Kari Kling
has spent most of her life in the role of "teacher." She
knew from the age of five that she would be an educator,
and her passion and enthusiasm for learning, and
teaching others to reach their highest potential, has
never waivered.
Kari's passion for and deep
understanding of how the human brain learns is
contagious! Drawing on her nearly 30 years as a
classroom teacher, national education consultant, and
author, Kari possesses a wealth of expertise about how
children learn, and enjoys sharing it with others.
For the past four years Kari has devoted herself
to her family, and as a parent she has gained an even
broader perspective of how her knowledge and experience
can support families academically, socially, and
cognitively. From observing how her own children learn,
Kari has seen brain research in action and would like to
help other families use this same knowledge to help
their own children.
Professional
Acknowledgements
Over the years, Kari has coached
more than 7,000 educators, administrators, and families
in using brain research to find the most effective
teaching strategies and resources. She has done this
locally - in her home state of Arizona - nationally,
internationally, as part of a team that traveled to
Slovakia to assist their education system transition
from communism to democracy.
Kari's experience
includes working with teachers and administrators in the
areas of curriculum development, increasing standardized
test scores, Special Education, Gifted Education,
Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, Character Education,
and working with English Language Learners. Kari's work
with families has included teaching parents specific
strategies they can use at home to increase their
children's academic skills.
Some Highlights of Kari's
Accomplishments Include:
1990: Kari created and was
lead facilitator for Project PLUS: Providing Learners
for Unlimited Success- a series of programs that taught
study skills, sign language, and "Mrs. Kling's Math
Mania!"
1991-1994: Staff Development Trainer,
Scottsdale Unified School District-Kari taught numerous
courses based on brain research, instructional
strategies, and curriculum development to teachers and
administrators.
1992: Selected as a
"Distinguished Educator" by the AZ State Board of
Education and served on the AZ State Board of Education
K-3 Advisory Board. Kari was one of seven early
childhood educators in Arizona to receive this honor
during her two-year term of service.
1992-1994:
Kari was part of an Education Leadership Team and served
as a Lead Teacher in developing a new K-6 school based
solely on research about how children learn.
1995: Kari was invited to travel with a team to
Slovakia, and share her educational expertise with
teachers and administrators as they transitioned from a
communist to a democratic country. For this work she was
awarded the "Citizen of the World" award by Susan
Kovalik & Associates in 1997.
2001: Kari led
a team of educators in the Creighton School District
(Phx., AZ) to excellence in curriculum by creating nine
fully-integrated yearlong themes (K-8) which
incorporated all AZ State Standards in ways that are
meaningful and relevant. After completion and
implementation, the team was awarded The Golden Bell
Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Arizona
Association of School Boards.
2006-Present:
Arizona Republic Parent Advisory Panel Contributor -
Kari has been featured on KPNX Channel 12's "School
Solutions" with Kim Covington, as well as interviewed
for various education-related topics for The Arizona
Republic's Education section.
2009-Scottsdale
Society for the Gifted, Board Member
Speaking Engagements
In
addition to coaching teachers and administrators, as
well as giving presentations at hundreds of schools
nationally, Kari has also been a featured and
keynote speaker at more than 50 state and
national education conferences including:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development
National Staff Development Council
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Arizona Association of Teachers of Mathematics
Arizona School Administrators
Utah School Administrators
Arizona K-3 Early Childhood State Conferences
Arizona Association for the Gifted and Talented
Schools Exceeding Expectations (SEE) National
Conferences
Experienced Educator
Kari
began her career in education as an elementary classroom
aide in 1978 and became a classroom teacher in 1981.
Kari's teaching experience ranges from Pre-K through
grade 12, and she has served as a "Model Teacher" at the
national level, a program that enables other educators
to observe her "brain-compatible" strategies, conceptual
curriculum, and positive discipline.
From
1978-1993, Kari also worked as a private tutor, creating
individualized plans for students in grades K through
12.
Educational Background
Bachelor's Degree in ElementaryEducation, 1981
With endorsements in:
Special Education (Learning Disabilities)
Sheltered English Immersion (SEI)
Masters Degree of Education in Counseling, 1989
Publications
It's Not
About Math, It's About Life, a book written to
support educators in teaching students how math is all
around them in ways that are meaningful, purposeful and
relevant. Awarded the "Gold Medal for Best Teacher
Resource" from Susan Kovalik & Associates and Books
for Educators, 1997.
The Only Being There
Experience Guide You'll Ever Need!, a book designed
to support you in supporting your children when they're
not in the classroom, 1999.
"Mission: Addition", a math education video
with a secret-agent theme that teaches the concept of
addition by using five math immersion strategies, 2004.
Personal
Kari has been
happily married to her husband, Bobby, for more than 25
years. They are the proud parents of 9 year-old twin
boys, two hamsters, and a dog named Husker!
