Kappa Delta Pi - Beyond the Resume

Hello Friends!

Recently I was asked to speak at Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) induction ceremony at GCC for new members during spring semester. It was such an honor to share with them my story of KDP – a 15-year story to be exact!

Before I begin, I want to give a huge thank you to all new member of Kappa Delta Pi, worldwide! Thank you for choosing become educators. Thank you for making an impact in education in classrooms, schools and around the world. You are joining KDP which is a huge honor! It celebrates excellence in education so welcome!

I have been a proud member of KDP since 2004. I had to pull this picture out of the archives. Thankfully my mom was a scrapbooker and this was an easy task. OK, I seriously thought that when I went in for an interview, the person interviewing me would see my resume and see that I was a KDP member and would hire me right away. Boy, was I naïve? Yeah, I really thought that - so I am here to tell you that...

KDP is so much more than a resume booster.

KDP has helped me become an educator excellence through networking, learning, and service. KDP makes YOU stand out from other teacher candidates, but you must do more than just stand out. You must connect, share, learn, and serve others in education.

Let’s start with connections – KDP is all about networking and connecting with educators and future teachers across the world. With over 1.2 Million inducted members - That’s a big number, aren’t you proud? Use those connections to network and build your PLN. Connect with peers and teacher candidates from across the globe and learn together about best practices and areas of need.

Along with connections come the learning. Learning opportunities with KDP are endless! From micro credentials to webinars the learning is up to you! You can really take control of your learning path. For instance, webinars are live and archived for later viewing and listening. There is new and relevant content that pertains to preservice teachers on a monthly basis – meaning that there is always something new to learn. Webinars in this fashion allow you to learn at your own pace at your own time and leisure. I have the honor of presenting during two of their webinars over the past few years. It is a great way to learn and grow my connections as well. If you are ever interested in presenting a webinar for KDP with me – just let me know.

The learning doesn’t stop with webinars, KDP offers several publications. One of my favorites is the New Teacher Advocate. I have had the privilege of writing for their quarterly magazine for the past two years in their feature called Technically Speaking. I love sharing new EdTech tools that teachers can use in their classrooms the very next day. Two of my most recent articles were about Microsoft Learning tools and using Book Creator to create social stories.

To go along with the learning, KDP offers convo – which is a conference that celebrates preservice teachers. It spotlights all the initiatives and activities Kappa Delphians are doing around the world. By attending and presenting at a conference really helps YOU as an educator. It gets your name out there, presentation experience, and networking opportunities.

Lastly, the service. The service opportunities through Kappa Delta Pi are endless. From providing professional develop to literacy activities for teachers and students, KDP chapters are leading the way in serving their communities and beyond.

Let's go back to that story about how I thought someone would hire just because I had KDP on my resume. What if the interviewer asked me, "So, Sam tell me about your involvement with KDP." What would I say? My answer would be so much more than I paid dues and that's it. Remember folks, don’t just pay your dues – DO something! Get involved, trust me, your future self will thank you!