Today I’m going to try to forget that during my end-of-year-classroom cleanup last month I only saved a couple of copies of each issue of my school’s newspaper and the rest are lining rat cages in the junior high science room back in Indiana. It was a rough year.
But…
The glimmer of hope has been getting brighter as the Reynolds Institute continues, and today I am experiencing a healthy combination of humility and enthusiasm.
Aaron Manfull’s session on digital media energized me and I am eager to go home and get started on launching a website. I will definitely have to take his advice and start small, incorporating new aspects to the website a little bit at a time, maybe waiting a while before going public.
Alan Weintraut’s session on staff organization was delightfully overwhelming and inspiring. I loved watching the YouTube tour of his classroom and seeing how the newspaper is what the cool kids do at his school.
Plus, Alan used the words sacrosanct and concomitant. This logophile was impressed.
Overall, today I am humbled because I see that I have SO FAR to go to build up the journalism program at my school, but I am grateful that I am here in Phoenix where I can learn from such passionate and inspiring models.
Liz Dixon
West Lafayette High School
West Lafayette, Ind.
I agree that this experience is a great way to view our journalism programs from the eyes of our students.
ReplyDeleteAnd when you get back home and feel upset just remember we are here for you.
Patty Baugher
Liz,
ReplyDeleteTwo phrases of yours really hit the mark for me: humility and enthusiasm, and overwhelming and inspiring. Those four words really do capture these two weeks in a nutshell. Thanks.
Don