British Columbia’s Totem Talk - dkgbc.weebly.com

� International Women Educators (DKG) promote Professional and Personal growth and Excellence in Education World Wide.

� All About the International Convention in Austin which 90 % of our province missed, so read all about it here and as always check out the excellent updates on our website kept current by Phyllis Stich. http://dkgbc.weebly.comPhyllis has outdone herself with amazing photos and text giving you great info about the convention. So check that out after finishing TT. Cheers. Lennor

July 16 - 21, 2018 saw 2021 representatives from our 17 member countries come to learn, reconnect, change the constitution and move forward with strength, synergy, simplicity and with gratitude for all they had experienced.

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British Columbia’s Totem Talk Summer 2018

volume 24 editor Lennor Stieda,

[email protected]

The 17 flags from Member Countries became the backdrop for our general meetings and celebrations.

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Perhaps you can spot someone you know,

or the flag of a country you still want to visit.

Texas Night gave us a report from the Executive. Band music entertained us while meeting and greeting each other as slides of this interesting state slid across the walls.

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Message from International was captured by speakers and visuals.

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How Do We Connect Today?

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Enthusiasm gave the setting for a great week ahead.

Aninterna)onalDKGconven)onisalwaysawhirlwindofac/vi/esandlearning.So,amongalltheworkshopsIa;ended,theamazingspeakersIlistenedto,thedinnerswithfriends,watchingthebatsemergefromunderthebridgeatduskwithLennorandJoan,whatstoodoutforme?Anairofop/mism—notjust

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hype,butgenuinechange.

Yes,thegreyhairss/llfaroutnumberedthecolouredhairsbuttheretheywere—theEuropeans,theLa/nos,theSaskatchewanians(yupanewword)andtheQuebecois—young,ac)ve,workingmembersreadytomakethechangesthatwereontheagenda;readytomakethechangesthatwillkeepourwomeneducatorsengagedandtogether.TheCanadianForumwasagreatexampleofnewwinebeingpouredintonewwine-skins.AllbutBCincreasedtheirmembership—Manitobaleadthewayandgaveusanexcellentreportonre-vitaliza/on.OverwhelminglytheprovincessupportedtheQuebecproposalfortheCanadianProject:ArtsCanCirclewww.artscancircle.camakingadifferenceinthelivesofchildreninCanada’sfarnorth.

MyGoldenGiBclassmates,ourfriendsandIcelebratedour10thanniversarywithadinneronTuesdayandice-creamandsongonthehotelpa/oonThursdayevening.IfyouhavebeenamemberofDKGfor5years,doconsiderapplyingtotheLeadershipSeminarthatisheldinAus?neverytwoyearsattheUniversityofTexas—twoweeksofintensivetrainingwithagroupof30womenfromthe17-membercountries.TheGoldenGiBwasstartedbyCanadiansandisfundedbyDKGmembers.Thefounda/onpaysallbut$500U.S.forthetwo-weektraining,accommoda/onsandfood.Allbut6ofusa;endedthisyear—althoughonly12ofusareonthepicturebelow.

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Eachconven/onImeetsomanylovelypeople,spend/mewithourmanyCanadiansandcelebratewithourBCmembersthatitaffirmsformeagainandagainthetruevalueofDeltaKappaGammainmylife.Thisyear,atthecelebra/onbanquet,Ihadtheprivilegeofmee/ngDianeaCarrollPhillipsfromQuebec,acer)fiedAerospaceEducator.Deanea’strainingincludedspendingaweekatNASAtrainingwithastronautsandexperiencingspaceweightlessness.Weexchangedbusinesscards—andthatdearsistersofDKGiswhatourWomenEducator’sInterna/onalisallabout:makingconnec/onswithwomenofallagesandfromalldifferentbackgrounds.

~submiNedbyKarinBreuer

KeynoteSpeakers:

Benjamin Zander, have you heard of him? Imagine thanks to the contribution of the Eunah Temple Holden Leadership Fund we were able to have this passionate musician as one of our keynote speakers. Using music and personal stories he had us spellbound for over two hours. Zander left us with thinking about possibilities. He left us with hope for the world. Can you imagine what it sounds like to have almost 2,000 singing Beethoven’s Ode to Joy (words by Schiller) in German?!! Everyone held a phonetically spelled first verse in front of them and sang,“Freude Schoener Goetterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium ….”ending with “ Alle Menschen werden Brüder, wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt”Froy-Der, sher-ner getter-foon-ken, toch-ter ‘ouse e-lyse-ium, alla Menschen vear-den Brood-aire, vo-dine zanf-taire floo-gel vile’t. All people become relatives.

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You get the idea…it was truly inspiring. Benjamin Zander co-authored a book The Art of Possibilities with Rosamund Zander and she has released a sequel titled Pathways to Possibility: Transforming Our Relationship with Ourselves, Each Other and the World.

To demonstrate passion he was fortunate to have a younger member actually have a birthday on that day. We sang to her. But, it was not passionate enough. So, we went through several trials until we all had it right ! This photo shows her beaming.

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Dear Reader, I so hope you have looked him up by now, but just in case you haven’t ….he is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and he is a guest conductor around the world. I was deeply moved by this speaker. The love he had for his father came through several times. He never gave up on his son who left school at age 15 to go and study cello in Europe. Returned

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around 19 or 20 and now has lived a life of music, “the healing profession”. Conductors awaken possibilities if eyes are shining. As educators we are to ask ourselves “Who am I being that my children’s eyes /my scholars’ eyes are not shining?”He quipped, …”if men could ride side saddle”…..and ended his session with , “Don’t let go of Love” Nadia Lopez

This young principal from Brooklyn had the honour of being at the White House with one of her students when Barak Obama was president. She also was on a panel on Entertainment Television when Black Girls Rock were being awarded.

Dr. Lopez told us of her upbringing in the poor neighbourhood of Brooklyn and that it was her grandmother who encouraged and supported her to get a good education. Her parents had come from Guatemala and Honduras with a grade six and grade 9 education. We were totally amazed to hear how she started a school in 2010 to make it a better world for students living in abject poverty in Brooklyn. She worked at the school from six until midnight for years and exhaustion set in so that she was going to give up. However, a blogger whom she was following did street interviews and when a kid in a black hoodie was asked,

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“So, can you name someone who influenced your life in a positive way?” and he responded without hesitation,“Ya, Dr.Lopez!” That is when she realized she could not give up. Help happened. The school grew with students, teachers and helpers.The Mott Hall Bridges Academy in Brownsville broke the school-to-prison pipeline with a stunning 98% graduation rate among its first three graduation classes.

Nadia Lopez has written a book ( it sold out quickly after her talk) titled,The Bridge to Brilliance: How One Principal in a Tough Community Is Inspiring the World.

These two photos were taken on the tour I had of the headquarters building of DKG. While it told of the history of the strong women educators who started our society at a time when women

were not taken seriously, it also gave a feeling of Yes, it is time for change. Annie Blanton would be leading the way ( She made a quick appearance one day in the

assembly). A portrait of Annie hangs here.

Each of our international administrators’ desks had small plaques similar to this one to remind them of their mission.

(more on Headquarters’ Tours on page 17)

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British Columbia’s Attendees

This year the convention had no official photographer. Back Row has

Frances, Lennor, Norma, Karin, PhylFront Row has Helen, Lorrie, Donna-Faye

Numerous workshops and breakout sessions were offered throughout the convention. Each person came away with different ideas to use, to contemplate, to share.

I went to the Global awareness focus panel discussion, the Impacting Education World Wide luncheon, and various breakout sessions. One speaker suggested we should take advantage of using biographies to reflect and teach, as for example Bertrand Russell and Humbold as well as Nel Nodding from Stanford who asks,

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“What does engaged caring with critical issues entail? How can critical thinking enable self-other understandings? Where is the moral commitment that should accompany critical thinking and care? How might critical thinking and care change classrooms, communities, and the world?” DKG has given World fellowships for scholars from 122 countries, Schools For Africa has helped in 13 of Africa’s countries and DKG funds have helped in China, Guatemala, Estonia, Afghanistan and Australia to name a few. We are impacting education world wide. And our active dues help do that.Thank you to you all for being active members supporting our world neighbours.

At the breakfast for the North West Region we were delightfully entertained and invited to the 2019 regional conference in DesMoines Iowa. July 10 to 12 D elicious apples since 1892 E embassy Suites with free breakfast S cience etc. M arkets O h my gosh you are going to have a great time I interstate 35 and 80 N ovelty blue arches sculptors E ducation , highest rate in highschools S hopping

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Meet our new Area Rep Canada, Betty Rose from Alberta. That smile says it all. She is ready to connect with each of our chapters and provinces. Congratulations to Betty.Other photos from our Canadian Open House time follow:

Joan Wolfe with Betty’s daughter and Janice Moen with Donna-Faye.

Two Phyllis’s and below is Jackie Cuppy and Nita Scott ( now executive assistant to the president)

The view(We had to spot ten different items outside)

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Helen and Norma with new friend.

Ta-Ta, Jessica from Washington Connects. This happy young DKG member from Washington State was thrilled to meet so many DKG women from around the world. We hit it off right away. She has been teaching primary grades but will teach high school math starting in September. Jessica is married and has two young children aged 2 and 4. She is working on her second Masters degree and was a magnet in each room she entered. She is excited

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with the possibilities of connecting with our British Columbia younger working members and any across our country and the world.

More Headquarter photos and Message A trip to Headquarters in Austin was one of my highlights. The tour guide was most knowledgeable about the whole building. The pink brick and marble was chosen to show a feminine side for the entryway.In the foyer was a needlepoint tapestry donated by a member in 1954.Off of the foyer was the Annie Webb Blanton Room. This is used as the social areaand contained donations of furniture and articles donated by various chapters as well as items that belonged to Annie Webb Blanton.There are large supply rooms, many rooms for meetings, a mail room and many offices of women who keep DKG operating. It was interesting to seehow our society operates.On the website you can take a virtual tour of headquarters.

~ submitted by Norma W

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Highlights of the Convention: The beautiful Celebration of Life assembly was very moving particularly since our chapter had so many dear members pass away recently. Some of you may remember how important the Regional Conferences and International Conventions were to my dear friend Luella Bate and how often we would head there, sometimes as our summer road trip, joined by my sister. Yesterday I gave copies of the program to Luella’s family, providing closure for us all.

Pioneer Women: Journey to Texas was a wonderful tribute to the amazing women who crossed the country in covered wagons to begin life in the Republic of Texas. The stories, many from their own families, were woven together by two talented and very funny DKG members as if they were gossiping in a covered wagon complete with the sounds of their horses and cattle.

~ submitted by Frances K.

MyFirstDKGInterna)onalConven)on

Whatanexperience!Iwasfortunatetobeabletoa;endthisyear’sWomen’sEducatorsInterna/onalinAus/n,Texas.Tosaythatitwasalifechangingexperiencewouldbeclichébutmee/ngsomeofthe2000delegatesfromallovertheworldwasextraordinary.Itwasinteres/ngtocompareandcontrastourmutualeduca/onalexperiences.

Iwastrulyastoundedbyallthepowerfulwomenspeakers,fromthevariousDKGexecu/ve,tothecons/tuentsonthefloor.Oneofthemainac/vi/esduringtheConferencefocusedonamendingtheDKGCons/tu/on.Thiswasnosmallfeatasthereweremanycontroversialissues.Therewereamendments,andamendmentstoamendments,anddiscussions,forandagainst,pointsofinforma/on,pointsoforder,andfinallyvo/ng,andthenvo/ngagain,andagainandagain.At/mesthedebatesbecamequiteemo/onal.IadmiredthecouragewithwhichDKGmembersaddressedamendmentsbothpassionately,aswellasextremelyar/culately.However,themostimpressivewashowtheInterna/onalPresident,CarolynPitman,controlledtheatmosphereofthese

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proceedings,andaroundtheoccasionalglitchinthenewvo/ngtechnology.Forfourdays,sheguidedthegrandballroomfullofstrongopinionateddelegateswithafirmbutcharmingdemeanourthroughthe122amendmentstotheCons/tu/onandInterna/onalStandingRules.IwasalsoveryimpressedwiththeincumbentPresident,CathyDaugherty,whoaswellasassis/ngwiththemainCons/tu/onalAmendmentprocess,presidedovertwolivelyques/onandanswersessions.Sheisanamazingwoman,andIfeelshewillbeanexcellentInterna/onalPresident.(CarolynandCathyatbanquet)

IwouldliketothankmylocalVancouverDKGforprovidingmewithageneroussubsidytoa;endthisyear’sDKGConference,andforDonna-FayeMadhosinghandNormaWestromforinvi/ngmetojoinDKG.IthasbeenawonderfulfirstyearandIlookforwardtomycon/nuedinvolvementwithDKGSocietyWomenEducatorsInterna/onal.

~submiNedbyHelenBallam

BUSY, HOT, AND INSPIRING

As State President, I was determined to maximize the

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benefits of attending International.  Membership was a topic that came up repeatedly as we acknowledged that our numbers are dwindling.  This of course lead us to the leading controversy of the conference.  Changing the name from DKG to Women Educators International (DKG) came up early in the session.  I had spoken to many delegates before and everyone seemed to agree that a name-change would be beneficial.  I was a bit dismayed by the vote when only 27% of the body voted for the change.Upon reflection afterwards, I began to see that in a more positive light.  Over one quarter of the delegates were committed to the change.  Since this was the first formal move to alter the name, I think it was the seed dropped into fertile ground.  I believe that many of the delegates will now return to their chapters and will debate the pros and cons.  I do hope that they will see the benefits of the crystal -clear title, WOMEN EDUCATORS INTERNATIONAL.  We are indeed Women, we are Educators and we are International.  I'm proud of all three words.  I use them now when I introduce our organization.So, in two years when we go to Philadelphia, I will

bring this up again.  In the meantime, do some lobbying, write letters or email to all chapters.  Send them Donna-Faye's rational.  We have to change or we will wither.On a lighter note, I roomed with two Dutch members and had a wonderful time.  The women that belong are what keeps me in the organization.  Temperatures around 40 degrees kept me mostly in the hotel.  I was happy to be back in temperate B.C..~submitted by Lorrie W.

Students serenaded us at the Market place, and Donna-Faye found her cowboys.

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Wednesday Night Fun

While some of us heard of the history of Texas others went to the bridge to wait for the bats to fly out after sunset. There are

no mosquitos in Austin.

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Dates to Note:

Our founder said these words:“ Be progressive. Keep up with the moving world while not discarding what in the old has value. But, don’t cling to the old when its worth has passed. Don’t be a person so set in your views that nothing can change you.”

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Executive Board mtg. on Sept.15th in New Westminster

Northwest Regional in Des Moines , Iowa July 10 to 12th ,2019

International Convention in Philadelphia July 2020

Thank you to all who contributed photos and reflections to make this Totem Talk perfect for those who could not attend in Austin. Following are several more photos for you to enjoy.

Regards from your editor, Lennor

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