It's that time of year again. The first news magazine is out, reporters are working on the next, and yearbook is...figuring it out slower than I'd like.
"You say that every year," my seniors told me today. And even though I know they're right and everything will turn out beautifully, it doesn't make my critiques to staffers any less biting. Sometimes, you just have to be Jonah Jameson circa J.K. Simmons in the early 2000s.
And don't get me wrong. Unlike Jameson, I understand that when my students aren't quite getting the nuances of layout design or excelling in the art of interview, it's on me. There's no "Where were you? Photographing squirrels? You're fired!" in the classroom.
As a journalism educator and publication advisor, you are the one who taught them the skills in first place. So when they don't know how to organize photos and push white space to the outside of the page or send a professional email to a community partner, all you can really do is take a deep breath and whip up a lesson plan.
I do, in fact, trust my hairdresser. She's great.
But yeah, as someone who encourages actual 17-year-olds to cover sometimes very sensitive topics or might connect them with a Muslim Bedouin activist to talk about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and will print whatever they come up with in a very forward-facing and public way - I don't always trust 'em.
Student journalists have a lot of power and influence, whether or not they see it that way. If I have to give out some assertive direction and hit them with some bold realities, I will.
I've said it a million times and I'll say it again - the high school press is more like a job than a class or club.
Students learn how to get a cover, pick up slack, own up to mistakes, stand their ground, lead with confidence, compromise on a team, and so much more. Besides the tangible skills represented in print evidence, reporters and designers on a publication staff walk away with an intangible tool belt of life skills.
Part of that involves facing your "scary" advisor. I might leave an off the cuff and straightforward edit on a story or ask you to completely redo your spread design because things aren't working, but I'll help you along the way and I'll never use the phrase "It's crap. Crap. Mega Crap" (aloud, anyway), because I know my students can do amazing things when they're pushed to do so.
In class for now, maybe, I just might be Miss Val
But one day, they'll thank me.
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