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

Showing Professionalism as a Teacher: Danielson 4f Guide

School staff members in business attire standing together and smiling in a bright meeting room
Showing professionalism as a teacher comes down to three things Charlotte Danielson's Domain 4f looks at: honesty in every interaction, decisions made on student needs rather than adult convenience, and leadership that reaches past your own classroom. In my experience, those habits count for more when colleagues can see them, not just when you hold…
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Growing and Developing Professionally: Danielson Domain 4e

Illustrated coaching diagram with icons for integrity, vision, positive attitude, humor, communication, and inspiration
Growing and developing professionally means taking ownership of your own learning instead of waiting for a district to assign it: reading, reflective practice, peer feedback, and formal coursework all count. In the 2013 Danielson Framework for Teaching, this is Domain 4e, one of several teacher-practice frameworks districts use, and it's evaluated on how you enhance…
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Participating in the Professional Community: Danielson 4d

Overhead view of diverse hands with pens and coffee cups around the word COMMUNITY and a checklist graphic
Participating in the professional community is component 4d of Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching, covering what you do outside your own classroom. In the framework, the component includes relationships with colleagues, a culture of professional inquiry, service to the school, and participation in school and district projects. The rubric you're scored against is your district's…
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Parent Teacher Communication: 6 Questions for Working With Families

Elementary teacher holding a tablet in her classroom as students work at desks behind her
Parent-teacher communication works best when it's frequent, two-way, and started before there's a problem. Make a positive contact early, ask each family how they prefer to be reached, and keep a record. Save phone calls and face-to-face meetings for anything that needs tone, nuance, or a hard conversation. [xyz_feat_school] Who are the greatest teacher partners…
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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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