Today was harried. Today was frantic. Today was fun.
Deadlines. Oh, how I miss them. At least I try not to, and I made today’s by the skin of my teeth. As many of my students are prone to do, I backloaded, oh, about all of my work for the institute publication story. This meant that today’s work session was filled with re-interviewing sources, planning a structure, and typing out the roughest of rough drafts. I blasted away at the keyboard pulling things together with music blaring to cancel out the sounds of the newsroom around me. Working under pressure creates a bit of a buzz and I was humming. My draft faces almost certain evisceration tomorrow. All is well. It’s a rough draft.
But, generally slacking on the institute publication story has been instructional. It put me back in touch with my inner sophomore. After a day of classes and a fast-paced lunch where hurried conversations became last ditch interviews, I was fairly able to replicate the process that the majority of my students use to write their first drafts. Much time has passed since I last attempted to report and file on deadline, but I am safely back on track now.
And that is one aspect of the institute I am most grateful for--the active professional development. The actual, hands-on learning aspects of the institute create a welcome supplement to all of the terrific conversations with my fellow advisers about the big-thinking activities, such as developing and structuring curriculum. These skills rehearsals provide a nice reminder of the thinking processes my students engage while learning to do journalism and be journalists. Summer has only begun and I’m already quite excited about starting the new year.
-Travis Durfee
Watkins Glen Central School District
Watkins Glen, NY
"Active" is the perfect way to describe these professional development sessions. To learn by doing is certainly the best way to learn. But in the activities of reporting or interviewing, when we are supposed to be learning about reporting and interviewing, I have also been learning so much about whatever is being discussed.
ReplyDeleteDuring interviews, regardless of which side of the questions I have been on, I have found myself truly interested in the conversation, the exchange of ideas about journalism. How cool to be learning skills and acquiring knowledge at the same time. Perhaps that's part of the point?
Kari Koshiol
Benilde-St. Margaret's
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Travis,
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for gracefully and patiently answering all interview questions thrown at you in the midst of your deadline dash. You may have achieved newsmaker status this afternoon.
David Strom
North-Grand High School
Chicago, Illinois