Last week’s highlight came on Friday when author, writing guru, and ’71 alum Bobby Hawthorne spent the entire afternoon with scholastic journalists donating his time and expertise to improve our writing. The students who committed the time were blown away by the presentation. The most telling quote coming from a senior who said, “I learned more about writing in three hours than I have in four years of high school.” Unfortunately, not all staff members were able to commit, or chose to commit, the time to what could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. That kind of attitude never ceases to amaze me. That what they are doing is more important than an opportunity to sit at the feet of a master and learn. The handful that were able to stay for the entire afternoon spent quite a bit of time expressing gratitude for the exposure to someone who uses his talent in the real world to write about a real world. I was very proud of the scholastic journalists who are indeed committed not only to successful grades and winning awards, but to learning and self-growth.
Those students who are hungry to learn, to grow, to become more than what it takes to be traditionally successful in our school system are the fuel that drives me as a teacher. I do my dead level best to inspire that ambition for personal, as well as intellectual growth, and when it happens I am blessed beyond reason.
Sociology:
Students will be able to:
~explain basic terms and give real world examples verbally and in writing.
~identify and explain the five institutions that support society
~identify the building blocks of society
Monday:
Film clip: Intro to Sociology
Survivor game (building a society from scratch)
Tuesday-Thursday: film: Alive
Friday: Essay Test
Intro to Journalism:
Students will be able to:
~explain the historical development of broadcast journalism
~discuss the implications of broadcast vs. print journalism
Monday: Lecture & discussion development of broadcast journalism in radio & newsreels
Tuesday: film biography of Edward R. Murrow
Wednesday: discussion of combat journalism, read Ernie Pyle columns
Thursday: film biography of Ernie Pyle
Friday: Essay Test