About: Jon Konen

Jon Konen is a high school principal and freelance writer in Columbia Falls, Montana. He has been a superintendent and has taught most all grade levels K-6, and has been an instructional coach. In addition, he has been an elementary and middle principal. As a 5th grade teacher, in 2010 he won the Presidential Award for Elementary Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST). As a principal, his school won the 2012 Blue Ribbon Award. In 2018, he won the National Distinguished Principal Award (NDP). In 2019 he won the National No Kid Hungry Breakfast Hero Award. He is the author of three guides published on teacher.org: An Educator's Guide to Combat Bullying & Bully Prevention; Teacher Evaluation: A Transition Guide to Exemplary Performance; and You are the Wild Card: Infusing Fun Back into Curriculum. He has authored a children's picture book that was released January 2019 titled Benjamin’s Visit to Principal Reads Office…again! (available at www.archwaypublishing.com)

Recent Posts by Jon Konen

5 Questions for Better Teacher Record Keeping

Stack of graded papers on a school desk with students in the background
Accurate record-keeping means capturing academic, attendance, and behavioral data consistently enough to guide instruction and hold up in a conversation with a parent. The strongest systems pair a digital platform, such as PowerSchool or Infinite Campus, for shareable data with a simple daily habit, such as a clipboard or checklist, for everything else. The goal…
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5 Questions to Tackle When Reflecting on Teaching

woman pausing with eyes closed in quiet reflection, holding sunglasses outdoors
Reflecting on teaching means deliberately reviewing your lessons, your relationships with students, and your own growth so patterns don't repeat by accident. The strongest teachers build it into daily, weekly, and end-of-year routines, not just after something goes wrong. A short list of guiding questions, asked consistently, does more for your practice than an occasional…
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Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness (Danielson 3e)

Elementary teacher at a whiteboard of division problems calling on students with raised hands
Demonstrating flexibility and responsiveness is Danielson component 3e: a teacher's skill at adjusting a lesson while it is happening. Observers look for three things — adjustments backed by evidence, willingness to follow student questions, and persistence when students struggle. The 2022 framework renamed it Responding Flexibly to Student Needs. [xyz_feat_school] A teaching lesson bombs...in fact,…
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6 Questions to Tackle in Using Assessment in Instruction

businessman's hand selecting a green smiley face on a satisfaction rating scale
Using assessment in instruction means treating formative checks (quizzes, exit tickets, class discussion) and summative tests as two different tools with two different jobs, then actually changing tomorrow's lesson based on what the data shows. The distinction that trips up new teachers: formative data should reshape instruction right away, not just fill a gradebook. [xyz_feat_school]…
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6 Questions to Tackle When Engaging Students in Learning

Argumentatively the most important aspect of teaching today: keeping students in engaged. Others would argue that classroom management is the ticket, while myself and others would state, “If you have effective engagement strategies, you do not have classroom management or discipline problems.” It is true, effective instruction can cure a rowdy behavior-ridden bunch of students.…
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Questioning and Discussion Techniques: 5 Questions for Danielson 3b

Elementary teacher smiling as a student writes a subtraction answer on a classroom whiteboard while two classmates watch
Questioning and discussion techniques make up component 3b of the Danielson Framework. Distinguished places greater emphasis on students initiating questions, extending one another's thinking, and taking responsibility for participation, while at Proficient more of that work is carried by the teacher. Check which edition of the rubric your district uses. [xyz_feat_school] No one will argue…
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6 Questions to Tackle When Communicating with Students

Teacher using both hands to count out a problem for a student working at a classroom desk
Communicating with students is the Danielson Framework component covering expectations for learning, directions and procedures, explanations of content, and use of oral and written language. The 2022 revision renamed it Communicating About Purpose and Content, though many districts still evaluate on the earlier version. Either way, the work starts with reading the room. [xyz_feat_school] Actions…
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Managing Student Behavior: 7 Questions for Exemplary Classroom Management

illustration of a chaotic classroom with students fighting, throwing paper airplanes, and one calm student reading
Managing student behavior comes down to two things: preventing problems before they start, and transferring ownership of the classroom culture to the students themselves. The strongest classroom managers build clear, student-created rules, use verbal and non-verbal cues consistently, and lean on tiered behavior plans (Tier I, II, III) when a student needs more support than…
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Classroom Seating Arrangements: 5 Questions Every Teacher Should Ask

Empty elementary classroom with wooden desks grouped in clusters facing a whiteboard, bulletin boards along the back wall
No single classroom seating arrangement works for everything. Match the layout to the activity: rows for independent work and testing, pods of four for cooperative learning, a horseshoe for whole-class discussion. Check each student’s IEP or Section 504 plan for any required seating accommodations, then plan for safety, sight lines, and clear exit paths. [xyz_feat_school]…
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Managing Classroom Procedures: 6 Questions for Danielson 2c

Young child in an oversized suit drawing a chalk light bulb made of four colored puzzle pieces on a wall
Classroom procedures are the taught, repeatable steps students follow for everything from lining up to turning in work. Rules set expectations for behavior. Procedures set the mechanics. On Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching, they sit in Domain 2, Component 2c, and the exemplary rating goes to teachers whose students run them without prompting. [xyz_feat_school] Classroom…
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