I am not saying that I will go out and reward controversial topics, but if they come up, I will not be hesitant in letting them play out. I will be letting my students know how protected they are, and the cases that they can cite if an administrator questions them. These things are important to pass on. I heard a few people mention that by showing our students how legit a school newspaper can be might instill more pride in their work ethic. To me, that is what I truly want to bring back to Dublin. It is my goal to get my school's paper to evolve by going online and by becoming more professional.
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| Frank Lamonte of SPLC.org speaks in front of ASNE Reynolds Attendees |
Dublin High School
Dublin, CA
Hi Bidjan,
ReplyDeleteWhile it's important to let the students know they have rights, it's also important for them to know that they have responsibilities as well. Also, Frank emphasized that we shouldn't be looking for fights either. I make it clear to my kids that just because we're protected, it doesn't mean we want to invite trouble.
Some of my kids, for example, wanted to talk with some of the kids on our campus who did drugs. They'd protect their identities and would be able to write really good stories. I walked them through all of the pitfalls, like have the police and/or some local prosecutor demand their notes and the identity of the drug users. How many, I asked, wanted to go to jail for contempt to protect their sources.
The bottom line is that being protected means being responsible too. You don't want your students to put themselves in harms way just because they can.
-- Steve Caswell
Bidjan--- good post about a good speaker, and I absolutely love the shot you got of him!
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