Holly Sluyter
Literacy Consultant
and I learned a lot that I plan to take back to my classroom.”
Dana McGonagill | ESL Teacher
West Collierville Middle School, Collierville, TN
Seeing the potential in every learner
This foundation laid the groundwork for her 9-year teaching career at East Allen County Schools in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she found success leading both primary and intermediate classrooms. Holly embraced the challenge of working within an urban setting where 70 percent of the student population was multilingual learners. While she was developing the skills to meet the needs of diverse learners, Holly also took on leadership roles in her school and earned her certification to work with high-ability students, broadening her reach even further.
How you can learn from Holly
Working alongside teachers in their own school is how Holly spends the bulk of her time. Whether she’s fostering conversations with small groups of teachers or leading sessions with the entire staff, Holly always leaves educators confident and ready to implement new ideas.
Bring Holly to your school
On-site training and consultations allow the entire staff to learn and grow together.
Schedule virtual training with Holly
Receive live virtual customized professional development support via Zoom.
“Holly was extremely helpful!! She helped us plan excellent writing lessons. We planned over a month of writing content in one day.”
Olivia Van Pee, Teacher
Picadome Elementary School, Lexington, KY
“Holly is practical about classroom activities and implementation. Her approach is well explained and immediately useful in the classroom.”
Mary Gradeless, Teacher
Roanoke Elementary School, Roanoke, IN
“Holly was great at presenting the information and talking with us and not down to us. I felt respected as a fellow educator. She was engaging and relevant. ”
Diana Miller, Teacher
Flint Springs Elementary, Huntington, IN
“This was the most relevant professional development I’ve had in years! We had time in between each new topic to meet with our team and plan for how we would implement this at the beginning of the year. Everything was relevant and easy to take back to our classrooms and implement!”
Meredith Green, Teacher
Picadome Elementary School, Lexington, KY
“Holly was very knowledgeable and informative. She provided examples and demonstrations and modeled engagement strategies.”
Allison Kolva, Teacher
Pleasant Local School District, Marion, OH
“Very thorough presentation!! Very informative. Loved the activities and learned a lot beneficial and helpful tips for teaching my classes.”
Asif Karim, Teacher
Hira Institute, Louisville, KY
“Holly is enthusiastic and professional. She has great command of the subject matter and presents it in an engaging manner!”
Stephanie Till, Teacher
Andrews Elementary School, Andrews, IN
“One of the most useful PDs I have attended in a while. Changed my thinking on what is really important for my students’ writing.”
Addison Verity, Teacher
Pleasant Local School District, Marion, OH
“Holly was fantastic. She had a perky pace with solutions to kick off writing in my first grade classroom. I’m excited to utilize the 6 traits of writing. ”
Maci Payne, Teacher
Pleasant Local School District, Marion, OH
A lifelong learner
A true collaborator, Holly fosters a supportive environment for both students and educators. Often described as “a teacher’s teacher,” she possesses a clear and down-to-earth communication style that helps teachers embrace new ideas.
Holly’s enthusiasm for sharing her “aha moments” with fellow educators fuels her work at Smekens Education. With her infectious energy and comprehensive understanding of student needs, Holly empowers educators to create classrooms where every student experiences the joy of learning.
In her role as a literacy consultant with Smekens Education, Holly offers professional development for teachers through on-site school visits, virtual training, and virtual coaching.
She and her husband, Joel, and their daughter Josey, live in Fort Wayne, IN and get refreshed by spending time with family and friends.
Let’s Connect
Complete the form below or call (888) 376-0448.
We are eager to help you achieve your PD goals!