Hitting the Ground Running

During introductions last night, I was struck by the number of us who had our journalism classes thrust upon us. Maybe we were "voluntold" into the position, but there is just something about it that has spoken to us and we are working to thrive in the chaos that is teaching high school journalism.

I too had journalism gifted to me at the end of my second year of teaching, after the current yearbook adviser was asked to leave. In a lot of ways, I inherited a hot mess--but maybe that was a blessing! The expectations were low, and my students have been able to exceed all expectations often! I have had struggles and successes in my four years teaching yearbook, and even with its stressful and sometimes disappointing moments, it is always my favorite part of the day. I have learned to live for the moments like this one where the kids get the first look at the book that they have been creating for nine months.

I decided to come to the Reynolds High School Journalism Institute for a few reasons:

1. I am sick and tired of the isolation. Being a department of one is hard. I love to collaborate and hear ideas from other people, but at my school there isn't the opportunity to talk about journalism with any of my colleagues--they don't teach it, and they don't really seem to care.  There are times when I feel like I am just the lady who you ask for a photo if you need it for something.  I am so excited for the opportunity to talk about journalism with other journalism nerds!

2. I LOVE to learn. Especially when the things that I am learning are directly applicable to my students and my classroom. (We aren't even done with the first day and I already have four or five things that I WILL be doing with my students next year!)

3. I am working to take my program to the next level. I want my students to gain skills from my program that they cannot get anywhere else at Arvada West. I am really curious about ways to incorporate multiple types of media into the yearbook. People talk about paper newspapers becoming obsolete, and many think that yearbooks might be headed down a similar road, so I want to find ways to take what we are doing and blend it with the fast-paced world of Facebook, twitter, instagram and other social media sites that my students love so much.

4. I really like 100 degree plus heat. :)

I am looking forward to learning with and from all of you over the next two weeks!

Annie Gorenstein
Arvada West High School
Arvada, Colo.