacher would be this hard.”

“I feel like everyone else is a better teacher than me.”

“I thought that life as a teacher would be so fulfilling, but all the meetings, paperwork, and “other stuff” make me feel like I’m drowning.”

…then you’re in the right place.

I’m Vanessa, and my mission is to help you (yes, you!) save time and teach well, and also make your impossible life just a little bit easier.

If you want to teach well and recapture some of that joy, enter your email address here to get inspiration and practical help.

I believe that all teachers deserve to have a life outside the classroom. period.

I believe that no teacher is an island. We can’t do our jobs well unless we help each other.

I believe that all children deserve to have a teacher who loves teaching and feels motivated and inspired to do the job well.

Subscribe to Pre-K Pages and come away celebrating the small victories, feeling inspired by a community of teachers who want the best for themselves and their students.

ABOUT VANESSA LEVIN

I’ve made a career out of teaching, both as a classroom teacher and as an educational consultant. As an early childhood trainer, I have spoken to thousands of teachers in person at popular early childhood conferences such as Frog Street Splash, TYHO, I Teach K, and NAEYC.

If you’re ready to start saving time and living well, I invite you to take a peek in my store where you’ll find oodles of awesome time-saving resources. And if you’re interested in the most effective ways to teach the alphabet and emergent literacy skills in your Preschool or Pre-K class, then you need my best-selling book, Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers!

So thank YOU! Thanks for being one of almost a million visitors that come to Pre-K Pages each month and giving me a place to help teachers learn how to teach well and save time, and find the extraordinary in their classrooms.

Featured In

  • Scholastic Teacher magazine
  • BuzzFeed
  • Family Energy Magazine
  • NBC (DFW)

Speaking Engagements

I have spoken at more than 100 early childhood conferences, including:

  • NAEYC
  • I Teach K!
  • Frog Street Splash
  • … and many others

Education and Qualifications

I am a proud graduate of Michigan State University where I received a Bachelors of Education with double minors in English and History.

I hold a valid teaching certificate in the state of Texas in the following areas:

  • Elementary Education, grades 1-8
  • Early Childhood, grades Pre-K and Kindergarten
  • English as a Second Language
  • Social Studies, grades 1-8
  • English, grades 1-8

In addition to my role as a classroom teacher, I have served as a mentor teacher, instructional coach, instructional designer, and team leader for my public school district. Head Start also holds a special place in my heart from my early days of teaching.

I was honored to receive the distinguished Teacher of the Year award from my school in 2002. In 2012 I received the Collin County AEYC Trainer of the Year Award.

My teaching philosophy embraces hands-on, meaningful learning in fun and playful ways. As a lifelong learner I am always actively seeking out new information and best practices from leaders in the field of early childhood and emergent literacy such as Irene Fountas, Gay Su Pinnell, and Susan B. Neuman.

I invite you to connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for more time-saving tips to help you teach well!

Please read our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Position Statement HERE.

+Vanessa Levin

5 thoughts on “About”

  1. Michaele Sommerville

    Hi! Just wanted to let you know I am no longer maintaining my “Tending the Eclectic Kinder-Garden” site- but have all of my material at Kindergarten’s 3 R’s. Thought you’d like to update your blogroll. Happy New Year!

    Michaele

  2. So, I just finished reading your book A Fabulous First Year and Beyond and wanted to tell you how helpful it is. I am about to embark on my second year teaching and I wish I would have read this sooner. Thank you for your insights.

  3. Thank you so much for helping me with the learning centers and dramatic play.I am so amazed at all of your accomplishments.
    Thank you!

  4. Vanessa- I took your webinar on getting children to write during the Challenging Behaviors virtual conference. I was SO impressed with the presentation you gave. I learned SO much & I have been teaching preschoolers for over 20 years! Luckily, we had funds left at the end of the year & I looked back in my notes so I could order items you mentioned to help with writing! I love your site on FB. Thank you for sharing all that information. We are NEVER too old to learn new ways to help young children!

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