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I just attended the Kappa Delta Pi Convocation this weekend. For those of you not familiar with this organization, it is an honors society for educators. Although I learned about KDP while obtaining my Masters degree, I never jumped at the opportunity offered. I’m now wishing I had. At this point in my life I would have had a lovely six years as a part of this fantastic organization instead of just a couple of months.

I recently came upon KDP through an email sent to me and thought I’d check it out. When reading about membership in the organization I realized that I qualified to join and decided to take the plunge. I submitted my application and my transcripts and was joyfully accepted into the community. What a pleasure it has been! Their website is a plethora of information and strategies and the convocation was an informative and enlightening three days.

I had the opportunity to converse with pre-service teachers, university professors, retirees who have much wisdom to offer, and classroom teachers striving to do their best in meeting the needs of our students. To be a member of an organization with the mission of “So to Teach, So to Serve, So to Live” is uplifting. What I observed was not a group of teachers going to a conference with the purpose of attending one or two classes and then enjoying the city delights, but a group of dedicated professionals participating in courses and in constant dialogue about teaching practices. The professionalism exhibited in dress and in conversations by all attendees - even the college students - was a breath of fresh air.

If you are not part of an organization that supports and encourages professionalism and a high standard of performance, then I highly recommend you look into Kappa Delta Pi and see if you qualify to be a member. Being able to discourse with fellow educators who put forth their very best into teaching and learning is a satisfying experience. To have a group locally with whom you can meet and talk on a regular basis would be wonderful. Can you imagine sharing experiences with other teachers and not be subtly judged as a brown-noser or eager-beaver? Can you imagine sharing experiences with other teachers who feel as passionately about excelling in the profession as you do? Perhaps if we had more chapters of Kappa Delta Pi within our schools, we could truly create professional learning communities. Perhaps we could have a culture in our school that welcomes and supports high achieving and innovative teachers. Perhaps we could retain quality teachers who so often leave the profession after burn-out and a lack of support from their colleagues. It certainly is something to think about.

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