http://sexquestionsfromseventhgraders.tumblr.com is the funniest blog I’ve seen in a minute. Oh, sweet innocence and lack thereof.
And also the fact that I’ve probably already lost 5 lbs from barely touching the dorm food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Thank you, Taylor Place, for providing sustenance but thank GOD there’s a Starbucks and a salad shop attached to the building. All I’m sayin’.
Counselor’s log: Day 5
Being a counselor at this camp has not only reminded me of my love for journalism and sports reporting but also made me realize how much I love teaching and working with kids. It’s an incredible feeling knowing these kids are seriously listening, learning and looking up to me. I call them kids but they’re in high school… Whatever. Some of them are mature beyond their years while others still have some learning and humbling to do but their enthusiasm is admirable. If I knew I wanted to do this 5 years ago, I can’t even imagine where I’d be now, and the fact that they’re having this experience FOR FREE is amazing on the Cronkite’s School’s part.
I was Ms. Connections during our tour of Chase Field and at the game thanks to my internship at FOX Sports last summer. Everyone from reporter Mark McClune to Mark the Clubhouse security guard to Dennis audio technician to field coaches Baylor and Young remembered me. I showed by example how important connections, networking and WHO you know is in the j-biz. And was living proof that saying ‘YES! WHAT DO YOU NEED? SURE! WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?’ during an internship will surely pay off in the future. With my connections and the persistence and assertiveness of one of my students, a few of them got into the press booth with Daron Sutton and Mark Gra- Wait, Gracie’s on vacation? Who’s filling his seat? Oh, none other than hometown hero Luis Gonzalez!!! *BLOOP* With the kids’ creative signs (I swear I didn’t tell them to do that), tweets and persistence they got plenty of exposure on DBTV and FSAZ. A handful of my kids had a chance to watch the post-game field interview and set foot on the BOBsod and I know I helped make some of their dreams come true.
I took my students out on their first real story today and I couldn’t have asked for a better team or subject. We covered an awesome camp for aspiring stars called Camp Broadway which tours all around the nation and gives kids the opportunity to put on their own show and meet the cast of Million Dollar Quartet. If anyone says children don’t need to learn about or experience the arts, they’re dead wrong. It was so much fun watching these kids perform and it was even greater to watch my kids shoot the crap out of their story. Ran into some PR issues upon me telling them to be aggressive and that 'closed mouths don’t get fed’, I love PR people but if the person you’re representing wants to do something I don’t know why they try to stop them… Anyways…
Oh, and apparently some of my students would DIE for The Maine…. HAHA! They flipped when I told them I went to school with/knew the band (sorry, I know people…?) Hopefully with a few calls to the Marquee and a few dropped names I’ll be able to get them the story they want to do on their Saturday show. If not, there’s always Katastro on Friday…
I think this experience is as beneficial for me as it is for these high schoolers. I’ve made more career moves since I’ve been here than I have in the past few months… And definitely have a fire under my butt to land that first job. I keep telling myself to stop basing my success off of the success of my peers because timing and who you know makes a world of difference when it comes to employment. And, as a Christian, I know who’s the boss of my world and I know that everything will fall into place at the right time. In this industry, you gotta pick yourself up by your boot straps and keep on trucking. Hopefully my persistence, passion and patience will pay off for me in a big way soon.
Nothing’s riding on this except the First Amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country… Not that any of that matters.
… ALRIGHT BREAK IT UP THIS IS A CAMP IS FOR MAKING NEWS NOT MAKING OUT!
