Constitution of the Kentucky Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German
I. Name
The name of the chapter shall be the Kentucky Chapter of the American Association of Teachers
of German.
II. Purpose
The purpose of the chapter conforms to that of the national organization. It proposes to promote and improve the teaching of German in Kentucky and to encourage a spirit of cooperation and fellowship among its members.
III. Membership
1. Any teacher of German or anyone interested in the teaching of German may join the chapter and the national association upon payment of the annual dues as specified by the by-laws of the national association. No one can be a member of the chapter alone. All chapter members belong first to the national association. Membership will be retained by the continued payment of the annual dues.
2. The annual dues, which include subscription to the official publications of the national association, are payable starting in September for the following calendar year. Only members in good standing may exercise the privileges of membership. Membership is on a calendar year basis (January to December).
3. Graduate and undergraduate students who are certified by the chairperson of their department may become student members upon payment of the annual dues for student membership.
4. A teacher who at the time of retirement has been a member of AATG may elect emeritus
membership. The dues for this type of membership are defined in the by-laws of the national
organization.
5. Honorary membership in the AATG may be granted only in accordance with the stipulations in the national constitution.
IV. Officers, Nominating Committee and Elections
1. The officers of the chapter are the president, the vice-president, the secretary, and the treasurer. They shall normally be elected for a term of two years.
2. The nominating committee shall be appointed by the chapter president in consultation with the chapter executive committee. This committee asks for suggestions for nominations from the membership via the chapter listserve.
3. The slate shall normally be made known to all chapter members at least two weeks prior to time of election via the chapter listserve. Election shall be made by secret ballot and will normally take place at the fall meeting held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Kentucky Association of World Languages.
V. Administration
The administration of the chapter shall be in the hands of the executive council, which consists of the officers provided for in Section IV. In addition, the ex-president of the chapter may be a member of the executive council for two years following retirement from office.
VI. Meetings
The chapter shall meet at least once a year. The time and place of the meeting shall be determined by the president after due consultation with the executive council. The members present at any session shall constitute a quorum. Elections will normally take place at the fall meeting held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Kentucky Association of World Languages, but may also be held at other times and may take place by mail.
VII. Changes in the Constitution
The constitution of the chapter may be amended by a two-thirds vote of members present at any
scheduled meeting. Such amendments may be proposed by the executive board or by written notice to the executive board by at least four members of the chapter not later than one month in advance of the meeting at which action is to be taken. The secretary shall submit such proposed amendment or amendments to the membership either by mail or via the chapter listserve at least two weeks prior to the time of final action.
VIII. By-Laws
By-laws may be adopted or changed at any annual meeting of the chapter by majority of the
members present, provided that written notice of the proposed changes is sent to all the members at least two weeks prior to such meeting either by mail or via the chapter listserve.
Membership
Requirements for membership are stipulated in the national By-Laws. Regular, life, student, emeritus, unemployed, joint, contributing, sustaining, patron, and honorary members are defined. Chapter members must be members of the national AATG. (Membership information on AATG’s website: http://www.aatg.org/content/section/7/33).
If the local chapter elects a member to the status of honorary member, it is only applicable at the local level. The granting of honorary membership in a chapter means that the national service fees of the honorary chapter member must be paid to the national office by the chapter. A local chapter officer must inform the national office of the status of honorary members in advance of the annual membership dues mailing in August.
Chapter Executive Board
An executive board, composed of the present chapter officers, the immediate past chapter president and a small number of members-at-large, is an effective planning group. The executive board serves to set policies and goals as well as to deal with matters between meetings.
Executive board members should be involved with nominating, awards, membership, chapter testing as well as writing and submitting chapter project grants. The chapter structure is essential in generally supporting the organization, identifying potential leadership and involving as many members as possible in smaller, more limited obligations which can later be expanded as the member becomes more interested in serving the chapter. Committees are an important training ground for future chapter officers. Be sure to invite new teachers in your area and graduate students to become members of AATG and the local chapter. In addition to sharing the work of coordinating chapter activities with the chapter officers, the executive board
should:
a. work closely with colleagues from different geographical locations within the chapter and from all teaching levels;
b. encourage colleagues to implement projects jointly and, therefore, more efficiently, in their local area.;
c. enable colleagues to share each other's special skills, e.g., press release writing, artwork, graphic design, technology, community politics, organizational skills, knowledge of grass roots support, materials reproduction, knowledge of current events, teaching methodology;
d. survey and complete an inventory of all foreign language programs in every pre-collegiate and
postsecondary institution in the area to determine how German stands compared to the overall foreign language enrollment in an institution. Included in this inventory should be institutions where German has been discontinued. A future activity might be to rekindle interest in German classes in such schools. Postsecondary members should also help identify of teaching assistants/graduate students in German;
e. encourage everyone in the chapter to register their programs on the national interactive database, German Learning Opportunities Website (GLOW): http://www.learngerman.us. GLOW documents information on German programs, tutors, translators, and job seekers;
e. identify and assist German programs at all levels of instruction that may be threatened with
elimination. Chapter members should be encouraged to help the instructor of that program by
contacting members of the community to speak for the program, helping to influence members of the board of education or administration of the college/university, organizing an advertising campaign in the community, writing letters in support of the program, encouraging students to speak for the program and sharing teaching resources;
f. identify German teachers in the area who will be retiring soon. Insure that the program will not be eliminated by assisting the teacher in finding a replacement before the retirement occurs. Send
announcements to the AATG teaching positions listserve for dissemination (see:
http://www.aatg.org/content/view/34/32);
g. advocate for Kinder lernen Deutsch programs in the area and state.
h. encourage members of the chapter or the chapter itself to contribute to the Endowed Scholarship Fund (See: http://www.aatg.org/content/category/11/35/37/);
i. support and help establish a strong connection between the local chapter and the state foreign
language association, currently the Kentucky World Language Association (See http://www.kwla-online.org/ ).
Online Resources
AATG’s national office email address: headquarters@aatg.org
Visit the AATG Web site frequently! http://www.aatg.org provides information for AATG members and local chapters, along with an online store for AATG materials. An important section is GROW (German Resources on the Web, at http://grow.aatg.org/index.html), which is a database of standards-based teaching resources. Check it out!
The AATG Listserv, an electronic bulletin board for AATG members, is a great resource for all teachers of German to communicate – people post questions or comments, and colleagues reply. Join this vibrant forum! Information, including how to subscribe online, is available at:
http://www.aatg.org/content/view/33/32/
The AATG Listserv for Teaching Positions in German: The AATG office posts announcements on teaching positions in German at all levels of instruction. After subscribing, people receive email messages with listings. (See: http://www.aatg.org/content/view/34/32). Information on available positions should be sent directly to the AATG office via e-mail (headquarters@aatg.org), and after verification, the AATG office posts the announcements.
GLOW (German Learning Opportunities Website): www.LearnGerman.us is an interactive national database registry of German programs of all types. List your program!