A collaboration with the Westfield High School Journalism Program
Why Every Student Should
Take a Journalism Course
Once students reach the high school level, there is a plethora of elective options available. There are history electives, such as psychology and AP government, there are art electives, such as ceramics and AP art, there are food electives, such as modern foods, and many more. It can be extremely hard to decide which electives to take and it’s impossible to take all of them.
The journalism elective that is offered at Westfield High School (WHS) is an interesting and well-rounded course. It teaches students different life skills, whether or not a student is truly interested in journalism as a career path. I believe that a beginning level journalism class should be a requirement for any high school student.
In this type of class, students learn valuable life skills. Because journalists have to know how to talk to their interviewees, students learn communication skills that will serve them well in life. Students learn how to conduct an interview, how to read other people’s social cues and how to work well with others. They learn how to word and field questions for others, how to make others feel comfortable and other social skills that will serve students well when getting interviewed for a job and communicating in a professional way.
In addition, students learn how to professionally communicate digitally. In the real world, email is a primary means of communication in many different careers. This course teaches students how to properly communicate over email. This includes correctly using subject lines, having a professional introduction, being clear about the subject and signing your name, which are all essential parts of a professional email. Being able to effectively communicate through email are social skills that can only be learned in a journalism-like course.
While writing may not be everyone’s cup of tea, taking a journalism class gives an introduction into journalistic writing, which provides valuable writing skills that can be utilized in other areas. Much of this writing consists of short sentences that provide factual information, which is a style of writing that will become useful to understand when going into college and the real world.
Journalism also teaches students how to manage their time and handle deadlines. In our course at WHS, deadlines are assigned and students have a few days to a few weeks to complete. Students can use class time however they please, as long as they meet the deadline. While this may seem chaotic, it teaches students how to manage their time and get their work done. It also teaches students the consequences of their own actions if they miss a deadline. Deadlines will always exist in any career and journalism courses teach students how to handle them.
Journalism classes teach students valuable skills needed in the real world. While journalism may not be of interest to you, consider taking it for the connections you’ll make, the skills you’ll learn, and the fun you’ll have.
