Over the past couple of months, the TFFT scholars have been participating in Full Circle Guest Speaker Series. The program recently welcomed its third speaker, Amanda, a newspaper reporter. The students at Usa River Academy learned what it’s like to be a newspaper reporter and got to try out their interview skills. Below is Amanda’s journal from her experience with the kids. Thanks for a great day Amanda!
As a newspaper reporter from Bozeman, Mont., I spoke to Forms 3 & 4 for about an hour and a half about my work covering city government, the importance of independent media, and how to become a journalist.
I have worked as journalist for about 10 years for newspapers in Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana. I described a typical workday, with a 24-hour news cycle where story ideas are conceived in the morning, and researched, written and published by the end of that night. I also shared stories about covering elections, politics, and breaking news such as a natural-gas explosion, presidential visit, and fatal mauling of a man by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park.
Students got a chance to peruse American newspapers. They talked about the difference between US newspapers and their local newspaper. Stories in American newspapers are longer and more detailed, students commented. Students recognized that people rely on the media to get accurate, unbiased information about everything from construction of a new road in town to decisions being made by Parliament.
After the lecture, students practiced being “reporters for a day,” asking the who, what, when, where, why and how of journalism. Students found a partner and asked them questions to discover what makes them unique. Students asked one another about their talents, their likes and dislikes, and their hopes and dreams. At the end of the inquiries, students stood up and shared with the class what they learned about their partner: Neema is good at singing gospel music. Joshua loves to play soccer. Joyce hopes to become a doctor. Each student found interesting and even perhaps newsworthy qualities to share about their classmate.
For anyone considering a trip to Tanzania and interested in volunteering, TFFT would love for you to speak to our students about your profession or a topic of your choice. Email Kaitlin at Kaitlin@thefoundationfortomorrow.org to find out more.