Learning while dining

Taylor Place cafeteria is a location where we teachers get to 'talk shop.' Most days, we eat three meals here. It's noisy and relaxed; we unload and unwind for an hour or so between sessions.

The talk usually focuses on what our experiences are like at our various schools. Generally, perhaps universally, we are the only journalism teacher at our various high schools. As a consequence, most of us have no other teacher to reflect our ideas off of. Nobody else at our schools is doing what we're doing.

Perhaps that's why Steve Elliott, our host, mentioned to us early on that much of what we learn during the next two weeks will be outside of the formal sessions. Many of us are encouraged to find out that we are not the only journalism teacher who is struggling with a particular problem. We find a very particular camaraderie in the social aspect of sharing difficulties, struggles and successes; often this takes place at meals, breaks, walks, elevator rides and, for some, the hotel bar.

Rick Burd
Wickenburg High School
Wickenburg, Ariz