Amy McKenzie is the Lead Teacher for Health and Fitness at Mizzou Academy. After graduating from Truman State University with a degree in Exercise Science, she began her professional life as a USA Diving and Division 1 diving coach. The opening of the Mizzou Natatorium in 2005 brought Amy to Columbia, Missouri, where she helped athletes develop their springboard and platform diving skills. Her love for teaching and learning expanded beyond the pool deck, and she pursued her M.Ed. at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Amy spent the next 18 years in public education, working in a variety of roles and content areas at Rock Bridge High School. During her time as a science teacher, she developed a Kinesiology course, taught Biology (both General and AP), Human Anatomy and Physiology, and Online Forensic Science. Amy discovered that she was passionate about student support across multiple disciplines and transitioned to working with students in the Success Center while also teaching Health. In 2020, she was awarded the Columbia Fund for Academic Excellence Outstanding Secondary Teacher and MSTA’s Northeast Region High School Educator of the Year. Understanding that her growth and development as an educator was facilitated by individuals and teachers who invested in, coached, and mentored her, Amy decided to pursue Instructional Coaching as the next step in her career. Now, Amy is thrilled to be able to use her combination of experiences as a classroom teacher, online teacher, student support advocate, and instructional coach to invest in the students of Mizzou Academy. Outside of education, Amy enjoys spending time with her husband and two dogs. She loves reading, sewing, and growing vegetables in her garden. When opportunities to travel present themselves, she and her husband head West to go snow skiing in Colorado and overlanding in Utah.    

Areas of Expertise

• Listening and reflective thinking
• Student support and relationships
• Utilizing backwards design for curriculum and lesson development
• Instructional coaching and mentoring
• Instructional strategies