With experience comes knowledge. There are plenty of things we all wish we’d known sooner: how to cook, how to change a flat tire, not to get that haircut (that is now documented in your high school yearbook). That sentiment holds true for yearbook advisers, too. Mary Inglis and Janelle Schultz, CJE, have more than 47 years of yearbook experience
In a yearbook utopia, the new teacher would have a journalism degree, take photos like a pro, be able to manage a group of teenagers with aplomb and truly understand the importance of deadlines in the production of any publication. In reality, though, the yearbook adviser many times has little or no publishing experience and only lasts an average of two years. Following these tips can lead to happier advisers who stick with the job.
That first deadline can be one of the most intimidating parts of an adviser’s first year. Follow this advice, including words of wisdom from a few experienced advisers, to successfully meet it. Make it a priority Take deadlines seriously – especially this first one. Start planning right away, if you have not already begun. Talk to your rep about exactly
New advisers will pour into Kansas City from all over the country next month, anxious about their first year leading the yearbook and looking for guidance. Many practical skills are taught at Adviser Academy, but that’s not the only reason to attend. Numerous benefits are more difficult to put your finger on, but that doesn’t make them any less valuable.
If you’ve never done it before, distribution day can be stressful – but it doesn’t have to be. With all the hard work put into the yearbook, you don’t want anything to go wrong the first time the student population gets a look. If you take anything away from this post, let it be this: PLAN AHEAD. Preparation is the
This is part two of our series with Brianna Kleinschmidt. For ways administrators can support new advisers, read part one here. Brianna Kleinschmidt took an unusual path to her current position. She’s the principal of Benicia High School in Benicia, California. Before that, she was a vice principal. But before that, she was an English teacher and yearbook adviser at
Principal Brianna Kleinschmidt offers advice to administrators on how they can support their yearbook advisers. If you’re a first-year adviser, check out Kleinschmidt’s advice to you here. It was a quick rise to the top for Brianna Kleinschmidt. She moved from yearbook adviser to principal in just a few years. “I definitely didn’t set out or plan it that way,” she said.
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