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Welcome! I am Dana Leon. I am a certified teacher and professional curriculum developer. I love to create fun, engaging lessons that are accessible for all learners. I am passionate about creating opportunities for literacy and making literacy accessible to all.

I believe that learning happens everywhere and that kids learn best when they are actively engaged. This can be through play or learning through a topic that interests them. This is why I love to teach literacy through film. Many learners love the visual nature movies, which helps them develop the comprehension skills needed to tackle more difficult text and writing. 

I also believe that it’s my responsibility as an educator to know where to provide structure and feedback and where to let creativity take the wheel. Mistakes are encouraged, expected, and inspected.

I have a masters and certification in Childhood and Special Education, a bachelor's degree in Mathematics. I have also worked as an editor and content developer in educational publishing for 15 years. I have worked on print, digital, and/or video projects with Scholastic, Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt, Benchmark Education, The College Board, Kumon, and others. I have also been to film school, worked on film sets, written screenplays, and directed my own short films. 

✉️ You are welcome to contact me with any questions you may have or requests for specific classes. 
❤️ Follow my profile to learn about upcoming classes.

I have been teaching for 6 years, and I love it! I have taught all core elementary subjects including math, science, social studies. In fact, my movie making classes first started as an after school club. The shared experience of guiding my students through the movie-making process, making connections to literacy, and seeing the amazing movies my students were able to create was exciting for everyone, and inspiring for me. 

My classes are available to all learners, but can be particularly useful for visual learners and learners with special educational needs, such as learners with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and giftedness. I continue to create these courses because I see the potential for learners who struggle with academics, or who learn differently to gain entry to literacy or engage with it in a positive way. As a certified special education teacher, I have the expertise to teach classes that specifically support neurodiverse learners.

I currently teach on Outschool and continue to create awesome print and digital products for publishers and on my own. My hobbies include reading, word puzzles and sudoku, karaoke, crochet, meditation, and learning. I hope to see your learners in my classes soon!