My Powerful Learning Experience from the Past

When I was in high school, was a member of the student body newspaper staff. I was given the opportunity to attend a public meeting concerning a potential landfill being placed in our county. I remember feeling very important. I even had a supporter of the landfill who spoke during the meeting, question my reporting of statements he made. I learned then and there, I have an opinion, my opinion matters, and I must stand up for what I know to be the right thing to do.

The teacher allowed us to truly assume the role of a journalist. We wrote our articles, shared and discussed and proofread together. At that time we still used light tables to lineup text and get our paper “to bed” to be printed. We owned our learning, and we owned our work. I look back on the experience with smile. It was a great educational experience and I did not realize until much later, how much that teacher, Nancy Wayne, inspired me to go after what I want in life!