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

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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Establishing a Culture for Learning (Danielson Domain 2B)

teacher laughing with a group of middle school students during an animated classroom activity
Establishing a culture for learning is Domain 2, Component B in the 2013 edition of Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching: it measures whether students, not just the teacher, treat learning as the point of the classroom. An exemplary classroom shows shared high expectations, student-led revision of weak work, precise academic language, and visible student agency.…
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6 Questions for Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport

Elementary students smiling and giving thumbs up at their classroom desks during lunch
Creating an environment of respect and rapport is component 2a of the Danielson Framework, and it measures two things: how a teacher interacts with students, and how students interact with each other. Both are judged on words and actions. Domain 2 evaluators look for warmth, consistency, and how fast disrespect gets addressed. [xyz_feat_school] Have you…
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Danielson 1f: Designing Student Assessments Explained

Smiling elementary student writing in a notebook in front of a chalkboard reading Assessment with school doodles
Designing student assessments is Component 1f of the Danielson Framework, inside Domain 1: Planning and Preparation. It covers four elements: congruence with instructional outcomes, criteria and standards, design of formative assessments, and use for planning. In the Danielson Framework, 1f focuses primarily on assessment planning and design; how it is evaluated depends on the locally…
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Designing Coherent Instruction: 7 Questions for Danielson 1e

Stack of six colored hardcover books with the words If Opportunity Doesn't Knock Then Build A Door across the spines
Designing coherent instruction is Danielson component 1e: building lessons and units that connect to real outcomes, use the right materials, group students on purpose, and follow a logical sequence. The Danielson Group renamed it Planning Coherent Instruction in the 2022 framework, but the four elements it measures haven't changed. [xyz_feat_school] Is the ability to design…
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Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources: Danielson Component 1d

Illustration of a tree growing education icons in place of leaves: books, graduation caps, a science flask, and pencils
Demonstrating knowledge of resources is Component 1d of the Danielson Framework, inside Domain 1. It asks what you know about materials for your classroom, for your own professional growth, and for your students. The framework's standard scale runs Unsatisfactory, Basic, Proficient, and Distinguished, though districts adapt it, so check your local rubric. [xyz_feat_school] No publisher…
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