Farewell video, two more Storify compilations

I do intend to get on with my life; in fact, I just promised my wife that today's #reynasu obsession ends in the next 30 minutes. But I wanted to get the video from yesterday's farewell session on the blog and share two more Storify compilations, on Gregory Favre and Tracy Collins (mind = blown).

Moments from this year's Reynolds Institute, along with those dating back to 2009, when we moved downtown, will continue to echo for me in Room 314.

Steve Elliott
Arizona State University
Phoenix

Gregory Favre on Honorable Work

Teachers aren’t in education for the paycheck. There are certainly easier ways to make a living.  Maybe we went into it because of a love for the subject matter. Maybe it was because we love working with kids. Maybe one of our deepest desires is work that has value and integrity.

What we are faced with though, is a culture that undervalues our work, often vocally. And journalism education, with its fragile status as an elective, is especially vulnerable to budget cuts.  Not to mention the censorship that Hazelwood opened the door to.

So it was a real treat to hear a speaker as inspiring as Gregory Favre, Former ASNE President and Distinguished Fellow of Journalism Values for the Poynter Institute.  Favre called teaching “honorable work,” and made it clear that the teachers who educate the future journalists are part of the larger journalism field, too. 

I was deeply moved by Favre’s statement that we live in “a world in which the echoes of violence sound loudly in our lives.”  As I have mentioned in the workshop, one of our students was murdered this year.  Guiding my students through the process of reporting her death was the most difficult thing I have ever had to do in my professional career.  I still don’t know if we did it the “right” way.  But I also don’t know if there is a single “right” way in such circumstances.  All we can do is be truthful and thorough, but equally, sensitive and humane.  Favre quoted Eli Wiesel: “To live through a catastrophe is bad.  To forget it is worse.” By reporting the truth, we help preserve.  And that too is honorable work.

Jessica Nassau

Rockville High School

Rockville, Md.

Blogging from the airport

I'm sitting at the Blanco bar with Jill, Brandon and Aaron basking the end of the reynasu glory. As we wait to board our planes, the talk is of TSA, our peers and not a whole lot of journalism. And that's okay. The best part: we've been able to move beyond just the sessions and become not just fellows but friends. As much as I've loved everything we've learned in classes, our connections go beyond journalism. My first year of teaching was extremely isolating (yes, I actually have had problems fitting in) and I am so excited to be part of a community instead of just locked away in my classroom. I can't wait to see all of you at the state and national conventions: I will be looking for you! and I will be very happy to talk to each and every one of you. Who's gonna bring me the orange Velma sweater?

Here's a selection of photos. I have more that I'll post on Facebook when I have more time to go through my camera. Here's a snap shot of us--

 Team building

 On the phone-- no surprise

And yes, learning (sorry about the soft focus)

And of course--

One last team building exercise

Sarah-Anne Lanman

MunsterHigh  School

Munster, Ind.

Saying Goodbye "No No No No"

Who would have thought first day when I met Meghann P. and Juli M.  at the airport that twelve days later, so many friendships would have been made. So many great ideas, concepts and thoughts would be shared. So many catch phrases, funny jargon and teasing of one another would happen.

The best part? All jammed into twelve days of journalism heaven.

It was interesting that the first couple of days of the camp, we were feeling one another out similar to how our students feel one another out the first couple days of school. We were trying to see who had similar interests, was from the same region, same age, something would could use to build a bond with to make a first friend. For me, it was the first time I’ve traveled alone. I didn’t know anybody. I had expectations of an institute where I may use 50% of what was delivered, and I may be friends with 2-3 people and we may go out 2-3 nights during the camp. Thankfully, I was wrong.

It was so cool that with 35 teachers came 35 completely different stories to tell. We all obviously came here because we love journalism, have heard great things about this institute, and want to get better as an instructor. I’d put every dollar in my bank account that for every one of the 35 of us, we left with the highest regard, thankfulness, and appreciation for the people who gave us an opportunity, invested in us financially, and put tons of times into teaching us how to better our kids. How to get them to believe in scholastic journalism. How to motivate and inspire our kids to consider journalism as a career.

I truly believe that I can go back and make a case to my principals, administrators, and students of my school and proudly declare journalism as the best elective offered at our schools. We don’t’ shape our students to be professional journalists; we shape our students to be contributing, productive members of society. We prepare them for life.

I’m not sure what else to say. It was an emotional day at Cronkite. Once again, so blessed to be a part of this thing. #reynasu J

Spencer O’Daniel

Wichita High School West

Wichita, Kan. 

Gregory Favre: The Soul of Journalism

Confession: I am currently obsessed with Gregory Favre.

The talk that he gave to us this morning seriously moved me in the most positive of ways. Although I am still tearing up about it, I feel one hundred feet tall after hearing this man speak.

He mentioned several articles that he admired, and since I admire him so greatly, here is my reading list for the rest of the summer:

1. Eli Wiesel's article in Parade in which he discusses the need to "acknowledge the possibility of dialogue" in surviving catastrophes.

2. Elements of Journalism

3.  All the Kings Men

4. Anything I can find by Dianne Suggs

Many thanks to Mr. Favre for his humility, his kindness and his wealth of humanity. I am inspired.

Melissa Langlois
Whitewater High School
Fayetteville, Ga.

Sports Journalism with Weintraut

Football owns my town.

Sure, we like the baseball team, and soccer is starting to make an impact. Our girls' volleyball, softball, and track teams compete at the state level every year. But football...football is the lifeblood of Fayetteville, Ga.

On Friday nights, everyone who is anyone is in those stands. If the game is away, they fill those stands, too. Our school newspaper clippings of game coverage fill the walls of the local pubs and eateries. Our local paper devotes pages to our boys of fall during the season.

It's important. Period.

Alan Weintraut's advise and instruction in sports writing was very helpful to me. I am grateful for the knowledge and the passion that he brought to a topic that drives my community and links them together under those lights.

Alan Weintraut makes a point about covering sports writing.

Melissa Langlois
Whitewater High School
Fayetteville, Ga.

Can Design Save Newspapers?

Check out this video on how design makes a difference.  This is from a TED talk.  It is a nice companion to what we have learned this week about the importance of design. Some good visual examples and explanation of results.


Lisa Shapiro
Northwest High School
Germantown, MD