Kristina Smekens
President & Lead Consultant
As president and lead consultant for Smekens Education, she is constantly developing new strategies to help teachers meet the demands of today’s College and Career-Ready Standards.
I always leave energized with ready-to-use ideas to improve my classroom instruction.”
Megan Hobaugh | Teacher
North Salem Elementary School, North Salem, IN
Inspiring educators with strategies that are simple and effective
Beyond providing teachers with practical classroom techniques, Kristina is also a master of motivation. By demonstrating enthusiasm for innovation, she helps educators find the encouragement they need to return to their classrooms and execute change.
How you can learn from Kristina
Bring Kristina to your school
On-site training and consultations allow the entire staff to learn and grow together.
Watch Kristina's on-demand workshops
Take a deep dive into a single topic during one of Kristina’s 5-hour on-demand workshops.
Hire Kristina to lead a Keynote address
Always a crowd-pleaser, Kristina offers both substance and entertainment to groups of all sizes.
Schedule virtual training with Kristina
Receive live virtual customized professional development support via Zoom.
Subscribe to Kristina's video library
With more than 300 videos to choose from, Kristina’s strategies are available on-demand.
Purchase Kristina's original resources
You won’t break the bank with Smekens Originals—books, guides, and teaching tools created by Kristina.
Sign up for Teacher Tools
During the school year, Kristina shares free Teacher Tools that you can use to build stronger readers and writers.
Visit the Learning Center
Access hundreds of free articles, videos, and other resources for teaching reading and writing.
An accomplished author
Well known for offering innovative ideas, Kristina has created more than 70 “Smekens Originals,” a compilation of books, guides, and classroom tools designed to help teachers implement best-practice literacy strategies. Among her most popular resources are The Comprehension Playbook and Launching the Writer’s Workshop: Grades K-2 and Grades 3-12.
Beyond books and physical teacher tools, Kristina has also created a library of on-demand professional learning videos that are utilized by teachers around the world. With topics ranging from “Building Kid-Friendly Writing Rubrics” to “Achieving a Close Reading,” each of Kristina’s “webPD” videos uses a seminar-style format to capture her energy and enthusiasm while conveying her teacher-friendly ideas.
“While many presenters are dynamic in person, Kristina is the rare presenter who is just as engaging online.”
District Learning Support Teacher
Palmdale School District, Palmdale, CA
“I glean MORE depth of knowledge every time I am in Kristina’s presence. Her expertise is at the top of the Literacy Food Chain and YET she is the only guru that SHOWS HOW explicitly. One-of-a-kind amongst other experts.”
Beth Mouw, Teacher
“Kristina is a master teacher and dynamic presenter. She’s organized and effective at sharing useful writing instruction tips & resources!”
Max Melgarejo, ELA Middle School Department Chair
Latin School of Chicago, Chicago, IL
“Kristina does such an outstanding job of getting everyone excited about such great strategies and makes sure that she introduces them in a way that makes them super practical and fun. Loved every minute!”
Candy Kramer, Principal
Sward School, Oak Lawn, IL
“Kristina knocked it out of the park once again! She does the research and then takes the information and creates a usable format for teachers. Everything a teacher needs to take this right into the classroom!!”
Ruth Wiley, Curriculum Supervisor
Beavercreek City Schools, Beavercreek, OH
“The information that was shared and the enthusiasm of Kristina made this conference engaging and fun. It was a great way to learn about Teaching students instead of just doing the lesson. Thank you so much for such an amazing conference. I am so excited to try these techniques this year and see how empowered my students can be.”
Nicholas Campbell, Teacher
Enlace Academy, Indianapolis, IN
“The energy of Kristina is contagious. She kept me engaged throughout! I actually liked that she repeated several concepts many times throughout the 2 days. It helped me really retain and understand them more deeply. It’s going to stick!! I truly appreciate that Kristina understands some of the challenges we have in our classrooms and in our districts.”
Alice Ryan, Teacher
Fullerton Elementary School, Addison, IL
“I absolutely loved the high energy and engagement from this workshop! I also love that this wasn’t ‘fluff.’ Kristina backed up the strategies with research and delivered the information in manageable amounts, giving us time to process and learn from others during turn and talk times. I feel so much more confident in my ability to prepare my students for the rigorous reading & writing standards of today and tomorrow!”
Kristy Worthington, Teacher
St. Louis de Montfort Catholic School, Fishers, IN
“Kristina Smekens and her team are the best I have seen in the business. They make sure to bring fun, engaging activities and are willing to bend over backwards to help you with whatever you need. I would highly recommend to anyone who teaches reading to invest your time in attending CompCON. I am so glad I did.”
Jennifer Tracey, K-5 Title Teacher
Edinburg Elementary School, Edinburg, IL
“Smekens conferences are designed & led with teachers as the focus. Kristina knows us, and her enthusiasm is catching. I love all the work & research that goes into sessions beforehand, so we know we’re getting the best of.”
Crystal Merrifield, Teacher
River Valley Middle School, Jeffersonville, IN
“Kristina is SO ENGAGING—her style of presentation makes the content feel ‘obvious,’ practical, and ‘easy’…of course! I get so excited to incorporate these concepts into my curriculum and look forward to collaborating with my teaching partner to plan how we will include it all!”
Amy Burrows, Teacher
Lakeview Junior High School, Downers Grove, IL
An educator from the start
Kristina grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan where both of her parents fulfilled rewarding careers in teaching and school administration. From her early days playing teacher with her two siblings, Kristina has always been on a path to motivate and educate.
After earning her BA in English and education at Michigan State University, Kristina was an accomplished high school English and journalism teacher in Michigan and Indiana. A leader in state and national scholastic journalism endeavors, Kristina authored a journalism textbook and teachers’ guide for Walsworth Publishing in 2002.
Over the years, she has been blessed to work and learn with hundreds of schools and thousands of teachers around the globe. For her contributions to literacy in Indiana, specifically, Kristina was presented the Excellence in Reading Award by the Indiana State Reading Association in 2013.
Kristina lives in Warren, Indiana with her husband and business partner, Brady. Together, they have three young adult children who are pursuing careers in music, business, and education.
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We are eager to help you achieve your PD goals!