Building the Network

At my school I am the only journalism teach, and this is the case for many people here at the Institute. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but sometimes you feel like you’re on an island. Other faculty members can comment on the product, make suggestions or (if you're lucky) maybe even compliment what you are doing. It’s hard to find other teachers to really collaborate with on what you do in the classroom.

One of the best aspects of the Reynolds Institute Experience has been this great opportunity to collaborate. When there’s no one else that does what you do it’s impossible to find someone who understands your perspective. It’s hard to comprehend the multiple layers of student work and what it takes to put out a publication unless you are there. Here there are 35 people who can really relate.

I attended a number of journalism conventions when I was in college. They were great, and in many ways a parallel experience – I met a lot of great people who had a shared perspective. This was in the late 90s before the boom of social media, and I never did a very good job of keeping in touch with the contacts I made. Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, this time it will be much easier to keep in touch with this amazing group of educators.

This isn’t mind-blowing information but I think empathy is important. Finding people who understand your struggles and can offer practical feedback is exactly what this 1^st year teacher needed.

Jill Cavotta

Mater Dei High School

Santa Ana, Ca