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From the Editor






                  ith this issue (90-1), The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin begins its 90th year of
            Wpublication! Edited and managed by Founder Annie Webb Blanton, Volume
            1– Number 1 was published in November 1934 and featured 16 pages of news from
            the then-national organization. What was essentially a newsletter format continued
            until  1945,  when  executive  director  and  editor  M.  Margaret  Stroh,  recognizing
            the Bulletin’s “high potential as a medium for promoting professional growth, …
            invited stimulating writers to contribute articles” (Our Heritage, 1960, p. 122). The
            focus  on  members’  writing  has  continued  through  various  physical  iterations  of
            the Bulletin, which now publishes in two formats: an academic journal subtitled
            International Journal of Professional Educators and a magazine subtitled Collegial
            Exchange.  Guided  by  an  appointed  editorial  board,  the  publication  supports  the
            DKG mission of “promoting personal and professional growth of women educators
            and excellence in education” through publication of members’ writings.
               Leading this issue, Tångring and Öhman link theory and practice in considering
            teachers’ professional leadership as it applies to classroom management. Readers
            will  find  the  reflective  questions  included  in  the  article  both  personally  and
            professionally  enriching. A  similar  mix  of  personal  and  professional  is  captured
            in  Godwin  et  al.’s  article  on  the  “3R’s”:  reflection,  relationships,  and  resiliency.
            Their focus is on ways to support students in a dimensional way, but the framework
            they provide for considering one’s perspectives and practices has broader application.
               Authors of the next two articles recognize and address the key issue of attrition
            and shortages among teachers. Focused on retention of current educators, Hopkins
            advocates  specifically  for  prioritizing  time  for  collaboration  by  general  and
            special  education  educators  as  a  way  to  improve  their  working  conditions
            while  supporting  an  inclusive  model  for  students.  Considering  ways  to  ensure
            long-term retention of those entering the field, Jakopovic et al. suggest the use of
            microteach experiences to promote self-efficacy among preservice teachers.
               Hinman’s  review  of  ChatGPT,  an  artificial  intelligence  app  with  potential  as
            a tool for educators, the final juried article of this issue, precedes an overview of
            the  three  main  avenues  available  to  members  who  wish  to  share  their  talents
            and insights with others: the Bulletin, the DKG Art Gallery, and the Leadership
            Discovery  Centre.  These  three  powerful  avenues  are  both  means  and  ends  for
            the key women educators of DKG to promote professional and personal growth and
            excellence in education worldwide.

                                                                      Judith R. Merz, EdD
                                                                                      Editor















            Promoting Professional and Personal Growth of Educators and Excellence in Education                 5
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