PHOTO CAPTION: Beta Rho Chapter members of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International collect supplies for teachers early in their careers and pack them in a basket for drawings. The winner of the basket drawn at the regular meetings then gives the basket to a teacher in one of the area school districts. The supplies are a part of the S.E.E. (Support Early Career Educators) Project by the Society. Pictured is Heather Dunn-Pavuk, a member and
teacher at the Bushkill Elementary School. To her right is first year second grade teacher April Jusinski with her welcomed basket of supplies.
Beta Rho Chapter Supports Fellow Educators
At a recent meeting of the Beta Rho Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, members contributed items for baskets to be given to support teachers early in their teaching career. This international project of the Society is called S.E.E. (Support for Early Career Educators) but following the years of Covid and the stresses that were placed on fellow educators, the chapter is supporting teachers in general. The project was selected because statistics now show that early career educators are leaving the teaching profession after only three to five years. Hopefully, with strong support from long-time career educators as well as retired teachers, teachers new to the profession will commit to staying in teaching. At each meeting, Projects Committee Chair Peggy Walker puts the donated items together in two or three baskets. A drawing of names of members in attendance is a part of the meeting and the winners present their baskets to a teacher in their home district. Heather Dunn- Pavuk was a winner of a basket. She teaches in the Bush Elementary School and presented her basket to April Jusinski, a first year second grade teacher in her school. She was so excited to receive the basket and couldn’t wait to use all of the goodies in her classroom. April expressed her appreciation and gratitude for the basket of supplies in a note. She said, “I received my S.E.E. basket from Heather Dunn-Pavuk, and I would like to extend my gratitude. As a new teacher, feeling prepared sometimes feels quite difficult as well as staying on top of classroom needs. Your generous basket has given me supplies to help keep myself prepared and my classroom stocked with plenty of supplies! Thank you again to Heather for thinking of me to receive this basket and thank you again to everyone for your generosity and thoughtfulness for new teachers!” DKG is an international Society of women educators whose mission is to promote personal and professional growth of women educators and excellence in education. The Beta Rho Chapter is one of forty-eight chapters in Pennsylvania whose members represent Adams, Bradford, Lackawanna, Pike, Susquehanna, and Wyoming Counties.