MY ALPHA DELTA KAPPA EXPERIENCE

ADK Made Me a Better Educator By Jan Cook, International Executive Board ome people are born to teach. I played school as a preschooler, and I was always the teacher. I made my mom and my older brother be my students. I planned for hours what to teach and gathered whatever resources I could to teach them. So it was not unusual that, in the first grade, I decided to become a teacher. I loved my teacher, Mrs. Strand. Every day in the classroom was an experience of curiosity and learning. As I entered second grade, I knew there would be no other career choice for me. In second grade, my teacher called my mom to talk about me. I was horrified! The call was about my writing. I would answer questions only in print, rather than cursive, as she had asked our class to do. I had to admit to my mom that I thought my cursive handwriting was so awful, Mrs. Fishbach would not be able to read it, and she would mark all my answers wrong. Well, that problem soon got settled, and I answered questions on my papers only in cursive! Jan Cook As I became a teacher, I always strived to find new ideas, strategies or resources to make my classes more interesting and educational. I became a firm believer that students need as many varied experiences— visual, auditory and kinesthetic/tactile—as possible to learn a concept. I wanted them to internalize the material and long for more experiences that would help them become better adults. I wanted them to become lifelong learners and enjoy education as much as I do. When I was invited to join Alpha Delta Kappa, little did I realize how much of an impact ADK would make on my performance in the classroom. As a beginning teacher, I watched veteran teachers teach. Likewise, I watched great leaders, their styles of leadership and how they motivated people. What skills did I learn through my membership in ADK? First, I learned the importance of organizational skills. Being organized saves time and reduces stress. I like how professionally ADK meetings are run. If an organization leader facilitates a meeting in a disorganized fashion, little is accomplished. I have learned how important Robert’s Rules of Order is as a basis for decision-making. I have belonged to an organization whose bylaws included a statement about using this guide, but members do not take the time to study the rules. Things can get confusing in this type of organization. Just as strong leadership skills move an organization forward, a teacher must use leadership skills to efficiently manage the curriculum and move classroom learning forward. A teacher must have planning and preparation in place so she can focus

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on her teaching and its impact on each child. ADK leaders modeled organizational skills for me. Second, I have learned the importance of motivating people toward a common goal. It is the same in the classroom. We need to motivate students so they achieve the learning target of the day’s lesson. We have the objective in mind when planning a lesson, but unless the students see the need to learn it, the objective carries little value in their eyes. ADK’s strength is its mission statement, so clearly and eloquently stated, with clear objectives to achieve. Third, I have learned the value of teamwork. Teamwork is recognizing, listening to and respecting others’ ideas. This is how ADK has become a successful International organization. The same is in the classroom. Asking students to cooperate is necessary in the 21st century. Many of our students will be employed with worldwide companies and work collectively to create products for their businesses. In this day and age, very few people work independently in their careers. Currently, co-teaching in the classroom is more common than ever. This involves give-and-take on planning and delivering lessons that use the best strategies for every child’s learning style. Fourth, I have learned the importance of mentoring. ADK members are recognized for their outstanding teaching, and many of us of simply watch and become inspired by the wonderful, caring, welcoming women that they are. We are all educators, and once we have been in the classroom, we never forget how to teach. We model that same care, respect and concern to our students. I have realized how important it is to model for the next generation of young teachers. Sometimes a teacher candidate will be hesitant to have me observe a certain class because “the class is not very well behaved.” I always tell the candidate I will not see anything I have never seen before. I will not be shocked! What I do want to see is the strategy used to redirect the students to proper classroom behavior. Once the candidate understands this, we are on the same page, and great learning has taken place. The same is true in ADK. We work hard to pass on strategies that work to each level of leadership, so we are all working toward our common goals in our mission statement. A few individuals are born teachers, but great teachers are made. We have excellent education programs at the college and university levels that are always striving to improve the quality of teachers. But we must realize that they cannot do it alone. That is why belonging to a professional organization such as ADK can and does make an impact on classroom teaching. Outstanding teachers are always on the cutting edge of education, have a curiosity for learning and adding one more strategy to their toolbox to become more effective in their classrooms. This is where ADK shines! We help our members become the leaders in their schools. p

KAPPAN • JUNE 2016