Done!

I am done with my project! I still need to post everything. I've been so busy with other finals that I have not had a chance to round everything up and post it to the wiki. It feels good to have this project done. I enjoyed this semester and my classes but I'm very happy to be done.

I find myself using some of the tips we learned in CAR class everyday when I'm using the internet. When I need to look up something I don't just go straight to google and go with the website that looks good. I plan to continue using the ideas and tricks learned in this class in the future for research. I also considered writing for the Collegian but thought better of it because I'm not sure I'll have time next semester. But who knows?!

I want to use my final blog post for this class to say thank you to Doc for sticking with us and helping us all out with our projects and pushing us to do great.

Clarification

My article printed in Friday's edition of the Collegian. Today I added a clarification to the article on the Collegian's website. I discussed doing this with the editor-in-chief, Jason Miller, because what I originally printed was not wrong. What I printed was what my source, Jason Kazar, said but Friday Kazar emailed me saying that he felt misrepresented by the quote I used. I wrote what I had written in my notes and it was what he said. He meant it in a different context and with what we were discussing at the time I can see the difference but I do not feel that I was wrong. I did correct the story because I felt like the correction fit better and it was what he meant. I did not change any of his wording I just clarified the difference between the two jobs he was talking about.

Jason Miller received the email from Kazar as well and sent me an email saying "Welcome to the print world.  People see what they said typed up and it feels completely out of context and ridiculous." People say things without realizing it until they see it printed.

I agree with this. I think that people who do not wish to have their names attached to something they say or have their photo taken because they do not want to be associated with an event is just childish. Take responsibility for yourself and if you have an opinion about something, own up to it. I've had many times when taking pictures and I'll ask for someone's name and they say "oh I don't want my picture taken" or "I don't want to be in the newspaper" and I think to myself why is that? I can understand if you just don't like to have your picture taken or feel like you do not look good that day but at the same time, you went to an event in public and knew that people would see you.

As for the quote, I corrected it because I do know, in context to the rest of the conversation, what he meant to say and what context it should be in, but at the same time it is what he said. I did add the clarification to the newspaper and I plan on adding it to my final draft of my story.

Quote of the Day

As I look back at the article, now that it has been copy edited to run in the Collegian, I realize that I still could have added more. I had many more interviews that I didn't even include in the sidebar or main article. As I was writing they just didn't seem to fit anywhere relevant. I could have included more voices in last part about the pros and cons to the alternate certification but I felt like what I had represented it well and didn't drag on.

My interviews really were the meat to the story, even though Doc said don't base it off your interviews, I really think that they added the opposing opinions in a well rounded manner. Two of the people added more of the information but the rest were about views on the certification and if it is ethical to hire teachers who maybe aren't qualified. I have written papers before when it was really hard to not interject my opinion on the matter but I really felt like the quotes I added covered everything and at the end of it my opinion had changed some.
My favorite quote and it was said by two different people who teach in two very different settings was "when you help a kid, it feels great." So I feel like that is what matters in teaching and no matter how they are certified, if they are helping students and the students are learning the material then they are good teachers.

Here are some of my pictures of teachers in the classroom.

This is Jason Kazar who has an alternate certification and teaches algebra at Manhattan High.

Brendan Praeger has a bachelor's in education from K-State and teaches journalism at Manhattan High.

Is alternative certification good or bad?

Now that I'm done with the article I think my opinion has changed. When I first started this project, I researched a couple of things before finding alternative certification. When I first read about the "emergency certification" in Maryland, I couldn't believe we had teachers in the U.S. who weren't certified through a college education program.

After talking with people who have gone through the licensing process and Debbie Mercer who helped the state set the regulations to the process, I think that Kansas at least has a great program. Although there are still teachers who maybe should not be teachers in the school system still, and I realize there are teachers who have gone through the regular certification process who find out they shouldn't be teachers, it seems to be effective. I know that in my classes, even in high school, the teachers with the stories from other professions and those real life experiences were way more interesting to listen to. I feel like I learned more from those stories and experiences than by just reading a textbook.

I think alot of people do not realize how hard teaching is. It takes more patience than I would have to help students everyday for nine months. I truly admire teachers for what they do.

I still think that some states may run into trouble by grabbing people that someone deemed qualified to teach without having that extra education and experience. Ideally I think that everyone who wants to teach should go through student teaching but I realize that in most situations with emergency/alternate certification they need the people to start right away.

So after all of this I think that the alternate programs are ultimately helping our school system by providing teachers with a wealth of experiences to share.

Getting it done

I have revised my main article and sidebar. I'm pretty sure I'm done with the writing part of the assignment now. I'm almost done with this project and as I look back I feel like I'm forgetting something because we have spent so much time researching and talking about it.

I've started editing my pictures and have one picked to run with the story in the paper. Jason wants to run the main article this week so I guess I'm submitting it tomorrow to Pauline or Missy. After getting all the writing done I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. I still have more to do for the project and much more to do for the rest of my classes but having that article done feels very good.

After all of this, I enjoy being a photographer. I enjoy just snapping a photo and writing a cutline. I like writing, but I love photography.

Revising the rough draft

I've been busy with the main story and with other classes that I actually forgot about the sidebar. Today I spent a little bit looking back over it and trying to see what else it needs. I took out quite a bit and still have the word count but I feel like it is missing something. Looking back on it, it feels like I wrote that article a long time ago but it was only a few weeks. Time flies!

I will re-write my main article and turn it in for Tuesday's or Wednesday's Collegian so that I can have a few more eyes on it before I have to turn it in for class. I still need to edit pictures and finish up my multimedia and then I'll be done!

The end of the semester is so close now, but I still have so much to do.

First Draft Done

The first draft of the article has been edited by Doc and it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I thought I had too many statistics in and it was feeling like a research paper more than a news article but she suggested I put more in. So now I need to fix all the little stuff and put more stats in. I have all the information I think I'll need but now I just need to reorganize it.

I feel really good after getting it all written down and getting it edited at least once. I feel less overwhelmed by knowing that I'm almost there.

I'm turning the article into the Collegian sometime next week so at least three more people will look it over before I hand it in!