Happy Friday!

Congratulations!
All the Arkansas public school teachers made it through the first week of school.  For all you new advisers, take a couple of days to RELAX.  Put textbooks and web pages aside for these next two days and enjoy your weekend.  Monday I'll be loading more information to assist with classroom organization and journalism curriculum.

Yearbook Tips and Trends

Yearbook trends come and go.  Here are a few tips to assist the 2011 editors in their style and content selections.
click here

Writing Prompts

During the first week of school, especially with my beginning classes, I like to assign writing prompts for "Bell Work".  Here are five prompts from college admissions essay questions that are wonderful to promote in depth thinking skills and encourage higher level writing structure:

1-What unusual circumstances have guided or influenced your life?
2-What travel or living experiences in other countries have effected your outlook?
3-Which books have affected you the most?
4-Discuss an academic experience (class, paper, project, trip, etc...) that has meant the most to you.
5-Consider two historical figures you would like to invite for dinner.  Discuss particular insight that you believe each might provide as you embark on  your educational and professional journey and then discuss how you might apply this advice to your dreams and goals.

Publication Policies

Policies and procedures are important to not only the staff, but to the school district.  Each publication should have a documented list of policies readily available at the administration's or a parent's request. Check with the former adviser or principal to see if school or district publication policies are in place.  Also, ask the state press director if a publications act or bill exists within the state law.

The simplest way to organize these policies for your staff is to create a staff manual.  This document will provide easy access for your editors and administration should the need arise.

Here is a list of policies and other credentials which should be on file:
Advertising Policy
Editorial Policy
Correction/Deletion Policy
Obituary Policy
Letters To The Editor Requirements
Production/Publication Schedule
Classroom/Staff Procedures
Job Responsibilities for leadership positions on staff
Adviser/Editor Expectations

Interviewing Powerpoint

Today the teachers in our building became students.  Google Documents was the topic of our morning long professional development.  Here is a link to provide you with a custom Powerpoint I created on Interviewing.  It's a great lesson for the first week of school to refresh your veteran staff members or to inform students who are just learning the ins and outs of interviewing skills.

Press Organizations

Now that you've had a few days for the shock of taking over your school's publication to sink in, locate individuals/groups who can provide immediate support.  Local and state press organizations are the first places to start.  Some larger areas of the country, for example St. Louis, have local scholastic press organizations.  Other states, for example, Arkansas, have strong state press organizations.  Google your state and locate the director of that organization.  He/she will be a wonderful resource.  Ask the state director to identify veteran advisers in your immediate area who would be willing to serve as as mentors for this first year.

National press organizations such as JEA (Journalism Education Association), NSPA (National Scholastic Press Association), CSPA(Columbia Scholastic Press Association), Quill and Scroll and SIPA (Southern Interscholastic Press Association) are invaluable.  They mail out materials for the classroom as well has provide Listservs for their members.  JEA and NSPA team up in the spring and fall to host a national convention.   This is a great opportunity for your students to interact with other staffs in the nation.  JEA also has a designated state director.  Go to the JEA.org website and locate your state's director.  Email or call that person to seek additional help.

Yearbook advisers should contact their company representative for a web address or teaching materials.  Schedule for that individual to meet with you within the next week and bring whatever they have on hand to assist you in setting up lesson plans and staff management structures.

Both the state press organizations and the yearbook companies can provide basic scholastic guidelines for yearbooks and newspapers.  Ask them to send a scorebook or provide a web address for access to their guidelines.  These scorebooks will provide a list of criteria necessary to create a scholastically sound publication.