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Active DKG Member Making a Difference in

Education

By Kammie Richter

In this article, Editorial Board member Kammie Richter (KR) interviews Lisa Caputo Love (LCL), co-author of the
preceding article and an example of the energy and involvement of a relatively new DKG member. Love illustrates
how members can make a difference in the educational system and DKG despite a very busy schedule.

isa Love Caputo is a teacher of literacy and math and a doctoral student in
LP–12 administration at Illinois State University. Since joining DKG in 2020,
she has attended the International Convention in New Orleans and all Illinois
State Organization conventions. Co-author of the book Implementing Systematic
Interventions: A Guide to Secondary Schools (Bohanon et al., 2020), Caputo Love
loves to be involved in policy work and is the union delegate for her school.
KR: How many years have you been an educator, and what made you
want to go into education?
LCL: I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education in 2003 and worked
for two different school districts as a para-educator until finding a teaching
job in Chicago Public Schools in 2005. Often, we hear about the teaching
shortage, and I think it is important to be more transparent about the specific
areas that suffer most from shortages. Our profession is desperate for highly
qualified special education teachers, as well as teachers for schools in
neighborhoods that serve students from low-income families and schools in
rural areas.
I love to learn, so that was part of the draw. There is an enormous amount
of information in the world, and one has to help others learn it. When my
sister was in first grade, I believed she was very smart and able to learn
faster than I could, yet a teacher called her stupid. I knew that was not true.
I saw how it affected her and her classes, and I did not want this to happen
to others.

KR: What is your favorite part of teaching?
LCL: I love seeing the look when kids get excited about something! It keeps
you going when you see them struggle and then suddenly it clicks!

KR: Do you belong to any organizations?
LCL: The organization I am most active in is DKG. However, I am also a
member of the Council for Exceptional Children and of Phi Delta Kappa and
have been a Teach Plus Fellow and Senior Fellow. I am also a delegate for
Chicago Public Schools (CPS). I have applied for and received scholarships
from DKG.

KR: What are your areas of educational expertise?
LCL: I am very interested in the systems and policies that impact students’
learning experiences, especially those connected to equity. I have focused
a lot of my learning on best practices for instruction, particularly for those

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