Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
“The Alpha Tau Talk”
“Leading Women Educators Impacting Education Worldwide,
Honor, Learn, Lead through DKG
2020-2022 International Theme Volume 6 Issue 2
www.dkg.org –International www.dkgmissouri.com –State
Myrna Walker—Newsletter Editor Alpha Tau Facebook: Alpha Tau MO of DKG
mailto: myrnaLwalker@gmail.com MO State Facebook: DKG Missouri
Happy fall!
Jessie’s Journey As we
enter this
new
season, I thought it would be fun to share some
knowledge I have been recently introduced to that
involves the journey of children and reading!
Balanced Literacy has been at the forefront of
reading education for the last several years, giving us
the idea that children who are read to, talked to, and
have been introduced to a strong vocabulary, will pick
up reading and fly with it. While this is true for some, a
recent study says that only 70-80% of the nation's
students are reading proficiently. That leaves us
with a large gap of students and families who struggle
with literacy.
In a program I taught last year, I discussed the
Science of Reading. I’m currently in the thick of LETRS
training which breaks down how the brain works while
learning to read. The information I have received is
overwhelming, but also eye opening to just how we can
help our students grow in literacy.
One take away I have really thought deeply about is
the important role oral literacy plays in students
learning to read. Students today have technology at the
tip of their fingers: knowledge, games, movies, music,
anything they could possibly think of can be searched.
Because of this, we have seen a large decrease in the
amount of person to person conversation. Kids aren’t
hearing conversations with a large range in vocabulary.
They aren’t participating in conversations either. We
really begin to see the struggle of this when students
begin school.
Students speak in incomplete sentences, struggle with
beginning a conversation or being understood, and have
difficulty staying on topic during a conversation. Think
about trying to have a student read a sentence when they
can’t even speak one correctly. Our trainer introduced a
(cont. on p. 4)
Fall, 2022 p. 1
Next Meeting Information
Our next Alpha Tau meeting will be Saturday,
November 5th, at 9:30 a.m.
Location: CMH Community Room #1
Meal: $10 for a great brunch!
Program: *Scholarship Basket Raffle--$5 for a
raffle ticket; each member should spend
minimum of $15, and support your team
basket. There are 4 baskets—Travel Buddy,
Family Game Night, Sweet Tooth, and Falling
for Fall.
*Speaker: Shaundra Ingram,
Pleasant Hope Superintendent, presenting on
Community Involvement in Schools Piloted
Raffle Ticket Basket Sale
Denim is the suggested dress code for this
meeting, if you would like!
Also, note that Scholarship Applications and
Grants-in-Aid Applications are due by January
15th.
*Please reply that you ARE coming to the meeting
by Wednesday, Nov., 2nd to Jessie Gray at
jgray@phr6.org
IN THIS ISSUE
President’s Message---------------------------- p. 1
Next Meeting Information -------------------- p. 1
Previous Meeting Minutes ---- ---------------p. 2
Alpha Tau’s Officers---------------------------- p. 2
Dates to Remember ----------------------------p. 2
Spotlight on Education ------------------------ p. 3
DKG’s 7 Purposes -------------------------------p. 3
Upcoming Conferences ------------------------p. 4
Legal Brief ----------------------------------------p. 4
Sister Personal News---------------------------p. 5
Sister Chat----------------------------------------p. 5
Schools for Africa ------------------------------ p. 6
Why I am a Member of DKG ------------------p. 7
Scenes from International Convention ----p. 8
 Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
The Alpha Tau Talk
Fall, 2022 p. 2

Alpha Tau Officers for 2022-2024 If You Missed the September Meeting . . .
President—Jessica Gray President Jessica Gray called the September
First Vice-President—Jessica Sergent meeting of the Alpha Tau Chapter of Delta Kappa
Second Vice-President—Kay Otterness Gamma to order on September 17, 2022 at CHM
Secretary—Debra Agee Community Room 1. Members enjoyed a brunch
Treasurer—Cay Sergent prepared by CMH.
Parliamentarian—Rhonda Voris Agee The members recited the Pledge of Allegiance and
Immediate Past President—Karen Gorden sang the Singing Grace. President Jessie Gray
welcomed 14 members in attendance and three
attending virtually, then provided instructions for the
Trading Cards Icebreaker. Minutes of the April 9, 2022
meeting recorded by Rhonda Agee were presented
by Debra Agee, Recording Secretary. Karla Spear
moved to accept the minutes as read. Motion
seconded and passed.
Cay Sergent presented the treasurer’s report. It
was approved as read. Cay presented the 2022-2023
DATES TO REMEMBER
budget. She indicated she had budgeted funding in the
All DKG meetings start at 9:30 a.m.
convention category to be used toward the President’s
*Oct. 10, 2022 Item List of Basket Due--
mileage, hotel and registration expenses while
Email Jessie Gray
attending Convention this year. She added that the
*Nov. 5, 2022 CMH Comm. Rm. 1
budget categories had not been changed for years and
Scholarship Basket Raffle
she would ask the Finance Committee to consider
Shaundra Ingram, Speaker
updating them. Myrna Walker moved to accept the
“Getting the Community Involved in Your School”
2022-2023 Budget as presented. Motion was
Denim is the suggested dress code!
seconded and passed. New members Robin Vaughn,
*Jan. 15—Scholarship applications due
Rebecca Bauer, Kami Bohnstadt and Tracey
*Feb. 11, 2023 DKG Mtg. Location TBA
Allison were recognized and asked to sign the
World Fellowship donations taken
membership book.
*Apr. 8, 2023 DKG Mtg. Location TBA
President Gray presented the Alpha Tau Basket
Project Honor—invite a guest
Fundraiser. (This will take the place of the Silent
*Sept. 16, 2023 DKG Mtg. Location TBA
Auction at the November meeting). Chapter members
*Nov. 4, 2023 DKG Mtg. Location TBA
have been assigned to one of four teams. Each team
*Jan. 15—Scholarship applications due
will create a themed basket worth at least $25 to raffle
*Feb. 10, 2024 DKG Mtg. Location TBA
off at the November 5 meeting. Themes are Local
Slate of officers presented and voted on
Spotlight, Family Game Night, Sweet Tooth, and
*Apr. 13, 2024 DKG Mtg. Location TBA
Falling for Fall. Each Alpha Tau member is responsible
for:
-donating or obtaining a donation of an item worth
$5 or more for their teams basket.
-notifying their team leader of the item by October
Something you need to know? 10 after which Jessie Gray will notify members of
items in each basket.
Look it up at alphataumo.weebly.com -selling/purchasing 3 tickets ($5 each) by the
The password for our yearbook under November 5 meeting. Indicate which basket on the
Resources is dkgalphatau ticket.
-place tickets and money in an envelope.
-bring the envelope with the tickets/money….. and
item for the basket…. to the November 5 meeting or
(cont. on p. 6)
 Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
The Alpha Tau Talk
Fall, 2022, p. 3
JoBeth Maas won one of the wonderful door
prizes at the September meeting! There was a
throw, several kitchen towels, some cookies, and
several other items that were given away!
Delta Kappa Gamma’s Seven Purposes
As members of the Society, we are committed
to give active support to the Seven Purposes upon
which Dr. Annie Webb Blanton founded the
organization in 1929. They are:
1. To unite women educators of the world in a
genuine spiritual fellowship.
2. To honor women who have given or who
evidence a potential for distinctive service in
any field of education.
3. To advance the professional interest and
position of women in education.
4. To initiate, endorse and support desirable
legislation or other suitable endeavors in the
interests of education and of women
educators.
5. To endow scholarships to aid outstanding
women educators in pursuing graduate
study and to grant fellowships to non-
member women educators.
6. To stimulate the personal and professional
growth of members and to encourage their
participation in appropriate programs of
action .
7. To inform the members of current economic,
social, and educational issues so that they
may participate effectively in a world
society.
Everything we do in Alpha Tau should be able
to be linked to one or more of these purposes.
That is our challenge!
Spotlight on Education
Teamwork is the Goal This Year
Even though schools are faced with shortages of
teachers, turnover of school administrators and workers,
curriculum and health precautions, and is a regular
political target, Margie Vandeven, Missouri Education
Commissioner, says there is still cause for optimism. Even
though tensions have been high as schools resume, she
says, “Our schools are great places for kids to be. They’re
great places for our teachers to be.”
The answer to our school problems is to “stay very
focused on the future ahead of us and work in a very hope-
filled way to empower our children so that they do feel
safe and secure and ready for their next steps in life,”
Vandeven states. About 50% of the state’s K-12 public
school teachers leave within the first 5 years, and fewer
students are seeking a teaching degree. As of August,
2022, Missouri had more than 500 classroom teaching
positions to fill.
Doug Hayter, executive director for the Missouri
Association of School Administrators said that about 104
K-12 school districts have a new superintendent this
academic year. More than 70 of those are first year
superintendents.
By comparison, Hayter said the turnover rate the past few
years has been about 70 superintendents yearly.
Hayter says that in 2020 when COVID started, everyone
was a little more understanding and educators were
looked at with almost a hero status. But then the tide
seemed to turn and become a little more negative. A lot of
educators seem to think the 21-22 school year was tougher
than the year before for several reasons. There seems to
be a little anxiety as to what 2022-2023 is going to be like;
will it be like last year or seem more “normal”?
Missouri has 557 K-12 public school districts and
public charter schools.
Missouri’s top educator stresses teamwork in upcoming school
year - Missourinet
 Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
The Alpha Tau Talk
Fall, 2022, p. 4
Legal Brief
4 Things That Educators Should Know
About the Law and Ethics
Ethics lets everyone know the right things to
do and gives us a moral framework so that staff
and students can work together in the best
possible way. Law and ethics work together, but
law is enforced based on written regulations by
legal representatives.
Teachers are responsible to know their legal
obligations as well as their own rights AND those
of their students and schools.
1. The ethics of education: To solve ethical
issues, you have to be totally informed as to the
students’ rights and your rights. Then it is
important to be empathetic to all parties, as well
as knowing the guidelines where you work.
2. Your legal rights as an educator: Laws
vary, but there are certain guidelines that must be
followed, such as teachers are liable for any harm
that occurs to a student under their care, or if they
personally harm a student, have not issued safety
guidelines, or are not adequately supervising
students. But teachers also need to know that Title
IX forbids discrimination according to gender, so
no teacher should ever feel discriminated against.
3. The legal rights of school districts: Most
school districts now ban corporal punishment.
Sexual harassment continues to be a major
problem; over ½ of female students have reported
being sexually harassed. The law has taken
increasingly stronger stances against school
prayers, though personal expression of religion is
protected.
4. Legal rights of parents and students:
Though parents have tried to sue schools, the law
generally sides for the schools. The same is true
for when students try to complain legally against
schools. Parents have the right to access school
records and should have a part in who gets this
information. Schools cannot discriminate against
pregnant students, and the law is increasingly
siding with the gay community. Students’ rights of
free speech and also protection from unrea-
sonable searches are protected by law, but schools
- - leeway in order to maintain order.
may use
(https://www.theedadvocate.org/
4-things-educators-know-education-law-ethics/)
Upcoming Conferences:
2023 Conferences
*Apr. 28-29-MO State Convention
Courtyard by Marriot
3301 Lemone Industrial Blvd
Columbia, MO 65201
*July 11-16, Detroit, Michigan;
The Westin Book Cadillac
*July 18-22, Phoenix, Arizona
Sheraton Wild Horse Pass
*July 26-29, Tampere, Finland
**Future International Conventions
2024--National Harbor, MD (Gaylord National, D.C.)
2026--Aurora, CO (Gaylord Rockies)
Jessie’s Journey cont. from p. 1
great way to help combat this issue with students. It’s
called the “30 second conversation.” Choose a student and
ask them a simple question or something you notice/
enjoy. Here is an example:
Teacher: I had pizza for dinner last night. We sat at our
table and talked about our day.
The student would hopefully reply with what they ate,
where they ate, and what they discussed at dinner. This is
an opportunity for them to practice talking on topic,
speaking in complete sentences and allows teachers the
opportunity to repeat and guide students throughout the
conversation.
Oral literacy is a strong base students need to guide
them through their literary journey. As teachers we can
help give them the foundation they may be lacking by
using these 30 second conversations while also gaining a
deeper connection with the students in our care. How can
you fit a 30 second conversation into your daily journey?
Jessie Gray, President
“Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand
them, one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their
history, appreciate their poetry, or savour their songs.”
Nelson Mandela
If you want to get into Missouri State’s website,
(www.dkgmissouri.com), you must use
your membership number as your username and
DKG2014society as the password for the first time. After
that you can personalize it. If you do not know your
membership number, contact Cay Sergent. There are many
helpful resources on the website!
 Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
Alpha Tau Chapter
Fall, 2022, p. 5

Sister Chat
This issue we highlight Faye Peters, who turned 80
SISTER FUN NEWS
years young this past May. She lives in the “village” of
Debra Agee says the highlight of her summer
Halfway, and evidently has decided to never retire!
was being able to attend the 2022 FCCLA National
She has earned her BS in Elem. (including K and
Leadership Conference in San Diego. Pleasant Hope
middle school), her MS in Adm. as principal, her Soc.
needed a chaperone at last minute to accompany
Stud. Certification, and her Specialist in Superin-
students competing in National STAR events. She
tendency. She has done SO many jobs, through her
had not been to NLM for 15 years and was amazed
SIXTY-ONE years of serving in education!!! There have
at the changes!
been 4 years as a teacher of 4th grade, 8th grade and
She says she experienced many firsts that made it
Remedial reading, 23 years as elementary principal K-
extra special:
8th, 20 years serving as Director of the Missouri
* First time in San Diego and all the wonderful
Association of Elementary School Principals, and she is
sights in San Diego, including the zoo!
STILL working half-time at the SBU switchboard for the
*First time completing a 5K walk/run! (We say,
past 7 years! This woman cannot retire!
WOW!)
Faye has been in DKG for 38 years. She has served in
*First time ocean kayaking out to see sea lions in
most positions at the chapter level—twice, and served
caves along the coast!!
as the chapter president—twice! She has served in
*And most of all....the first time she had traveled to
several positions at the state level including all the
a NLM with a member of her family (her grand-
offices that lead to state president, and then she was
daughter)!! And to make it even better.... she got to
State President from 2007-2009! She has also served as
watch that granddaughter receive second IN THE
the Missouri Director of the Regional meeting, and this
NATION in her FCCLA events!! Debra says she can't
meeting included our area out to the West Coast, as well
begin to express how proud she was!! She quotes,
as Japan, Hawaii, and Mexico!
“It was an experience I will never forget!”
Her special interests are her family—her son Curtis,
Laurie Whitlock says she had a wonderful week
her grandson Jonathon Lee (17), her sisters Wanda
in Branson with a group of girlfriends going to the
(David), and Dorothy, and brother Duane (Donna). Her
Silver Dollar City Southern Gospel events, seeing
family is a tight-knit group and she claims extended
several attractions and shows in the area, enjoying
family as her own kids and grandkids.
eating out and just having a lot of fun and
One thing that is different in DKG from when she
laughter! In September, she flew to West Virginia
joined was the attendance and giving of your time was
for a family reunion and so enjoyed seeing so many
just expected. There was also much more secrecy about
of her paternal cousins. She says it was a great time
the group and who the members were. She thinks the
of visiting and catching up!
members were more dedicated to the organization than
Laurie is also planning to spend Thanksgiving in
we are today. Her deceased sister Jerel just stopped
Red River, NM, with her oldest son and his
(cont. on p. 7)
family. She is keeping those new knees active, isn’t
she!!!
Myrna Walker got to go to Belize on a mission Faye
trip in August where the team cleaned up a camp
that had been closed for 2 years due to covid, Peters
painted a church that had been half destroyed by a
typhoon, and cleaned a church in district
Educator
headquarters. They also found time to zip line (8 zip Mom
lines actually :o) and go cave tubing. Grandma
Then she just got back from an Alaskan
cruise/land tour. There is just too much to tell State President
about the beauty of that vacation! You will have to Director
look at her Facebook page for that! Principal
 Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
Alpha Tau Chapter
Fall, 2022, p. 6
If You Missed the Sept. Meeting
(cont. from p. 2)
get it to Jessie Gray prior to the meeting. The baskets
will be assembled at the November 5 meeting and
winning tickets drawn. Monies raised from the
baskets supports our scholarship and grant-in-aid
programs.
The November meeting will be November 5th at
9:30 am at the CMH meeting rooms. The September
business meeting of Alpha Tau Chapter of Delta
Kappa Gamma was adjourned by singing the DKG
song, followed by a competitive game of DKG
Jeopardy and door prizes.
Thanks to Karen Gorden for minutes!
Continued Sister Fun News
Skylar Mueller shares the exciting news that she
and her husband Andrew and are expecting their first
child, a baby boy, in the upcoming weeks! She says
she will be teaching up until her due date, so we are
to keep our fingers crossed that she does not go into
labor in the classroom, which is 3rd grade in Nixa!
On that same note, she writes that Nixa has been
recognized again as a National Blue Ribbon school,
and they are very proud of their district for the
accomplishments! Yeah, Nixa and Baby Boy Mueller!!
Faye Peters giving the Inspiration at the SW
Area Meeting this spring
DKG’s First International Project—
Schools For Africa
Schools for Africa is a partnership among UNICEF
and Delta Kappa Gamma which is helping millions of
children receive a quality education. It became DKG’s
first international project in 2010, and since then we
have reached over 30 million children and increased
access to basic quality education in 21 countries
across Africa!
How do we do this? Through inclusive and healthy
schools, gender-sensitive education, qualified teacher
and child-centered pedagogy, and safe schools. We
also help to promote greater involvement of
communities in children’s early learning and well-
being through parental education and increase access
to and quality of informal learning programs and
education for children in emergencies.
Another VERY important access of Schools for
Africa is increasing education rates for rural and
urban poor, ethnic minorities, children with
disabilities, and especially girls. As we have talked
about before, when girls reach the age of puberty,
they usually quit going to school due to not having
gender specific restrooms and/or supplies to take
care of their health needs at that age. So they just stay
home OR they are sold into various trades.
Sometimes the parents believe they are doing a
good thing by selling their daughters, by providing
them a better life. But often it is only selling them
into the sex trade. Even if this horrible thing does not
happen, staying at home might cancel the girl’s
education from that time on, which also affects her
future children’s educations.
The work of women and girls involves carrying
water from the closest resource to their home several
times a day. In many instances, this will be miles
away! But if we can keep girls and other minorities in
school by providing health supplies, School-in-a-Box
kits, emergency supplies and even temporary
shelters, training for teachers, and materials, lives are
literally transformed!
Still, 69 million children remain excluded from an
education! There is much work to be done. So, we
collect CHANGE FOR CHANGE at every meeting with
the hope that what is little to us becomes big change
for African children. We want to transform lives the
DKG way! We have already reached over 30 million
children in 21 countries!! That’s one reason why this
editor is a member of DKG! We change lives!
 Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
Alpha Tau Chapter
Fall, 2022, p. 7
(Sister Chat cont.)
everything if she had a DKG activity!
One thing that is different in education from
when she started teaching is requirements of
school clothing. When Faye was pregnant with her
son, the school board decided teachers could wear
pants IF it was a 3 or 4 piece matching set only.
Her superintendent called her in and told her that
it was inappropriate for her to wear maternity
pants and top as they were not a suit! :O
Ok then, Faye, if you had it to do all over again,
would you still choose teaching as a career? “I
read all the Florence Nightingale books and was
going to be a nurse until I figured out that I did not
want to clean up sick people. My deceased half-
sister (Jerel) and Dad’s only sister (Ora) were both
teachers and I think encouraged me to the
teachers’ route. I learned elementary principals
help clean up kids and take dirty clothes home for
clean clothes, but I was happy to be an educator.”
Just think how many children are happy that
Faye Peters made that decision! We are, too!
Present and Past State Presidents at this year’s SW
Area Meeting: Judy Heuer, Faye Peters, Cay
Sergent, Nadine Horner, Sue Groves, Karen Evans
Dear Sisters,
Please go look at the Our Members section of
our website alphtaumo.weebly.com and tell me
what I need to update about your information!
There is a way to do that on the Home page of the
website! Thank you!!
The Alpha Tau Talk Editor
Why I am a Member of DKG
When Emogene Sechler came down to my 2nd
grade room and told me that she was nominating me
to join Alpha Tau 38 years ago, I was extremely
honored! She told me it was for key women
educators only, and I certainly didn’t feel like one of
those, but I was willing to accept the honor!
I met a lot of interesting women who told me of
their days of teaching, and I learned so much through
fellowship during the meetings. We also helped
other sisters by providing scholarships and Project
Hope in bringing items to every meeting to support
great causes.
The meetings were usually very informative and
it was good on-going professional development. It
didn’t take up much time, even though I was a busy
mom and teacher, with only four meetings a year. I
liked catching up with my friends, co-workers, and
acquaintances at these meetings.
Although every sister had to participate in Alpha
Tau by having a “job”, my jobs weren’t usually too
hard until I became president. They talked me into
this job because I wanted a president’s pin! I became
fascinated with gaining more pins for my ribbon! This
was a fun aspect of being a member, and I enjoyed
going to the conferences. Mercy, DKG was an
international society that stretched as far as Hawaii
and Japan!!
However, I am sad to say that it really wasn’t until I
became DKG State 1st VP (they convinced me that this
job really wasn’t that difficult), that I TRULY realized
what being a member is really about. We ARE an
international society that does more than what any
one person or one club can do alone! We change the
world by our international projects!
We are saving lives—literally—and educating
children by Schools for Africa. We are helping
members in dire straits by our emergency fund. We
are encouraging beginning teachers and trying to
keep them in the work force by Supporting Early
Career Educators (SEE). We are helping educators in
other parts of the world change their part of the world
by World Fellowship. We are changing our part of
the world by Project Hope. We are assisting
educators in the work force and those heading toward
the work force by grants and grants-in-aid.
So, when you say, “I don’t know if my $70 is worth
just 4 meals a year,” I say, “Is it worth changing the
world?”
 Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
Alpha Tau Chapter
Fall, 2022, p. 8

SCENES FROM THE 2022 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION IN NEW ORLEANS

To the left The hotel
is the blessed us
Missouri with a
group “Second Line
eating at Parade.”
Court of Many of the
the Two DKG Sisters
Sisters on joined in!
Missouri Below is
Night; Jessie, Myrna,
Bottom is and Cay
all of the representing
Missouri you at the
group with International
President Convention!
Judy Heuer
in front
Past State
President Karen
Evans, Sue
Bookstaver, and
Marty Tidd
standing in front
of the Charm
Gates at the Court
of the Two Sisters.
They were made
in Spain especially
for the restaurant
and if you touched
them, their charm
would be passed
on to you!
A beautiful
NOLA sunset