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Kjell Fenn

Kjell Fenn graduated with a degree in English, Secondary Education from Nyack College (NY) and earned a Master's degree in Counseling: Human Behavior from Liberty University (VA). Fenn began teaching 9th grade English in New York and New Jersey (practicum), then 9th grade English and 9th-12th grade ESL in Irving, Texas, as well as teaching English at the International Language School in Fort Worth, and finally, 7th and 8th grade Language Arts in Connecticut. After the classroom, Fenn began working at the State Education Resource Center (SERC) in Connecticut as an education consultant with his first role as the coordinator of the Paraprofessionals As Partners Initiative. Fenn's dynamic and humorous presentation style mixed with his understanding of the issues nationally and statewide, gained him accolades as a top trainer. He returned to the classroom, teaching high school language arts (grades 9-12) in an international American school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. There he continues to learn and grow as an educator, innovating techniques and structures in the classroom, as well as professional development.

Motivation is a topic of great interest to Fenn who wrote and published a book on the subject entitled All Students are Motivated - Just Wait for the Bell! 18 Keys to Redirecting Students' Motivation. He has presented on this topic at numerous conferences in the US and Canada as well as schools in Honduras.

Fenn is an international presenter with experience speaking at conferences, schools and districts, universities, and churches, in the United States, Canada, and Honduras. Along with extensive training in many fields of education, Fenn is a certified trainer in the following:

A Step-by-Step Approach to Inclusive Practices (Stetson and Associates, Inc.; Frances Stetson)
Making Standards Work (Center for Performance Assessment; Douglas Reeves)
Effective Teaching Strategies (Center for Performance Assessment; Douglas Reeves)

Fenn has intense training (3 or more days) in the following:

Data Driven Decision Making (Center for Performance Assessment; Douglas Reeves)
Cooperative Learning (Kagan, Inc; Spencer Kagan)
Meeting Facilitation (Peg Hayden Consulting; Peg Hayden)
Content Enhancement Routines (Kansas University)
IEP Meeting Facilitation
Courageous Conversations about Race (Pacific Education Group, Glenn Singleton)
Positive Behavior Support (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports; George Sugai)

Besides the items listed under Professional Development, Fenn has trained schools and districts in the following:

Early Intervention Project
Differentiated Instruction
Co-Teaching (Marylin Friend)

Fenn has provided services for the following organizations (in alphabetical order):

Bloomfield Public Schools (Bloomfield, CT)
Branford Public Schools (Branford, CT)
California Statewide Paraeducators Conference (Sacramento, CA)
Connecticut Statewide Paraprofessionals Conferences (Middletown, CT)
Coventry Public Schools (Coventry, CT)
Discovery School (Tegucigalpa, Honduras)
Discovery Corner (San Pedro Sula, Honduras)
Down Syndrome Association of Toronto (Toronto, Canada)
Enlaces Escuela (Comayagua, Honduras)
Hartford Public Schools (Hartford, CT)
National Paraprofessionals Conferences (USA)
New Haven Public Schools (New Haven, CT)
North Thurston Public Schools (Lacey, WA)
Region 4 Public Schools (Litchfield, CT)
Rocky Hill Public Schools (Rocky Hill, CT)
T3 Conference (Escuela International Sampredana) (San Pedro Sula, Honduras)
T3 Conference (Tegucigalpa, Honduras)
The Master's School (West Simsbury, CT)
Torrington Public Schools (Torrington, CT)
Waterbury Public Schools (Waterbury, CT)
Wethersfield Public Schools (Wethersfield, CT)
York University (Toronto, Canada)

Current Work

Professional learning community approach to professional development with a focus on tapping into the school's educators.

A qualitative research project to understand the characteristics of effective teachers.

Completion of a basic teacher's manual entitled The Art and Science of Teaching, which is a comprehensive training manual comprised of the foundational aspects of teaching in a PreK-12 educator.