Set your future on fire and apply for DKG Ignite, a once-in a lifetime opportunity!

July 1, 2023, could be a life-changing day for you because that’s when the application for the 2024 DKG Ignite: Leaders Empowering Leaders Program goes online. Members from all over the world can apply to attend a week-long leadership training sponsored by DKG International who partners with the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. For one week, you will be immersed in leadership instruction that will empower you in all areas of your life. Plus, you will make life-long friends who will be a resource and support in whatever endeavors you undertake. Remember, every DKG member is invited to apply; you do not have to have served in a society leadership role.

You will only regret the opportunities you don’t take so apply today for DKG Ignite: Leaders Empowering Leaders. 

dkg.org > (sign in) > MyDKG > Apply/Submit  

DKG Educators Book Award Winner

Voices of Newcomers:  Experiences of Multilingual Learners

By Denise Ammeraal Furlong, Ed.D.

The DKG Educators Book Award Committee is pleased to announce this years winning book: Voices of Newcomers: Experiences of Multilingual Learners. This is an easy-to-read, practical guide for the early career educator, the season educator and the administrator looking to meet the needs of Multilingual/English Learners, in particular Newcomers and SLIFE (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education).

This author hopes to spark conversation and inspire creativity in working with Multilingual Learners as she shares valuable experiences on:

*   How to manage the first days and weeks to assist the Newcomer in adjusting (academically, emotionally and socially) to their new school and class

*   Asset-based perspectives on the progress of Multilingual Learners (MLs)

*    Information that will help teachers academically engage these students, in addition to ways to assess and motivate them

*   Reflection questions and discussions for each chapter to guide book clubs or conversations in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

*   Ready-to-use resources to support educators as they meet the needs of MLs

This book gives the educational community time to pause and reflect on classroom activities, teaching styles, approaches to student feelings, attitude toward the Multilingual Learner, and insight into possible family situations or trauma that they have experienced.  By amplifying the voices of these students, their families, and their teachers, this handbook includes real-life stories to help educators understand these diverse perspectives.

DKG Art Gallery Spotlight: “Backgrounds can make or break a photograph.”

Margaret Meehan

Michigan State Organization, Beta Rho

“The best advice I received early on was to pay attention to the background. Stepping to the side, zooming in tighter, photographing from the other side, changing the angle, shooting higher or lower are all good strategies to eliminate distracting backgrounds.”

Margaret Meehan is a naturalist at heart.  Her love of travel, nature, sunrises and sunsets all encompass her eye for that perfect photograph. With nature as her background for many of her photographs, it’s only fitting that she places an emphasis on strategies to enhance a background setting.  Margaret gives us several important tips and advice that she has received throughout her career.  We encourage our readers to take a walk on the wild side with Margaret as she shares her photographic journey.

Tell us about yourself as an educator and an artist.

I was an elementary teacher for my whole career.  I never saw myself as creative but rather as interactive until I began photographing. I can’t draw, but I am very visual. As a photographer you decide what to put in the photo, but just as important what to leave out of the photo. The human eye can “see” more shades of lights and darks than a camera. Since photography is all about light, seeing the light is integral to taking good photographs. I am primarily a nature photographer which means getting up early to capture the best light. I use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to process my photos. Joining a camera club was the single most important thing I did to advance my photography. My club holds competitions through which my work gets critiqued. It is nice to hear what worked but so important to hear what could be made better.

Tell us what inspired you and how you developed the art you entered in the gallery.

My photography has given me the opportunity to travel and photograph. The fox photo was captured in Newfoundland where I went to photograph gannets and puffins. The foxes I captured were a happy find. While I am primarily a nature photographer, I compete in all the areas open for competition in my camera club. Each division (nature, general, monochrome, creative and prints) has an assignment and non-assignment category for each competition. The Midnight Musings came about as an assignment for the Monochrome Division – Low Key Photo. When I saw that assignment, I knew exactly how I wanted to photograph the typewriter.

 What is the best artist advice you have been given?

In photography, backgrounds can make or break a photograph. The best advice I received early on was to pay attention to the background. Stepping to the side, zooming in tighter, photographing from the other side, changing the angle, shooting higher or lower are all good strategies to eliminate distracting backgrounds.

What does the value of the Creative Arts in Education mean to you?

As a child I took piano lessons and I made sure my son had music lessons as well. When he went to college orientation, he was astounded by the number of students who were selected to his college who had a music background. The Arts develop the brain in wonderful ways. There are many ways of knowing and in a world driven by standardized testing it is important to develop the whole person.  The Arts provide positive social outlets, convey confidence, exercise the creativity “muscle” so needed to help solve daily challenges because there are many ways to look at problems. And arts of any kind are just JOYFUL.

Just one more thing....do you have anything else you want to add?

I do wish the DKG Gallery would add a Creative Photography division where the creative composition must be completely the work of the maker – no clip art or purchased content. To be “creative” it must look like it was manipulated in the computer not a straight shot out of the camera. The best example would be a composite where several photographs are combined into a new composition such as an image of a house sitting on a cloud. This art form makes for very compelling images.

 

The Arts and Humanities Jury Committee encourages suggestions from our readers and fellow artists!  Special thanks to Margaret and her extremely insightful responses to our inquiring minds.  The committee is committed to continuing to listen to our members and take suggestions.  We want our Art Gallery to grow and improve as the interest grows through our international membership.  More categories, improved rubrics and technology are all on the forefront of the committee’s efforts in the near future.  Be sure to stay tuned…….

Let’s keep the conversation going, please use the comment section below to suggest new topics, ask questions, or give us your input. We love hearing from our readers and gaining new ones.  Spread the word!

Our Constitution - Your Voice in the Society Part 1

Why is a change in the DKG Constitution so challenging and yet sometimes so complex? In this three-part series members will gain the knowledge and process for submitting a proposal for change in the DKG Constitution. The Constitution gives members of DKG a “Voice”. Our society currently has 17 countries and 50,000+ women. DKG is a melting pot of varying backgrounds, multiple languages, subjects, education and degree types. Yet, we are governed by one constitution.

Imagine bringing one member from every country of our society to your dinner table. What would you serve? How would you address the varying taste, preferences, likes, and dislikes? How would you accommodate your dinner guest in a positive way?  The goal is to have an experience so that your guest leaves satisfied. A great deal of planning is involved when planning a dinner party. What to serve? What is the cost? What about the time difference of members? Numerous components are utilized to create and develop for a successful event. Yet, not impossible! These are often questions asked when developing a proposal. What will we change? Why make the change/addition? What is the outcome of the proposal? How will the impact of the results, if passed, be felt within our society (Financial, geographic, etc.)?

Submitting a proposal requires (1) foundation of proposal (2) communication among proposer(s), (3) research, and commitment from start and finish. All members have the ability to request changes within our Constitution for the betterment of our Society. As you read throughout this blog series, you will have the foundation for creating a proposal.

JOIN TOGETHER WITH YOUR DKG SISTERS TO IMPROVE MENTAL WELLNESS

      What role can you as a member play in improving the mental wellness of educators? We all have a responsibility to advocate for our fellow sisters.  An upcoming workshop on Zoom, sponsored by the US Forum Subcommittee on Mental Wellness, will help you join with your fellow members to take action to make life better for our colleagues. 

    On Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 7 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Central, 5 p.m. Mountain, and 4 p.m. Pacific, we will have a discussion about House Resolution 744, Supporting the Mental Health of Educators and Staff Act of 2023.   You will then learn elements of effective testimony, helpful hints for advocating, and how to communicate with your members of Congress.

We are delighted to have speakers: Marge Lofstrom, Pat Bennett-Forman, Debbie Pajula, and Chris Shewczyk.

You don’t want to miss this. Register today by clicking on this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfcDBLHNzT2FPTfftgKCG6IZ2ow6L8xlM00PkbjuteI2SEHww/viewform

Introducing the 2023 Educators Book Award Recipient!

Congratulations!

 

 

You open your email, and the subject line immediately catches your attention.  Congratulations!  As you read the email you see the following: You have been chosen to receive our grant-in-aid. You think, yea, today is a great day. 

Many DKG members worldwide are fortunate to experience this scenario due to the variety of grants-in-aid provided by state organizations and chapters.  Some also go by the name of enhancements, stipends, or visionary funds.  The source of these funds varies.  Some are endowments that have been made to the state organization, while some are funds designated as memorials or trusts.  Some are short term with funds gathered for a specific purpose. 

DKG members use these grants-in-aid for personal and professional growth in many ways.  Most are individual, but some are for chapter use.  These are just a few of the many uses:

• Attendance to DKG sponsored conferences or conventions   
  
• Classroom books/supplies
• Leadership grants for attendance at a conference outside of DKG
• Travel
• Projects for individual or chapters use

An application is completed according to the specifics outlined in that application.  A letter of recommendation may be necessary from a principal or a chapter president.  The application may ask how the funds will be used to benefit the applicant or the benefit to others.  Is the grant-in-aid creative, original, or unique? Some grants require a written report or evaluation.  Many grant awardees present a workshop on their use of the funds at a state organization convention.  Each state organization has their own method for applying, assessing, and reporting.  It is worth the time to check out what is available. 

Some state organizations offer a grant-in-aid to a member for first-time attendance to an international convention.  Those who have attended an international convention confirm the many positive benefits that result from participation at the international level – deeper knowledge of the Society, bonds formed with members from around the world, learning from excellent speakers and workshops.  Grants-in-aid provide access to a member who otherwise may never have this opportunity. 

Chapters and state organizations may also want to consider offering grants-in-aid to non DKG members to attract future members.  This is especially true of early-career educators.  New educators need an abundance of supplies and materials for their classrooms and funds from DKG may be the impetus needed to interest them in joining the Society.

The following comments were made by early career educators who received a $250 grant-in-aid for their classrooms. 

"I utilized that money to get my classroom a good set of beakers and graduated cylinders. This was so my students would have a visual and hands-on activity when comparing volumes and measurements. We also utilize them for measuring liquids in different science experiments like when we created volcanoes and studied erosion."

"My second-grade class and myself are so appreciative of the donation made. I used the donation to purchase high interest books for my classroom library. Students have the opportunity to use these books every day. They help foster the love of reading and satisfy their inquisitive minds. We are so thankful!"

Have a project in mind, or a conference that you have a desire to attend?  If so, check out what funding sources may be available in your chapter or state organization.  You may be next to open the email with Congratulations!  You have been chosen to receive our grant-in-aid! 

Smooth Sailing Through the Storms of Leadership

DKG Leadership Presentation in Detroit and Phoenix

Do you have a positive chapter culture? Does it spill over to the State Organization level?

The DKG Leadership Workshop is being presented in Detroit and Phoenix and this is one area of focus. Building relationships, learning to accept our differences, embracing them, learning to work together, respecting the opinions of others, and providing opportunities for all members to be included, can lead to a calming journey through all levels of the Society.  Yes, the waters may get rough at times, and we may get off course, but learning to create a positive and encouraging environment will make for smooth sailing. Conflict will happen and difficult conversations will take place at times. Learn the techniques to diffuse a situation and “hear” your members. Are your leaders ready to take the role of leadership? Learn some important tips on the succession of leaders to help keep the stormy times of transition to a minimum. Make plans to attend this session and actively participate in sailing through the storms of leadership.