The yearbook world can be a challenging and rewarding place. Twelve teachers share how taking on the advising role has changed and shaped them. This post originally ran in the 2018 fall issue of Elements, Balfour’s biannual magazine.
“I didn’t have any interest in journalism before I agreed to be the adviser, and now I’m obsessed with all things yearbook and journalism! It forced and challenged me to be a more informed citizen. I also became waaaaay more organized and disciplined.”
Mallory Lozoya, Red Oak High School, Red Oak, Texas
“I have learned to let go and let the students do it!”
Susan Spaulding, Summit Christian Academy, Yorktown, Virginia
Klein Forest adviser Sue Blackmon has advised newspapers and yearbooks for 40 years.
“Yearbook has changed me in so many ways that it’s almost impossible to recount them. I started my 40th year teaching this fall and all 40 years I’ve advised yearbook and newspaper and taught journalism. All 40 of those years have been with Taylor/Balfour publishing. That’s the thing that hasn’t changed.
Working with high school students for this long has changed my hair color from auburn brown to grey! But it’s all been worth it when I see the pride my staff has when they see a book they created and published. I watch them develop their talent and leadership skills. Seeing how amazing they are as people strengthens my faith in teenagers.
Yearbook has changed my use of technology—from hours spent drawing on quad packs (not exactly high tech), to minutes using digital devices and computers. Instantaneous journalism just blows my mind because I didn’t even touch a computer until I was 30. Advising yearbook has taught me technology.
Something else that’s changed, not for the good, is my size. Yearbook kids like to eat and they bring food to share and so do I!
Because advisers are given the chance to learn and grow with their staff members, teaching yearbook is the best education career path. Other classroom teachers don’t have the opportunity to experience the maturation and transformation of their students (and themselves). Yearbook advisers truly become part of a family.
I could write more but there are tears in my eyes as I think about all the positive attitudes and amazing people I’ve had the pleasure of having on my staffs.”
Sue Blackmon, MJE, Klein Forest High School, Houston, Texas
“Honestly, it has made me understand and sympathize with our administration more. I now realize what balancing all these strong personalities is like and understand why we have to have meetings instead of just reading emails. I now truly realize how valuable flexible, cooperative people are versus divas who complain about everything. Ha!”
Vicky Brummitt, Cookeville High School, Cookeville, Tennessee
“Becoming an adviser has changed my way of looking at students. I now see them as dedicated, sacrificing, and beautifully creative—not just my staff but the whole student body. The pages of our books bring out the true excellence of our entire school community.”
Caitlin Schmidt, Medina Valley High School, Castroville, Texas
“I have become soooo much more involved in all aspects of the school, not just sports, but also clubs, classes, students after school, fun stuff in other classrooms. I love knowing stuff about what goes on in my school!”
Anne Tilford, North Bullitt High School, Shepherdsville, Kentucky
“I let my students take over more now instead of micromanaging everything. I spent my first Christmas break as an adviser fixing all the little things on my students’ pages that were due after we got back. Never again. Yearbook also has made me more involved in my school’s extracurricular activities.”
Cassandra Shuptar, Berry Miller Junior High School, Pearland, Texas
Flour Bluff adviser Jeanette Krizak with her staff.
“I have a better appreciation for what my students accomplish every year because of all the hours we spend together. When my editors graduate, it’s almost as heartbreaking as dropping my children off at college.”
Jeanette Krizak, Flour Bluff High School, Corpus Christi, Texas
“I came into the yearbook class thinking I’d teach teenagers how to produce a product. Instead, they taught me that encouragement is more effective than criticism and honesty is always the best course. When you build a team with a foundation of hard work, attention to detail, excellence and laughter, the sky’s the limit. It’s not about the adviser in the classroom; it’s always about the student.”
Denise Adams, B.F. Terry High School, Rosenberg, Texas
“I am beyond proud to be one of thousands of journalism educators across this country dedicated to teaching ethics, morals, bias, and truth-seeking. We teach the importance of journalists as watchdogs, and we teach that exacting change with words is powerful. Our journalism students are the voice of their peers. They listen to other students’ concerns and triumphs. They are friends and classmates doing important work holding students, teachers, and administrators accountable. As journalism educators work hard in high schools training young storytellers, our students develop the critical thinking skills and command of writing that prepares them to take their places in the adult world as independent, rational, involved citizens and leaders.”
Karla Shotts, Englewood High School, Englewood, Colorado
“Being a yearbook adviser has made me very aware (critical) of others’ grammar and spelling. My yearbookies have lovingly given me the title of ‘Grammar Police.’ They presented me with an award—Grammer Poliece (sic).”
Kathi Wright, Northgate High School, Newnan, Georgia
Shawnee Heights High School adviser Jeni Daley with her staff on their ad sales day.
“I’ve learned that change can be so good, even when it’s hard. Whatever stretches your muscles usually builds strength. It can be hard to initiate change, but yearbook is always pushing me to try something new with my students, so I love that I’m never allowed to grow stagnant in my job. The moment I stop learning more in order to push my kids to set higher and higher expectations, I know I’m burned out and need to take a break. So that brings new designs, new technology, new organization and new coverage every year. I have to keep learning and keep trying new things alongside my staff.
It’s also forced me to become ‘un-offendable.’ You develop some seriously thick skin as an adviser. Even the most surprising people throw stones, but you learn not to take anything personally. At the end of the day, your students do their very best to create an awesome end product! But our society is so entrenched in the negative that it’s easy to react to most anything by complaining. It’s almost never personal, and it’s usually no big deal. (It’s just a big deal to one particular person on one particular day.) Most conflicts can be resolved by simply listening and, if appropriate, apologizing.”
Jeni Daley, Shawnee Heights High School, Tecumseh, Kansas
