Becoming a journalism teacher
Laura Schaub
Issue date: 2/8/02 Section: Features
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In junior high, I changed my mind. I fell in love with the Spanish language and just knew I would some day teach that subject to secondary students.
At the beginning of my 11th grade year, I changed my mind once again. Near the end of 10th grade, my sophomore English teacher, Jan Kizziar, encouraged me to apply for admission to her beginning journalism class the following year. Somehow she knew something I didn't—that I would fall in love with journalism and teach it to others.
Jan inspired the 27 beginning reporters in that class. Encouraging us to write well, ask questions, look beyond the surface, delve into the whys and hows, Jan became my mentor. She was the most creative, caring, demanding and respected teacher I ever had.
At the end of our junior year, our Journalism I class said goodbye to our favorite teacher. She had received a graduate assistantship at the University of Tulsa to pursue higher degrees. Even the young men in our class cried when she told us she wouldn't be our newspaper adviser the following year.
Jan, who later earned her doctorate in educational psychology, now teaches mental health and fitness seminars all over the world. Although we live far apart, we've stayed in touch for more than 30 years. She continues to inspire me to this day, serving as my counselor, mentor, and dear, dear friend. It was through her influence that I decided to teach journalism.
Becoming a journalism teacher wasn't easy. When I left high school, I attended the University of Tulsa. At that time, TU did not offer a journalism education degree. There were three students at TU who wanted to become journalism teachers—all inspired by Jan Kizziar. My adviser, Ed Johnson, and the other journalism professors on the TU faculty met created a degree program for us. We each earned double majors in journalism and English so we would have marketable skills upon graduation.
During my last two years at TU, I worked at the Tulsa World, one of the two daily newspapers in the metropolitan area. Although I loved working at the World, I dreamed I would some day have my own students in my own classroom.
In the spring of 1970, I finally had that chance. One of my professors called me, asking if I truly wanted to teach journalism.
"Oh, more than anything," I said.
"The job in the Tulsa area is open," he said. "I just had lunch with the superintendent. He's very interested in talking to you."
I called, interviewed for the job and accepted it that afternoon. I stayed at Charles Page High School in Sand Springs, Okla., for 22 years, teaching two hours of Journalism I and advising the yearbook and newspaper. I also taught a 10th grade English. Four years later, I added a magazine class, dropping the English class. Several years after that, we added a video production class and a student news bureau. In addition, we added a second journalism teacher to the growing program.
Through the years, my students were active in their state and national scholastic press associations. They attended conferences. They entered and won contests. They held offices. They earned scholarships. Many have become media professionals throughout the United States and around the world. Some have achieved success in related fields or other chosen professions.
I believe I could not have chosen a more rewarding profession. Teaching journalism keeps us young. It requires that we stay informed, involved and up to date about all aspects of our profession. It's a subject that constantly changes in trends and technology. It remains constant in its search for the truth.
Students who participate in these classes develop skills in writing, editing, critical thinking, research, design, computer technology, leadership and photography—skills that will help them become successful, productive professionals. According to Jack Dvorak, a journalism professor at the University of Indiana, journalism students score higher on college entrance exams and achieve better grades in college than do students who have not taken those courses.
More important, journalism teachers develop lifelong relationships with their students. By working so closely with their students and spending so much extra time with them, journalism teachers truly experience the joys of teaching.
Journalism teachers from my era know that we must encourage young people to consider this rewarding career. We hope many of our former students, some that may be in our classrooms now, will become journalism teachers.
As I look back through my life, I know I made the right choice in my profession. I can't imagine doing anything else. Although the salaries are small in comparison to those in other fields, the rewards are great. Young people who choose to teach journalism will be glad they did.
Laura Schaub, a former president of the Columbia Scholastic Press Advisers Association, is the executive director of the Oklahoma Interscholastic Press Association at the University of Oklahoma-Norman.