About me...

My name is Vannesa Martinez
wife, mother of 3, and
teacher of 23 years.
👩🏻👨🏻👧🏻👦🏻👦🏻
I have grown up and continue to live in Miami, Florida.
🏖️🩴☀️🌇😎🌦️
I love to read and to write and
I love watching kids in my classroom light up when they learn.
📖✍🏻
You might ask,
"Do they really light up?"
💡
Yes. I've seen it over and over again with my own eyes.
🤩
Once they get out of their own way and learn, they transform.
✨✨✨
The transformation is so big, that it is noticed all over their world.
🌍
They go from
frustrated and angry,
to happy and playful.
🤗

Middle school can be an absolute jungle!

My why

Which is why kids feel
confused and lost. 😖

Students are expected to
know everything. 🤔

👩🏻‍🏫Teachers can be very
insensitive at times.

Plus, the hormonal transfer of power that is taking place inside of them is in full effect. ↗️➡️↘️⬇️↙️⬅️⬆️

Kids in this age group have a hard time finding their
place in the world. 🗺️

They are looking different,
feeling different. 😏😒

🤩Trying to stand out while hiding in the shadows
making every attempt
not to be seen. 🥸

It's rough!

Parent don't make it any easier
with the constant demands for 🙌🏻high grades and
perfect behavior 🙏🏻
and the 1,000,000 questions
we ask to make sure
they are okay. 🕵🏻‍♀️

It's a tough place for all of us.

🫶🏻So, I have a soft spot in my heart for my middle schoolers.

They are some of the coolest kids I've ever met. 😎

It was rough for me as a teacher too, which is where my story begins...

I left the school system in
April of 2024.

It was a good run, but the way teachers are treated and forced to conform to a standard of mediocracy is just abhorrent.

I absolutely love this quote because it connects so well to my mindset at the time.

There are risks and
costs to action.

Yes, there was a risk and a cost associated with me
walking away from
the academic establishment after 2 decades of dedication to my passion and my craft.

I knew that if I did not conform to their low standards,
I'd be targeted and fired.

I don't conform. I'm much too common sense for that.

I can't do what my heart knows is wrong and walk in every day and look at my children and know that I'm keeping valuable life skills and teaching from them every single day.

I just couldn't do it.

So, that was that.

My decision was made, and I had to deal with the consequences of not having a job, a steady income,
or my students to impart knowledge on any longer.

But that risk was far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction.

The risk of me leaving was way less than the risk of me staying in a comfortable position and having students learn nothing from me year after year.

I had heard the complaints.
I had heard the parents' frustrated cries, and
I refused to be
part of the problem.

I was rescued.

God had a plan for me.

He removed me from an environment that was not in alignment with my goals.
I heard Him say,

"Girl, you are free now,
go do you!"

Since that day, I have been working feverishly to set up my Back2Basics Learning Co. business.

God gave me a second chance to make a real difference, but I had to put in the time and do the work...

The road to Back2Basics has not been easy and it will continue to be challenging, but what I have learned in this transition is invaluable.

This type of
grit,
determination,
and perseverance
is what I always transfer
to my students.

I lead by example.

I practice what I preach.

NO EXCUSES

If you want something bad enough, whether it's good grades, more free time, better relationships, it's all available, you just have to
🙌🏻be open to learning
🙌🏻be authentic
🙌🏻put in the time
🙌🏻put in the effort
and you can achieve anything.

The plan...

Step one.
MY WHY?
What was my mission?
SIMPLE.
I wanted to help ALL kids master reading and writing skills, not just the kids sitting in my classroom.

Step two.
How?
Create an online program that would reach any kid anywhere at any time. Teach them the strategies through pre-recorded classes so there's
❌no interruptions
❌no distractions
❌no wasted time
❌no wasted money
I wanted my program to be
🙌🏻High quality
🙌🏻Cost-effective
🙌🏻Entertaining
🙌🏻Skills driven
🙌🏻Supportive

Step three.
Give it a name.
Why Back2Basics Learning Co.
Because learning life skills
doesn't have to be difficult.

God didn't complicate things, we did.

Step four.
🩵Make a difference by teaching and supporting.

Back2Basics is different and it's awesome!

I teach using 💯common sense.
In life, there is no textbook.

Schools use textbooks all the time and kids are still not learning.

What I do, is teach kids SKILLS that are going to allow them the opportunity to understand what they read on a deeper level and write with clarity, organization, and structure.

I teach them HOW to be successful through reading and writing.

These lessons transfer out to other areas and as the students practice, their understanding and mastery grows leading to success in all subjects over time.

Reading Comprehension problems start in 4th or 5th grade.
So...
What happens in 4th grade ELA ?

Here's the deal...
You have a 4th or 5th grader and they are struggling with reading comprehension and you don't know why. They've been a straight A student and now the grades are tanking. You are wondering what the heck happened?

You are 100% correct to start asking questions.
For some reason, teachers do not tell parents this little detail.
Starting in 4th grade, students shift from learning to read to reading to learn.
This means that the skills change and therefore the assessments change.
These skills are aligned with state testing including college readiness testing like the SAT, ACT, NMSQT.
Most parents and children are unaware of this shift,
so they start to do poorly in reading comprehension.
They may not be writing much in school or they may not be taught writing mechanics in school and that is a HUGE PROBLEM.
👇🏻
You may thing the problem for most kids starting in 4th/5th grade is reading comprehension.

BUT...

I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, that is NOT the problem.
❌
The problem is
inadequate writing instruction.
✍🏻😮
There is a shift in the way they are being assessed at this stage.
➡️↗️
The questions are asked about what authors do, not about the story or essay itself.
✍🏻📖
This involves analysis and critical thinking that you will only get if you are producing work of your own. 🤔🕵🏻‍♀️

So, in short...
If they learn how to write
stories,
essays,
and poems,
they will be able to answer questions about
stories,
essays,
and poems.

I want you to PLEASE download and read the ELA standards.

Just like doctors have milestones for children's physical and mental capabilities, there are milestones for their academic progress too.

Take a look. 👇🏻

ELA Standards

There are so many that
your head will 🥴spin, which is why you need to be informed.

If your child has gaps galore, you begin to understand what the problem areas are and what you can do about them.

🦉And word to the wise...

There are many classrooms that are not adhering to these standards and that is a

HUGE PROBLEM
because we all take the same state test and we all take the same standardized tests for college preparedness.

They aren't teaching the skills and when these tests roll around,

they tell you...

Your child is the problem.

No sir!
So, if your child is getting poor grades or is frustrated over school assignments, they may have an excessive amount of gaps that need to be addressed.

I'm here to help.

I am extremely approachable,
I love feedback,
and I will do what is necessary
to see to it that all of my students
get the appropriate instruction
and the necessary support.

I look forward to being able to help your baby shine in school and beyond!