I am NOT a failure

So, with head bowed in puppy-faced humility, I recognize that I really knew nothing about Journalism this year. That first day when we introduced ourselves, I told you all that I felt like a fake all year (this being my first teaching Journalism). Well, as it turns out, I wasn't lying.

Now I must be held accountable for this newfound lack of ignorance in the areas of First Amendment, writing leads, finding open source photographs, reporting, social media, and so much more! Ahhhh!
And then I thought for sure that I would take my big hit during the assessment seminar with Emmy winner and war vet Col. Alan Weintraut. I know that most of my students in this last semester worked to get their projects in and that most of them earned the A, according to my current standards.

He started with that crazy recall quiz. And, despite my kind peer grader, I did very poorly.  Here we go, I thought. (Or, thought I...? or I said?... or said I...??) hmm.

Then suddenly I'm discussing classroom best practices with another peer, and I get it. I know these terms. I've used them. I love letting my students lead and learn from it. I use many of those anticipatory sets. We teach to the common core, and perhaps more so as journalism teachers. We fight to train critical thinkers. We engage in feedback and guided practice, and many of us in the 10-2 and flipped classroom models. We do model for our students. We get that outcome / newspaper out. And doggonit, we Think-Pair-Share!

As it turns out, I'm not the worst journalism teacher in the world. I have a ton to learn, but I haven't failed an entire year of potential future journalists. Here are a few things that many of you already do I'm sure, but that I loved about my class this year. Now to tweak and improve:

• They fill out job applications that are attached to the syllabus so I can make sure to place them in jobs that they want.
• I have students film 2 minute TED Talks based on something that they feel they can teach in the area of Journalism. (If you haven't seen these, check out my favorite with filmmaker J.J. Abrams called "The Mystery Box")

http://www.ted.com/talks/j_j_abrams_mystery_box.html

• The editors run the place. I have an Editor-in-Chief, a Copy Editor (who will be my Chief this year), a Managing Editor, a Video Editor, and Staff Writers. Everyone gets a title and a name tag.
• We have editors session much like they ran today at the Arizonal Republic.
• We go over the preprint copy with pens on hard copy like they did with the show and tell piece at the Republic. 
• We have a desk in a side room that I named Walter. ...after guess who??  The desk got the name before I knew about this program.  It's where we hold our Editor sessions and meetings. I love that the Arizona Republic has a "Walter" desk too. 

Stephanie Platter

King's High School

Seattle