“A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement. She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, ‘Little …
Several years ago, I attended the ASNE Reynolds High School Journalism Institute and came away with a plan to expand and grow our journalism program. At that time, I was the yearbook adviser and wanted to not only improve the yearbook, but revamp our struggling journalism program that includes newspaper, yearbook and literary magazine, as well as start a broadcasting …
Help your student photographers improve with plenty of practice and informal and formal critiques When it comes to photographers, it can be hard to know how to help them grow and how to keep them motivated. There is no panacea. Trust me, if there were, I’d have bottled it and sold it for some serious money. There are, however, several …
Whether your yearbook is organized in traditional format, chronologically or a combination of the two, an effective beat system ensures complete coverage throughout the year. Spice up beat selection by hosting a draft day to motivate your staff to get off the sidelines. Collaboration tools such as Trello can take beat management and communication on your team to the next …
That first deadline can be one of the most intimidating parts of an adviser’s first year. Follow this advice, including words of wisdom from a few experienced advisers, to successfully meet it. Make it a priority Take deadlines seriously – especially this first one. Start planning right away, if you have not already begun. Talk to your rep about exactly …
“Suzy, you are going to be the academics editor of the 2018 yearbook.” These words strike pride, excitement and dread into academics editors across the country. Why? Let’s explore that for a few minutes. Yes, you have a great responsibility. You are in charge of a portion of the book. Yes, a portion that could be the least-read pages within …
In a professional development class called “Universal Design for Learning” (UDL), I was introduced to many new strategies to make learning accessible to all my students regardless of ability. One of the strategies is called “synectics,” which derives from the Greek “syn” and “ektos,” and refers to the fusion of diverse ideas. In practice, students are shown a series of …
Many freshmen walk into high school on the first day without that one class, teacher or group that provides a sense of belonging. Besides creating an amazing yearbook our school can be proud of, my goal as a yearbook adviser has always been to give my students a place to belong in junior high. Another goal of mine has been …
How can you get better if you don’t have anyone telling you what you could improve on? It’s true that we’re often our own worst critics, but if you don’t know the rules of the game, how can you possibly know whether what you’re doing is right or wrong? It would be akin to someone calling themselves an excellent Olympic-level …
Basic design knowledge is necessary to creating a strong yearbook. Teaching students how and why design is important is a worthwhile exercise. It may seem to take forever, but once students grasp the basics, they will soon be able to use those skills to create a sophisticated spread. You can start here with my Top 10 Design Rules for teaching …