Though I’ve technically never been a teacher, through my work at Seven Days I’ve spoken with numerous students of all ages about journalism and media literacy. Most recently, I met with a class at Proctor Jr./Sr. High School over Zoom.
English teacher Sarah Cheney had the students read a story in Seven Days and write a letter to the editor in response. In the virtual session, I offered a few tips: Cite sources, speak from your own experience when it matters, and just because you can write up to 250 words doesn’t mean you should!
A few of their missives made it into print this week — find them in the Feedback section.
Student writing appears in the summer issue of our parenting magazine, Kids VT, too, found inside this week’s Seven Days; it features two poems from members of the Young Writers Project. The issue also launches a new Good Citizen Challenge. Through the Challenge, students in grades K through 8 complete civic-minded activities — such as reading five stories in Seven Days — to be entered to win a free trip to Washington, D.C., and other prizes.
Training kids to follow the local news isn’t just good for our business — it’s good for democracy.
Many of my colleagues also interact with students. This spring, news writer Rachel Hellman met with a group from Camel’s Hump Middle School in Richmond; they wanted to know what being a professional journalist is like. Music editor Chris Farnsworth and Burlington reporter Courtney Lamdin both spoke with Burlington High School classes recently, about writing music reviews and covering city hall, respectively.
Are we actually reaching these kids? Truthfully, it’s often hard to tell in the moment, which is what makes the comments we receive afterward so meaningful.
Courtney got one from a young woman at BHS: “I wanted to reach out to you and give you a big thank you for working with our class and helping me with my inquiry project!” she wrote. “Our discussion [at] city hall, your article, and the debate you helped host with the mayoral candidates got me invested in the politics of Burlington and how I might be a part of change.” In a follow-up email, she added that she had just interviewed Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak about being a woman in politics.
Seven Days staffers engage with college students, too. In February, news writer Derek Brouwer talked with 20 students enrolled in a “Social Problems” class at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester. Adjunct professor Michael Ohler had assigned Derek’s December 6, 2023, cover story “Out of House and Home: Chittenden County Landlords Are Evicting at a Record Pace. But It’s the Sheriff Who Comes Knocking.” It was on the syllabus alongside Matthew Desmond’s book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.
A week later, Ohler sent Derek a thank-you email: “Last Monday’s class was amazing. Students are still talking about it. Somehow in the midst of reading a book on eviction, your words made it all very real.”
The most rewarding interactions we have with students are often with our collegiate interns. This summer we’re working with six of them — from Northeastern University, Swarthmore College, Wellesley College, Tufts University and Middlebury College — many of whom start this week. They’ll be part of our news, culture and design teams, and one of our two Midd kids will assist me with managing the Good Citizen Challenge. They’ll participate in staff training sessions on shooting compelling photos and video, as well as covering breaking news. Last summer’s interns contributed to our reporting on the catastrophic floods.
The experience we provide helps prepare our interns for jobs in journalism; our alums include Vermont Public reporter/producer Sabine Poux and VTDigger.org senior editor Natalie Williams.
Want to help us train the next generation of Vermont readers and reporters? Become a Super Reader and chip in to support our efforts financially. And if you’ve got young kids in your life, help them take the Good Citizen Challenge at goodcitizenvt.com. It’s free, it’s fun, and you’ll both feel more connected to your community — the most important lesson.
Related Stories
This article appears in Jun 5-11, 2024.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
