11
Writing for
Publication:
Beyond the
Journalism
Classroom
By Brian Sweeney
I
n general education
English, teachers
encourage students to
use the term “publish”
when submitting finalized
written work. In the lower
grades, there are “publishing”
days, where students share
out their final drafts and
celebrate the end of a writing
unit. The terminological
shift is admirable: We don’t
want students to view
academic writing as just
some assignment. Publishing
one’s work rather than merely
“handing it in” adds an air
of professionalism that is
motivational and dignified.
But no one is buying any of
this.
Students submit most work
for a grade. Teachers return
the writing to a portfolio or a
backpack, where it will, more
often than not, slowly rot.
In the journalism classroom,
however, the word has
meaning. Publication for
a tangible audience is the
goal, and with the proper
resources, all students of
journalism should be able
to see their work through
to publication in the school
newspaper or beyond.
Though Adviser Update
has rightly focused on how
to sharpen our skills as
journalism teachers, it’s worth
considering how journalism
can enhance general
education English courses.
Many English teachers take
on journalism electives,
and it is easy to keep both
spheres separate; last year,
in our school, we began
experimenting with using
journalism to shift how we
teach freshman English.
After working with passionate
high school journalists, you
can see why this shift is
necessary. These are students
who will latch onto a story,
stay in school long after the
day has ended, and write
until they have something
worthy of publication—only
to seem half asleep when
assigned work in their English
courses. Why shouldn’t that
energy and that passion be
channeled back into the
English curriculum?
Last year, our freshman
English students began the
year studying mythology. This
would seem the least likely
topic that one could marry
with journalistic principles,
but with a slight refocusing
BRIAN SWEENEY
Brian Sweeney has been
teaching in New York City since
2008. He is an English teacher at
Townsend Harris High School,
where he advises The Classic,
the school’s award-winning
student newspaper. Brian and
his students were recently
honored for their work by The
Deadline Club and the Student
Press Law Center. He serves as
the president of New York City
Scholastic Press Association.