About: Amy Konen

Amy Konen is a Nationally Board Certified elementary teacher. As a 23-year veteran teacher in public schools, Amy has taught grades 1-5, literacy, and most recently, worked as a behavior support specialist and coach. She will return to the fifth grade classroom in 2017. She also continues her mentoring work for future National Board certification candidates throughout the state of Montana. Amy earned her Master’s degree in reading and literacy and in 2000, was the recipient of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) for her work in elementary math. In 2014, BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) selected Amy as the Teacher of the Year for Great Falls, Montana. She started the first and only Sensory Room in Great Falls Public Schools to provide behavior and socio-emotional support for all students in her elementary school. Amy believes in the power of relationships to inspire students to grow, learn, have courage, and be kind.

Recent Posts by Amy Konen

A 5th Grade Teacher’s Guide to Surviving October

It is October and I sit here wondering if I am doing enough for my students. Am I providing enough for them to be ready for 6th grade by the end of this year? Am I giving them knowledge, strategies, friendships, and hopefully, good memories of this year? My own reflections involve questions such as,…
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11 Strategies to Encourage Students to Own Their Learning

children raising their hands when a teacher asks them questions in a classroom
How often have you run out of time during a lesson and it simply ends with a lot of teacher talk and not enough time for student processing?  Many times, I have found myself doing the talking when it is time to head out for lunch and kids simply pack up and line up without…
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Student Behavior During the Holidays: 5 Potential Stressors

Child in a Santa hat with a hand on his chest, looking uneasy against a plain white background
Student behavior during the holidays can shift for reasons that aren't obvious from the outside. This teacher's account describes five potential stressors she has observed in her own classroom: inconsistent structure, overstimulation, calendar countdowns, unsupportive classrooms, and too many special events. What helps one student may not help another. [xyz_feat_school] It's here, it's here! My…
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10 First-Year Teacher Struggles That Catch Veterans Too

Elementary teacher sitting beside a discouraged student at her desk, working through a workbook page together
Ten first-year teacher struggles that can resurface even for experienced teachers. A 25-year veteran who returned to her own classroom found herself facing an empty room, no materials, an unbuilt schedule, and long stretches without adult conversation. These are the ten she wrote about not being ready for. [xyz_feat_school] As I reflect on my career…
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10 Note Taking Strategies for Students That Actually Work

girl sitting at her desk being taught by her teacher writing in her notebook
The most effective note taking strategies for students go beyond copying what a teacher says: they encourage students to process, summarize, and revisit information. Techniques like the Cornell Method, guided notes, and picture notes work because students physically write much slower than teachers speak, which makes word-for-word transcription impractical. Pairing a capture method with a…
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11 Total Participation Techniques That Involve Movement

kids holding hands in a circle outside during their recess at school
A Total Participation Technique (TPT) is a classroom strategy that engages every student in responding at the same time, rather than one volunteer answering while the rest of the class listens. Movement-based classroom activities can increase physical activity and may improve attention and on-task behavior, although evidence for immediate improvements in cognition or academic performance…
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5 Questions That Help Build Our Reflective Capacity

woman smiling and looking up at hand-drawn thought bubbles sketched on a grey chalkboard wall
Building reflective capacity starts with asking better questions about your own practice, not doing more of it. Working from Pete Hall and Alisa Simeral's Teach, Reflect, Learn, I use five of my own: how aware I am, how intentionally I plan, whether I know my actions worked, how I respond, and how often I reflect.…
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How to Keep Students Engaged: 11 Classroom Techniques

Elementary students wearing backpacks smile with their hands raised in the air
How to keep students engaged often comes down to structure: build a response step into the lesson so more students have to think and then show that thinking. Techniques like Think-Pair-Share, Quick-Writes and Chalkboard Splash need almost no prep and can give you a read on the whole room, not just the raised hands. [xyz_feat_school]…
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Fidget Tools for the Classroom: 10 That Work Better Than a Spinner

Child holding a blue fidget spinner in an open palm as another child reaches toward it
Fidget tools for the classroom may be more useful when selected based on an individual student's needs and response. Tangles, stress balls, putty, kinetic sand, and rocking chairs each give a different kind of input, and many are quieter and less visually demanding than a spinner. Teach the rules first. [xyz_feat_school] Now that we are…
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