Too many of my journalism students view the notion of attending college as a journey down a road not meant for them. But, as an educator, I will not let students settle for less than their full potential on our school newspaper or in life.
I teach journalism at a high poverty college-prep charter high school, where most of the students I work with do not see college in their future.
This is a shame because the school I teach at does a commendable job of prepping students for the academics of college. I have noticed that the newspaper is becoming the force that connects some of the most non-traditional students to school. This connection to journalism has begun to make students perform better academically in all areas and has made them more concerned about their grades in all classes. Because I also teach English at my school, I have added numerous college-prep ELA standards to my journalism course. The standards that I have added focus on using journalism as a vehicle to develop my student' reading, writing, and speaking skills. This has proven effective in supporting my students’ performance in their college-prep English courses because the skills necessary to create a first class newspaper are transferable to college.
My Project
If supplies, including paper clips/transparencies/paper/pens/pencils/markers/composition books, are purchased for my journalism students to use in the creation of the school newspaper, this will translate into academic success. And, with this momentum, I plan to use these successes to demonstrate to them that they can successfully transition from high school into college. And so, when my students arrive at college, they will know that with hard work, they can succeed. While a journalistic approach has definitely become a powerful tool by itself, a current lack of funding for supplies limits some of my course's educational potential. This lost potential is due to the fact that they do not have sufficient access to supplies needed to produce a quality newspaper. If funded, these supplies will be used to support my students in the creation of the school newspaper, which involves drafting and revising articles, planning the paper layout, and printing final copy to send to the printer.
Everyday, with the state of the current economy, I witness more and more educational cutbacks.
But, these supplies for my journalism can change my students’ futures in life and in college. With your help, it can be possible for my students to hold their heads up as they face the future challenges and obstacles that begins with journalism and culminates into a college education.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Vanderpot and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.