Newspaper

This year, we are trying to resurrect our school newspaper.  Several years have passed since we had one, and a school our size really should offer our students the chance to be a part of a newspaper staff.  The original problem was a conflict with block schedule, but by the time that was gone, the teacher who had been our sponsor for years was ready to retire, so the program was never restarted.

I've been trying to find someone who would be interested in taking it on, but everyone declined, politely or otherwise.  This year, I decided that if nobody else would do it, I would try it myself.

Lord Jesus, what I've gotten myself into.....

I have no training for being a newspaper adviser other than my own high school journalism career.  I was editor of our paper my senior year, but those days are dim memories of the "been there, done that, bought the t-shirt (literally)" kind.

So I'm learning as I go.

It's been a long time since I had to seat-of-the-pants it like I'm doing with this.  I am constantly ordering books, looking up resources online, finding strategies, and asking for help.  I feel like my usual juggling act has had about five more balls added quite unexpectedly.  I worry about keeping them all in the air.

There's something a little exhilarating about it, too, though.  I am learning so much, and I enjoy few things as much as I do getting new knowledge that I can apply to the world around me.  As I've been learning about the style and structure of the various parts of news stories, I have become me aware of the subtle and not-so-subtle ways the sources I get my news from are using their genre and, in some cases, bending their genre to their own purposes.  I catch myself evaluating leads right now since that's one of the focuses my students have in their current article.

I also enjoy watching my students discover how much they are capable of.  One of the hardest things for me to do is sit down and let them do, but I know it's absolutely critical to get out of their way in a class like this.  Part of me, the Type-A part, itches to sit down and "just get things started" with the new SNOsites website we have.   That's not the right thing to do, though.  My job is to establish a framework and help them fill it in.

And they're doing such a fabulous job of it.  Every day when we meet, I am amazed by how focused they are, with how independent they are becoming in looking for information, doing interviews, using equipment, and finding solutions.  One of my reporters was complimented by my head principal for the insightfulness and thoroughness of the questions the reporter had asked during an interview.  I was so proud, not because it reflected anything to do with me, but because the student is discovering talents he wasn't even aware he had.  It's an amazing thing to be a part of.  I feel genuinely privileged.
I don't know that our publication will ever win awards.  I would like for us to reach a level of competency and enthusiasm that would make us produce work of quality.  I would like for us to be of use to our school and the surrounding community.  I'd like for us to recognize the full spectrum of activity at MHS.

Most of all, though, I want to keep watching this tiny little staff do wonderful things.  It much more than compensates for all the scrambling to gather materials and knowledge.