Atlanta Public Schools (APS) audio, video, technology, and film (AVTF) teachers visited The Atlanta Voice on Monday, February 16, to discuss the business of local journalism, what’s new in the media landscape, and how both institutions can work together to serve future media consumers in Atlanta.
With national newspapers in major American cities cutting staff and gutting entire departments, local newspapers, particularly Black-owned and operated ones, have an opportunity to focus even more on local news. The educators who took part in the discussion work at middle and high schools, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, Young Middle School, BEST Academy, North Atlanta High School, Benjamin E. Mays High School, Maynard Jackson High School, and Midtown High School. The top priority on all of the educators’ lists was reading, and how to continue to get the message across to their students of how important reading is to their lives.
Monday was Presidents’ Day, so school was out, and the educators had the opportunity to gather inside WAREhouse Studios for a two-hour learning day. The discussion touched on how to expose the city of Atlanta, its landmarks, historic neighborhoods, and its Civil Rights legacy to students.
“As a group, you learn more when you get together with your colleagues,” one teacher said about the small gathering at WAREhouse Studios. “So the only time for things like this is when you have a career week or learning day.”
An educator from Maynard Jackson High School answered a question about whether her students are familiar with the legacy left by Maynard Jackson, the first Black mayor of Atlanta and the school’s namesake. The educator wasn’t sure if the students truly understood Jackson’s place in Atlanta’s history.
Social media’s influence and current standing as a news source for students were another concern addressed during the conversation. Educators said students’ short attention spans have also negatively affected reading and writing assignments.
Some solutions that came out of the discussion were getting students in front of The Atlanta Voice journalists for meet-and-greets to give them examples of how journalists look and sound. Another suggestion was to create an internship opportunity where students can shadow reporters on assignments to see how the job is done.
At Mays High School, the AVTF students have been assigned to write stories about a recent “ICE out” protest that area students conducted across multiple campuses in the city.
“It’s just good to see what people are doing and what’s going on out there,” one teacher said.
Editor’s Note: The names of the educators were left out of the story for complete anonymity.