WORDS FROM THE WISE
Award-winning advisers offer advice to assist anyone who will listen
Five Herff Jones advisers named to top honors this spring for excellence in teaching and advising share helpful advice they’ve given and received through the years. Generosity with teaching tips and other advice is a trait many admire in journalism educators.
CSPA CHARLES R. O’MALLEY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
MARY KAY DOWNES, MJE
Odyssey adviser for 31 years
Chantilly HS • Chantilly, VA
34 years advising total, educator for 49 years
Advice that helps me a lot:
“REMEMBER THAT YOUR STAFF IS MADE UP OF KIDS.”
“They are learning yearbook skills and leadership — and they have other classes and obligations. Develop a culture that provides them the training they need, a structure that makes expectations clear and the opportunities to both succeed and learn from their mistakes. And let them know you are there to support their efforts.”
Advice I tend to give:
“DEFLECT ANY CRITICISM THE BOOK MIGHT RECEIVE TO YOUR EDITORS.”
“When you do so, it reiterates their ownership of the publication. It empowers the students — and it reminds the readers that the adviser should not be making content or design decisions. It’s the kids’ book! The adviser should not jump in and compensate for every weakness, just like a coach can’t run in and execute plays or drama teachers don’t jump on stage and perform to ‘perfect’ student productions.”
CSPA/DOW JONES NEWS FUND NATIONAL HS JOURNALISM TEACHER OF THE YEAR
ERINN HARRIS, MJE
Techniques adviser for 11 years
Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Technology • Alexandria, VA
14 years advising total, educator for 17 years
Advice that helps me a lot:
“IT’S NEVER DONE. SOMETIMES IT JUST HAS TO BE DONE.”
“I feel like my rep stresses this concept. At a certain point, you need to be okay with what you have and move on. You can modify your process going forward, but meeting deadlines is a yearbook must. Working hours polishing something rather than starting on other tasks is not a good practice. This is great advice for advising — and for life. It’s important for the students to learn that deadlines are not suggestions — that’s knowledge that will serve them well now and for their rest of their lives.”
Advice I tend to give:
“LONGEVITY COMES FROM SELF CARE.”
“Taking care of yourself is key. To be the teacher/adviser your students need, you can’t live your life ‘running on empty.’ Being aware of — and prioritizing — your own needs to recharge is so important to your satisfaction as an adviser. We need our students to understand and practice self-care as well, which can seem contradictory to the importance of their meeting deadlines, but is one of the many life skills yearbook teaches.”
JEA LINDA S. PUNTNEY TEACHER INSPIRATION AWARD
KIM GREEN, MJE
Outreach & Engagement Coordinator
Ball State University • Muncie, IN
Log adviser for 20 years
Columbus East HS • Columbus, IN
28 years advising total, educator for 42 years
Advice that helps me a lot:
“ASK WHAT THEY THINK THEY SHOULD DO.”
“I remember Nancy Hastings saying this to me early on, and she followed by providing some questions that would help me become a stronger adviser. ‘What’s your thought process?,’ for example, ‘What have you done so far?’ or ‘What do you think you should do?’ Once they explain, of course you’ll ask more questions. You could play devil’s advocate, but they need to decide — and you’ll have to choose between validating their decision or asking more questions. It’s very empowering for them to know you’re serious about their ownership of the publication as editors.”
Advice I tend to give:
“BE FIRM, BUT NICE.”
“Like Patrick Swayze explained in ‘Roadhouse,’ that’s what’s right. Advisers and their staffs need to be nice to their subjects, teachers and coaches — even to people who disagree with something they have done or are working on. Nobody joins a publication to make it bad — and ‘fighting back’ can make it look like you have done something wrong. Being nice doesn’t mean you don’t stand your ground.”
DISTINGUISHED ADVISER: JEA H.L. HALL NATIONAL YEARBOOK ADVISER OF THE YEAR
HEATHER NAGEL, CJE
Lion’s Roar adviser for 16 years
Christ Presbyterian Academy • Nashville, TN
Advice that helps me a lot:
“WHEN SOMETHING COMES YOUR WAY, TAKE CARE OF IT RIGHT AWAY.”
“When I was a new teacher, my mentor had lots of advice for me. She was efficient and would point out that she always felt better when she got things done quickly. Plus, she’d have time to make any changes needed without things becoming urgent enough to force her to rearrange her schedule or to push aside things she had planned to do. It didn’t take me long to see how right she was. If I handle tasks immediately, I’m done with them — and I do feel better.”
Advice I tend to give:
“REMEMBER HOW IMPORTANT ADVISING IS.”
“Yearbook is not about the product. It’s about the journey. It’s what the staff goes through together and how that changes their lives. Yearbook is project-based learning at its finest. Beyond the act of telling the year-specific stories of our school community and capturing memories forever, the staff bonds over a shared goal, learns communication and technology skills and becomes meticulous about details. No other single course teaches as many core and life skills.”
SPECIAL RECOGNITION ADVISER: JEA H.L. HALL NATIONAL YEARBOOK ADVISER OF THE YEAR
DAN REINISH, CJE
Columbian adviser for 10 years
George C. Marshall HS • Falls Church, VA
Advice that helps me a lot:
“FEEL FREE TO ASK FOR HELP.”
“The yearbook/journalism education community is strong, and there are people out there who have your back. Your rep and your CSA are always there, but sometimes advice from another teacher — maybe nearby, but sometimes farther away — helps too. We are surrounded by others who have been in our shoes and can offer suggestions, and then we need to make decisions based on our own schools. I had to learn to trust that it would all work out as long as I had trained the students well and asked the right questions in guiding them.”
Advice I tend to give:
“MAKE TIME TO BUILD STAFF RELATIONSHIPS.”
“Being an adviser is different than teaching some other classes because, in addition to the subject-matter lessons, you need to help the students become leaders. They learn to work together and independently, to consider the ramifications of their decisions and to compromise. Unlike most other classes, their success is dependent on other people, and their work is public — and permanent. Trust and respect are crucial. If you don’t work to establish that rapport, you’ll wish you had.”
