Thank you for keynoting and presenting at our conference! Your message was very well received. Thanks for everything you do for kiddos, teachers and education!
Kayla Dornfeld is the 2020 Top Educator of the Year, and the 2019 North Dakota Teacher of the Year. Kayla is a two-time (2017 and 2018) Global Hundred honoree, recognizing her as 1 of the top 100 innovative educators in the world. The New York Times named her "one of the tech-savviest teachers in the United States".
She has 14 years of teaching experience in second grade, third grade, and kindergarten. Kayla holds her master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of North Dakota. In September 2018, she received the University of North Dakota Sioux Award, the highest honor of achievement offered by her University.
In 2021, she was named the "Youth Volunteer of the Year" by St. Jude Hospital.
She has been recognized as both an "ISTE Influencer" and "HarperCollins Publishing Influencer". Additionally, in March 2018, she was named 1 of just 30 "All-Star Digital Innovators" in the United States by PBS. Who's Who in America has also awarded Kayla for her contributions to education by publishing her biography.
Kayla frequently travels around the United States and other countries as a featured and keynote speaker. She has delivered hundreds of keynotes, one of note being at Twitter Headquarters. On July 23, 2015 she delivered her first TEDx Talk, Reimagining Classrooms: Students as Leaders and Teachers as Learners. Her work with classroom redesign and flexible seating has become the standard worldwide.
She is a co-author of the best-selling book Education Write Now, published in December 2017, and 10 Perspectives on Learning in Education, available now on Amazon.
You can connect with Kayla on all social media platforms @topdogteaching, and her student-led social media accounts @topdogkids.
In this high-energy keynote, Kayla Dornfeld, North Dakota and USA Teacher of the Year, shares how to create a classroom where students are engaged, connected, and excited to learn. Drawing from her experience as a current third grade teacher, Kayla provides practical, realistic strategies that can be implemented immediately.
This session focuses on what actually works in today’s classrooms: building relationships, increasing engagement without burnout, and creating an environment where both students and teachers thrive.
Participants will leave with:
* Simple, high-impact engagement strategies
* Ways to build strong, lasting classroom relationships
* Practical ideas to increase student ownership
* A renewed sense of joy and purpose in teaching
Teaching has never been more demanding. In this honest and encouraging keynote, Kayla shares realistic strategies to help educators move from burnout to balance without guilt.
This session blends practical systems, mindset shifts, and real-life teacher experiences to help educators create a career they can sustain and enjoy.
Participants will leave with:
* Simple systems to reduce overwhelm
* Boundaries that support both students and teachers
* Strategies to bring joy back into daily teaching
* Tools to feel supported, not stretched thin
Engagement is not extra, it is essential. In this session, Kayla shares how intentional play and interactive learning increase both academic success and classroom connection.
Using real classroom examples, participants will learn how to incorporate low-prep, high-impact strategies that get every student involved.
Participants will leave with:
* Ready-to-use classroom games and activities
* Strategies to increase participation and focus
* Ways to make learning memorable and meaningful
Classrooms today require more than academic instruction. In this session, Kayla shares practical routines and strategies to help students regulate, stay engaged, and feel successful.
This session aligns perfectly with her upcoming CALM in the Classroom framework.
Participants will leave with:
* Easy-to-implement classroom routines
* Strategies for supporting student regulation
* Tools to create a calm, focused learning environment