Editor-in-chief was not my original title. My adviser sat me down on my living room couch to tell me the EIC quit two weeks before school – my adviser happens to also be my dad. As the assistant editor, I needed to step up. We spent the last two weeks of summer on our MacBooks…

I consider myself more of a writer than a photographer, but what I really am is a storyteller. So it makes sense that I tell all my kids – writers, designers, editors and especially photographers – they are storytellers. For photographers, this sometimes generates a blank look. Do you wonder how to get your kids…

Coast to coast, yearbook advisers work tirelessly to forge relationships with their staff, teach journalistic skills, and model effective communication, time management and conflict resolution. All of these things are essential to produce a book on schedule for their school communities. If you want to foster and grow the successes of a journalism program, encourage…

Even talented students are still kids, which means all advisers face shared common issues each year. Repetition and practice are key to overcoming these issues. In-class activities and lessons offer a safe space for practice, creativity and mistakes. Here are 10 common challenges your staff might face and how to get your students to master…

According to George Land’s study of creativity, “young children are creative geniuses and become less creative as they age.” That’s great news for those of us who advise middle school yearbook programs. With one foot still firmly rooted in childhood and the other just stepping into the adult world, our middle school students might be…

After spending 20 years as a high school sports news writer, I entered teaching with the expectation that students would love writing all kinds of stories, including sports. After all, sports is where the emotions are – the intense thrill after winning, the tears that flow after losing, the work that’s put into the sport…

There’s nothing quite like the beginning of a new school year. The clean classroom, the eager crop of new students and – if you’re lucky – new equipment. If you have the means to stock your classroom or you have a little bit extra in the budget, here are some items that could make you…

From Clippy the Microsoft paper clip to Grammarly to Photoshop, you have probably used artificial intelligence more than you know. Your Netflix queue, online shopping recommendations and Siri all rely on AI. Though it concerns some industry professionals, the reality is we have been using AI for years without realizing it. The adoption of AI…

The newest Idea File, our magazine dedicated to all things yearbook, just dropped on our website and maybe even in your mailbox. If you have not seen it yet, you will want to grab your copy now. Along with some of our standing favorite columns, like the Caught Our Eye gallery, Ask Mike and How…