BY DIANA HADLEY
Mooresville High School

Advisers who are trying to decide whether to attend the advisers workshop at Franklin this summer should probably use the following formula:

Take the number of students you teach or advise + the number of faculty members, administrators and support staff in your school + the number of deadlines your staff made this year + the number of deadlines your staff missed this year + the number of parent phone calls you received+ the number Tylenol you took during school hours.

If the total is more than 100, an IHSPA adviser workshop is for you.

Of course, the deck is stacked. Even though the stress that accompanies the end of the year (who are we kidding here--the entire year) makes it hard to sign up for something professional during days that actually could be free time, these experiences provide information, energy, fun, and encouragement with people just like you—the overworked and unappreciated.

I still remember how overwhelmed I was my first year as an English teacher who had inherited a journalism class and the school newspaper. When June arrived, my number one priority was to take a few weeks to do anything that didn’t relate to school. Fortunately, during a wave of common sense, I signed up for a adviser class that I thought might help me teach and advise the next year— and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. By the end of the class I had ideas, more confidence, and new professional colleagues/friends who have been a source of joy and support throughout my career.

Although my role at this summer’s workshop would be leader, I look forward to the experience as another opportunity to share common frustrations and successes.

Workshop topics will include “old favorites” such as: staff management, coverage, content, assessment, rubrics for journalism, and law/ethics. However, flexibility will be built in to the schedule to include the participants’ specific requests or areas of concerns.

Anyone who has specific questions about the workshop should feel welcome to share them with the IHSPA adviser workshop staff.

In the meantime, keep tabulating those points so we can get together in June.

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