Originally posted on November 9, 2016, “The Return of the Student Newspaper” lauds the efforts of the editor-in-chief and his staff.

They really were the most productive and diligent staff I’ve managed during my eight years at Thornton-Donovan School. Based on the precedent set last year, I’m eager to see what new heights they will reach.

Check back tomorrow morning for my welcome letter to the new staff!

Over the past few years, the Student newspaper has been bogged down by apathetic and entitled editors. They have failed to realize that the fish stinks from the head down. Those in charge set the example for the staff to follow – good or bad. The same analogy extends to administration and even teachers. If they, like a newspaper editor, do not model the proper approach, then those who work under them do not take their jobs seriously. Why? Because when rules are not enforced and when standards aren’t upheld, they cease to exist. Yet, some still wonder why kids chew gum in school or violate the dress code.

Still, in a job like teaching where there are more letdowns than successes, I find it energizing when a student exceeds my expectations. And the current editor-in-chief certainly has. He has bought in to the philosophy of leading by example. On a daily basis, he shows his peers that he is willing to work as hard for them as they are for him. In the mornings during homeroom, you’re likely to find him in a homeroom going over a story with a student. Without my prompting, he sets the agenda for meetings, develops original stories, and manages the website. He also generates emails that go out to the staff updating them on assignments and deadlines. And they actually read it.

Moreover, he does something so simple, yet so hard for some: he communicates. And not only with me. He speaks to his writers and editors, clearly relaying his expectations of them. His door is always open. He makes himself available, finding time to discuss a pitch or go over a piece. And that matters for kids who are giving their time to participate in an activity that although beneficial to their writing in truth means extra work in kidspeak.

So, how has he gotten students who do not even produce their homework on a regular basis to do extra work for him? Not through bribing them with pizza or candy or gift cards. Nor has he threatened them with physical harm or public shame. No, he has given them a lesson in pride and what it means to take some in the work you do. I wonder who impressed that moral on him? His parents, obviously. Although I reinforced it (back pat).

There is an established standard. Either you work up to it or you don’t work at all. Moreover, by regularly posting the staff’s work to OverlookJournal.com, he shows them that their opinions matter and that the work they do has value. No longer is it sitting stagnant in an email box unread for a week as it had in the past. Stories are edited promptly and issues dealt with swiftly and without drama. Because consistently generating quality content that admirably represents the students and by extension the school matters.

Not only to me and him.

To everyone involved in the process.

While I pride myself on teaching kids how to write with structured, well substantiated arguments, I feel more accomplished when a student ascends to a leadership role. For that has always been my goal: to enable my students to think autonomously and to lead by example.

For one, at least, this message has resonated.

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