"Advanced"

It was clear Wednesday that I hadn't thought much about why I'm here or what my role is. Since I'm double-majoring in very different areas, my class choices are made by necessity, not thought.

During a school board meeting yesterday, I had the very unnerving experience of being watched by our new reporters. I realized then that I have to think my role through.

I'm working very closely with the K-12 beat, and it's a big one. There is a definite danger that I could suffocate the beginning reporters by taking too much on, or not letting them figure things out for themselves. What drove my success last semester was this very ugly thought: "If I don't do it, who else will?"

Yesterday, those reporters' answer was "Audrey." Of the three other reporters at the meeting, two did not take notes. I should have said something. The "advanced" requires it.

What I want to do this semester is continue the last K-12 beat's work. I want the SchoolHouseTalk blog set up by Lucinda to generate more discussion, and to use parent input as article starting points. I would like everyone on the K-12 beat to contribute to that blog. I hope to personally write articles that explain district finances and national education policies clearly, with simple language. Most of all, I want this semester's reporters to have the experience that I had before.

I'm here to help, but I can't limit their role.

Progress Report:
I wrote three articles. Two were simple: the announcement of school board election candidates and a report on yesterday's meeting. The other, published today, addressed the district's evaluation of how it pays employees. It's a big issue, and included something the Tribune's reporter never asked - how much would this overhaul cost our district?
I worked with a reporter on the election article, and think she has a much better idea of what we do here because of it.
I led two reporters through posting on our blog on Monday, and wrote a response to a comment on our blog with a post about MLK day.