As a recently graduated college student, your attitude may be one of go forth and conquer. If this is so, then may the wind be at your back, the ground rise to meet your feet, and all that good stuff.

Just be sure to keep one thing in mind—it pays to stay connected to KDP!

KDP graduates who remain connected with the Society get to enjoy all sorts of advantages. The Society offers graduates moving into a teaching career the opportunity to meet other educators and to create a rich and diverse professional community with others who demonstrate high ideals and a commitment to education. Some perks of staying connected to KDP include:

Career Planning Services. Just because you’ve found your first job in education doesn’t mean that you won’t still need help from the Career Center. Learn how to make a professional portfolio, explore graduate school opportunities, or find out what it takes to become a National Board Certified Teacher.

Relocation Support. When you move to a new city, it really helps having a way to connect with your new community. KDP has chapters in 600 locations across the country, and members have many resources to help with this transition in your life. Use the Member Directory to contact other KDP members in your area; you may even find a KDP member working at your school!

Discounts. Everything from flowers to life insurance to cell phones to travel to bulletin board supplies—KDP offers member discounts on a variety of products and services. Stay connected to find out how you can save money.

Prepare for career advancements by developing leadership and organizational skills while making contacts as a member of a local Professional/Alumni Chapter or by volunteering on a KDP committee.

Refresh your knowledge of current classroom techniques by attending KDP seminars, using eLearning tools such as podcasts, reading publications and e-newsletters, or participating in practicing teacher sessions at a KDP Convocation.

Capture peer and employer attention by writing for KDP print or electronic publications and presenting at KDP conferences.

Stay connected with preservice teachers through volunteering with a KDP collegiate chapter.

Let us know if you move or change jobs, change your address or your e-mail. Important information about benefits and resources is sent via e-mail or in the mail, and you’ll miss out if you don’t update your information via the Members-Only Portal. Plus, members use the Online Membership Directory to connect, and you will want to stay available for contact.

Renew your membership each year. When you get initiated into KDP, you are considered a member for life. But to continue to receive benefits and be considered an active member, you must renew your membership every year. Click here to renew now!

See whether there is a Professional/Alumni Chapter in your area. If there is not a chapter, you can talk with the Membership Department at KDP Headquarters about starting one or forming a professional learning community or Chalk Talk Café to help keep you connected with follow teachers in your area.

Volunteering for KDP is a great way to stay connected and also to learn some new professional skills such as organizing programs, communicating more effectively, or working with a committee. One-time and short-term volunteer opportunities are available.

Did you know?
KDP provides value in all phases of the life-cycle of an educator regardless of the level of teaching experience. KDP provides benefits, resources, programs, and services to meet your needs at each stage of your career.

Novice Teacher
The novice phase begins when preservice students first encounter practicum experiences in their teacher education program and continues through student teaching and the intern experience.

Apprentice Teacher
The apprentice phase begins for most teachers during the student teaching experience when they are given responsibility for planning and delivering instruction. This phase typically continues through the first year of induction and often into the second and third years of teaching.

Professional Teacher
The professional phase emerges as teachers grow in self-confidence as educators. Student feedback plays a critical role in this process. Student respect for teachers and the teachers’ respect for students form the foundation upon which this stage is built.

Distinguished Teacher
The distinguished phase is reserved for those teachers who are truly gifted in their field. They exceed current expectations for what teachers should know and be able to do. Distinguished teachers impact policy decisions occurring beyond the classroom.

Emeritus
For some educators, leaving a career is an end; for others, it is a beginning. Some retirees remain so active in the field that they earn the status of emeritus. Through consultation, volunteering, mentoring, and service activities with professional groups, these educators advocate and lobby for teachers and educational issues.

KDP members represent every education area. Society members make a difference no matter what grade level they teach or what subject matter.

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1.65%

0.98%

0.35%

3.11%

0.71%

8.88%

2.07%

2.33%

5.66%

5.15%

8.46%

16.31%

18.83%

How do KDP members feel about their Society?

“Life in KDP after graduation means networking with peers and professionals in my field, job opportunities, support through the organization and other educators after graduation and entering the classroom, receiving the most current issues and facts in education through KDP’s publications and Web site, support and mentoring from other members and KDP staff, support that promotes teacher retention—a KDP support system and family for life.”
Heather Kleinpeter Caldwell, 2005 graduate and current graduate student at Texas A&M University

“For myself, I guess I did not actually internalize the importance of retaining the honor that I worked so hard for. Now that I have been in the area of education, I realize the importance of holding on to such treasures and even pursuing other goals such as my MA. Also, with the goal of working at the college level someday, it is essential that I have and maintain such credentials as a means to exemplify my hard work and dedication.”
Kristina Brown Wooldridge, 1997 graduate

“Being a member of KDP as a graduate student was valuable to me because I was able to communicate with other graduate students, post-graduate students, and professors. KDP served as an excellent networking tool, which enabled me to get advice and encouragement from other students and from professionals involved in education. I was enrolled in an intense yearlong master’s degree course, and being able to bounce ideas off of fellow graduate students from all corners of the country was a huge help in my quest for a degree.”
   — Keon Ruiter, 2nd-grade teacher, 2009 master’s program graduate

“The leadership skills that I learned through Kappa Delta Pi made me especially attractive to school districts. Because of that, I had no trouble finding a job.”
   — Justin McCord, 2008 graduate