College is a time of exploration and discovery for students. As a teacher in collegiate journalism education, I believe my job is to help students explore their field and discover the career and future best fit for them through immersive and interactive experiences.
 

   Through application endeavors, such as partnerships with media entities, students in my courses learn industry standards of writing and reporting while also applying theories of audience engagement, public service, and ethical practice. A driving force in my teaching is the belief that students must have the opportunity to practice the craft of journalism and publish their work for a mass audience for them to truly gain understanding of the influence their work can have on the public. For this reason, I charge my students to produce work that can be used professionally- whether a news article, a television segment, a commercial, or a promotional campaign strategy.

   In the classroom, I require students to use critical thought, creativity, independent inquiry to generate ideas that will both allow autonomy for the student and help them explore their own areas of interest in the field. However, this autonomy comes with a close, guiding hand. Students are often given time to discuss their concerns and their successes through the reporting process. This process gives them the grace to make mistakes, which force them to learn and improve over time.

   I also believe the classroom is a time for experimentation. In this way, students are pushed to try new techniques in storytelling and journalism. They are asked to evaluate trends in the industry and critically consider the value of those trends for the audience and the business. They are given opportunities to use new tools to enhance the stories they produce with the hope they will find a new way to better serve their community.

   I believe a student is only truly capable of grasping the power of mass communication when they have practiced communicating to the masses. Through this hands-on approach, they learn how hard it is to do the process of journalism while also feeling the satisfaction of doing it properly.

​