May 2025 AΔKCC Network

May 2025 Alpha Delta Kappa Collegiate Clubs Network

Alpha Delta Kappa Collegiate Clubs & Alumni Welcome to our monthly newsletter! We are here to provide you with some helpful tips, connections, and networking opportunities.

Do You Know Your Strengths?

Leslie Koenck Louisiana Alpha Sigma Louisiana Immediate Past President 2025 Leadership Academy Mentor

Job evaluation feedback often focuses on areas of weakness that need improvement. Multiple research studies discuss the importance of knowing our strengths and working on developing those areas. Do you know your strengths and talents?

What activities are you comfortable doing? I am a list maker and planner. I do not like to wait until the last minute to complete a task. So, my actions are to “chunk out” a task to complete over time. When I began my educational career, I observed a teacher with excellent classroom management. Watching her techniques and attempting to imitate her precisely, I quickly learned that would not work for me and my talents. At first, I thought that this meant I would not be a good teacher. I adjusted the discipline plan to meet my skills and talents. The plan reflected my strengths and benefited the Junior High students I taught.

Leaders must focus on their innate strengths as they progress through the different leadership roles throughout their lives. Focus on developing these skills as you develop your unique leadership style based on your

Do You Know Your Strengths?

Continued unique leadership style based on your innate skills. Do not copy others’ leadership style. This will initiate questioning and struggles when you have pushed your talents aside.

Strive to continually develop and nurture your strengths to grow into a stronger leader. There are many ways to identify these skills. One source used by Alpha Delta Kappa is the StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Gallup, which includes the CliftonStrengths assessment. The CliftonStrengths identity 34 themes (strengths) clustered under four domains. The assessment has a fee. I have even encouraged my adult children to take this assessment. The results identify talents and skills, encouraging the development of a personalized leadership style. I wish I had known and understood these concepts earlier in my educational career.

Also, encourage your fellow educators and friends to know and understand their talents and strengths. With this knowledge, you can utilize your abilities to lead change and better meet the needs of your students and community.

Leaders instill in their people a hope for success and a belief in themselves. Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals. - Unknown

Reflect and Revise: My Top Ten Teacher Helps Kimberly Norman Virginia Zeta At the beginning of each school year, teachers prepare content plans, classroom procedures and organize files and activities. Throughout the year, teachers are reflecting on lessons and procedures to continue what works and analyze what changes should be made to make the lesson or procedure better. As the school year comes to a close, it is a good habit to reflect on the year as a whole and revise where needed. Yes, reflecting and revising is a practice that should be repeated throughout the year.

As I reflected and revised over my 20 years of being an educator, I wish I could have told myself these teacher helps in my first year of teaching. Here are my Top 10 Teacher Helps.

1. Set up a Google folder by class, then by unit. You can drill down even more by assessment, classwork activity, etc, although files can be harder to locate with too many folders. I prefer the less-is-more practice.

2. Set up 3-ring binders with paper assignments, including assessments with answer keys in sheet protectors. This makes locating, revising and adding postit notes to help remind the teacher for the future.

3. Set up a plastic file box with hanging folders by unit. This is a great place to keep your activities, small group tasks, manipulatives, etc. As you create and collect additional activities, you can add additional file boxes to house them.

4. Teach your students American Sign Language (ASL) for the restroom, yes, no, me too, etc. Restroom, yes, and no work great to allow silent communication between the student and the teacher, which allows the teacher to seamlessly continue teaching. Me too is great for students to show they had the same answer when another student was called on, and feel like they received credit for the correct answer. Other words can be taught, based on the needs of the classroom.

5. Pencil Station on the magnetic whiteboard. Getting magnetic clips to hold the pencils. When a student borrows one, he/she write his/her name on the board next to the magnetic clip. When class is over, the student returns the pencil and erases his/her name. This saved my pencil stash, so I was not constantly having to refill my supply.

Reflect and Revise: My Top Ten Teacher Helps Continued 6. Laminate everything you are going to post on your classroom walls and all activities. This saved me so much time by not having to recreate items each year. I also learned that regular paper works better than cardstock. The thickness of the cardstock can be separated with a lot of use. If you plan to use something more than once, laminate it.

7. Assignments Not Turned In Google Form. This form was created for electronic assignments that were not turned in (NTI). It was a definite time saver and recorder of when assignments were turned in. After I created the Google Sheets from the Google Form, I added two columns to the right of the questions answered: Date Completed and Comments. This saved more time and grief when a student turned in an NTI. Students would tell me and/or their parents they had completed the NTI, and many times I went to grade the assignment, and it was not complete. A definite time saver for electronic assignments.

8. Parent-Guardian/Teacher Communication Log. This log makes it easy to record communication with parents/guardians. The log can be accessed via a laptop, iPad, iPhone, etc. I prefer having everything digital if possible. I have a tab for each class.

9. Set up a Student Station. On a table or bookshelf, you can have everything a student could need: a stapler, a tape dispenser, a pencil sharpener, paperclips, lined paper, printer paper, markers, gluesticks, etc. I have a “News for You” bulletin board in this area, for a one-stop shop for my students’ needs.

10. Take care of yourself! Just like on an airplane, you put your oxygen mask on first, then the children in your care. You need to carve out time for yourself to work out, play a sport, do needlework, read, weekend travel, spend time with family/friends, basically anything that rejuvenates you and keeps you physically and emotionally healthy. This is important!

The aforementioned Top Ten Teacher Helps have been developed after reflecting on what worked in my class. I hope these help you as you progress from being a new teacher to a seasoned one. All of these were developed to support the teaching of my students. These are just my top ten supports. Your school and class may be different from mine, so use what works for you and make revisions as needed for you, your classroom and most importantly, your students.

Ball State University

We had such a great Indiana Conference this past Saturday. It’s always a great time to see our ADK sisters

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Thank you to everyone that was able to help us with our dine to donate.

We appreciate you and all your work to help support future educators!

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We ended our year with a night of bowling and are so excited for the future!

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Look at these wonderful faces of our Collegiate Club @ Ball State University and their proud Advisor, Amy Leitz! #adkproud #adkcc

Ouachita Baptist University

Look at the generosity that our Alpha Delta Kappa Collegiate Club Ouachita Baptist University shared with their community! #adkfutureeducator #adkcc #adkgiving Members of ADKCC at Ouachita Baptist University created original Easter Cards for a local Nursing Facility in Arkadelphia. So very creative!

University of Arizona

Thank you Arizona Omicron Chapter for honoring our Alpha Delta Kappa Collegiate Club University of Arizona graduating seniors! Your partnership for our future educators makes a difference! #adkproud #adkcc

Baker University

Congratulations Alpha Delta Kappa Collegiate Club Baker University for growing their club! They initiated 3 new members! #adkfutureeducators #adkproud

We are so PROUD of YOU! It is now time to update your profile on the Alpha Delta Kappa Website!

We want to keep you supported as you begin your educational career! Make sure to log in and update all of your personal contact information and explore membership into Alpha Delta Kappa!

Remember, we have free resources and continued scholarships & grants to support your career! Contact Heaquarters if you need your credentials!

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