I. love. smart. kids.
It's been a long time since I've worked with kids who seem, for all accounts, just really smart and really well adjusted. These are kids that take, in addition to journalism, courses like Russian Literature, Chinese III, AP Everything (Calc, English, Psychology, Chemistry, etc), Forensics, and other advanced thinking classes. These are kids who do volunteer work and take it seriously. They travel with their families. They have adventures. They use words like salient and reticent in everyday conversation. They read for fun and take music lessons.
I've spend the last several years of my life working with special education students and at-risk kids. The change of those kids to these is simply amazing. I know most of these kids are smarter than me. I think I've gotten dumber (or maybe I'm just not challenged intellectually) over the last few years.
This week I've worked with kids at this journalism camp who've come from all over the country and they are smart and delightful. They're funny and creative. They enjoy thinking and having a conversation. We say "work in groups and discuss a story package" and they do. They actually stay focused on the topic at hand. They really do!!! That is soooo cool.
It's been a good workshop and I'm learning too. Now I want to go back and have a student publication with my kids. It will certainly be a totally different experience, of course, but it will be fun, too. I think I want to publish a digital newspaper using blogger or Wordpress and let the kids upload their writings daily, staggering the deadlines for freshness. I think it would be a good experience as well as being super easy if it's all online. AND since our entire school is electronic I think it will make sense to have it online.
And there's an available stipend for student publications so I think I could make some money. I'm going to create a sample for our principal and see what he thinks. Because it will involve me getting $$$$$ I have to ask for permission (rather than forgiveness... heehee!)
Mags
1 comment:
I can remember when you were there as a learning student. (Especially toting your stuff up a bunch of stairs because your dorm didn't have an elevator!) You had a great week then, too,then came home and became editor of the HS newspaper, as well as going on to college and not only becoming their newspaper editor, but minoring in journalism. So you see, you're one of the smart kids, too.
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