What did I think of an article two of the students had written about a reading program in which they mentored younger students?
They projected the story on a screen so the whole class could read it and we went over it line by line. That’s what I call editing under pressure! But the story was basically well done, and I made only a few suggestions for improvement.
And they had other questions.
What does an editor do exactly?
How do writers get published?
What tips do you have for improving writing through editing/revising?
But this was no one-way street. I came with questions for this industrious group of 8-year-old students, too.
How many people read The Press?
How old is the newspaper?
What is the speed of our printing press?
Where can you find Press content online?
When one of them gave me the correct answer, I gave him or her a colorful pencil.
I was out of pencils in no time. This was a smart bunch.
My visit was the result of an e-mailed invitation from Audrey, a member of the class who was creating her own newspaper. She and a fellow student met me at the school’s front office and escorted me to their classroom.
It made sense to them, if they were getting into newspapering, to seek advice from someone already in that field. But what would you expect from the students being taught by the East Grand Rapids school district’s Teacher Of The Year, Mark Pullen?
Let me share with you some of the answers we exchanged that day.
Q. What does an editor do exactly?
A. There are several kinds of editors in our newsroom. A copy desk editor works to make an article better. If there is a question a reader would have in a story, a copy editor tries to get it answered before the story is published. Similarly, a photo editor works with photographers to make their pictures better in ways that help tell a good visual story. The editor of the entire newspaper leads the newsroom and oversees its newsgathering and page production operation. But one editor cannot keep track of every story, every photo, every headline, etc., so I have lots of help from a fine team of editors.
Q. What tips do you have for improving writing through editing/revising?
A. Don’t be afraid of criticism. By that, I mean listen to how others interpret what you’ve written. You may be trying to say one thing, but come across as saying something else. In my experience, the best writers are avid readers who learn about writing by observing how others do it well. Being curious about a wide variety of subjects leads to better writing because you ask questions and find out why things are the way they are.
Q How many people read The Press?
A. A lot. More than 400,000 adults in Kent and Ottawa counties read this newspaper each week (that’s nearly 65 percent of the total), according to Scarborough Research. If you add in online readership of Press content at Mlive.com/grandrapids, the number gets close to 500,000 (that’s 75 percent).
Q How old is The Grand Rapids Press?
A. We are in our 118th year and planning on many more years of bringing essential information to our readers.
Q What is the speed of your printing press?
A. When things are really humming, we hit 70,000 copies of the paper per hour coming off the press at the printing and packaging facility in Walker.
It was clear to me the third-graders in this classroom at Lakeside Elementary had a basic understanding of what makes newspapers tick: Asking and answering the important questions facing a community.
I feel confident if Audrey or any other of her classmates pursue a career in journalism, their future audiences will be well served.
Contact Press Editor Paul M. Keep via e-mail at: firstname.lastname@example.org or by phone at 616-222-5508.