It was spring 1993 and I was teaching ESL at Memorial Middle School. I had long forgotten about a position I applied for that I saw in a school district employee newsletter.
Then the call came.
"Are you still interested in the position at the magnet school?" the caller asked.
"Yes!" I said.
I made an appointment for an interview and was hired to teach journalism at VMT.
That first year was really unique. That will be the subject of blogs throughout the year.
Anyway, the years have passed, and my beard of just a few years has changed from red to grayish, but VMT is still going strong.
Major changes that have taken place in the journalism program:
--The now studio was formerly the photography dark room.
--Change to digital cameras only. We used to have a mixture of film and digital cameras.
--The addition of video and audio to the program.
--Blogging as part of the journalism program. (Almost like keeping a journal, but online.)
The changes have come about because of the changes in professional media. In other words, what we do in class is what most professional journalists do daily.
Now VMT and I (and three other teachers, one aide, and two custodians) are in our 20th years at the school.
And soon enough, we'll be at our new campus, with state-of-the-art everything!
But for now I'm excited to see what this year will bring. I'm looking forward to how The Magnet Tribune will observe it's 20th year, and that of the school.