Responses
Sarah, 9/5/2005, 11:19:07 AM
Try to schedule a meeting with him when you can sit down and talk. A scheduled meeting will help him realize that this is very important to you and should eliminate a possibility that he is not paying attention and doing other work. Go in and calmly explain what you are feeling. You should also go in with some propsed solutions. How do you want him involved? Do you want a bigger staff? Can you have other staff members help you with layout? Do you think you need to cut down the size of the paper until things are running more smoorthly? Maybe even skip putting out one issue and use it as training time for the staff. Examine these ideas, and brainstorm with a trusted staff member or two to come up with more. Decide what solutions would work for you, and discuss these possibilities with him.
rs, 9/5/2005, 1:13:48 PM
I'm sorry to hear that! I'm an advisor who is very hands-on, and while my students like that they also like the freedom they have when I back off. My advice to you is to take control (as much as you're allowed) and become the adivor yourself. After sharing how you feel with your advisor, and asking in a polite way for help, turn to other teachers you know and trust. Definitely contact your local paper and see if someone there would like to help. There are a lot of young journalists who would love to dig in and guide you. There's always the internet, for advice, too. If you have questions, feel free to email: rsmith@ursuline.org
Good luck!
Meg, 9/5/2005, 6:13:53 PM
Sorry to hear that as well. I am very lucky to have a wonderful advisor. She is hands-on but gives us final choice of everything. All I can say is to ask another teacher who may help you or try to explain your situation to the staff and hope you all can band together and make everything work. Make sure the advisor knows your feelings and try to relax, don't stress too much or you will end up more frustrated.
Coni C.Grebel, 9/7/2005, 8:17:13 AM
I'm sorry you've found yourself in this position, but it's time now to look for the positive side of this. Legally, you have more protection than the adviser does, so use this as a time for you and your staff to make your voices public concerning whatever the crowds at your school are talking about. Meanwhile, seek the advice of a local daily newspaper. Walk into the publisher or editor's office and let them know that you need help. Contact the ASNE staff (COnnie SoutharD) and let them speak for you, too. See if there is a state organization for student press in your area and contact that office. While it would certainly be preferable to have an adviser willing to work with you, you can find help elsewhere. Your own English teacher might also be someone willing to help you our.
James, 9/8/2005, 10:11:45 PM
Personally, I enjoy it when my advisor isn't being very "hands-on." In fact, the more space that he gives us, the better the paper is. My suggestion is simple: The Newspaper Design Handbook. This book has helped me immensely and I strongly suggest it for any design/layout questions that you may have.
sp, 9/24/2005, 4:18:44 PM
Our advisor isn't very hands-on either, but none of our editors mind. I think there's a difference between being hands-off and not caring about the publication. Our advisor stresses that it's a student-run publication, however he isn't hands-off to the point of completely ignoring things. This is my third year on staff and now that I'm an editor I'm seeing more and more just how student-run it is. We need our advisor for some things but others we do on our own, under our own direction.
me, 11/4/2005, 10:52:20 PM
I completely know how you feel. My adviser is one of the nicest people I know, but she is almost too nice. In class she expects me to make sure that people are working and basically be the disciplinarian. She threatens various punishments, but rarely follows through. As a result, my staff has figured out that they can basically get away with being lazy and just getting by. It is extremely frustrating, but I don't really have an answer to your dilemma other than to just tell him straight up what is going on. Good luck!
mg, 11/6/2005, 7:58:53 PM
well, i think sometimes it's a gift to have a lazy adviser. for me, the alternative is to have an adviser who does things without the knowledge of the editorial board and pushes for changes that neither the editors nor the staff like. my staff is possibly one of the laziest I will encounter, but it doesnt keep us from churning out a quality publication. I think a student-driven paper is far more effective than an adviser driven one, so I think it's up to you to motivate your staff. good luck ;)
Ruairi Fox, 11/7/2005, 11:21:39 PM
My newspaper avoids the laziness isuue. Our newspaper offers no credit for school, so our staff of 32 are all volunteers who want to be ther and want to write for the paper.
Viv, 12/15/2005, 9:03:15 AM
As an adviser, I feel ashamed on behalf of your adviser. He is abdicating his job. Everyone else has posted excellent suggestions, but there is one other route I'd like to offer, to try an "in house" improvement. In a meeting with your adviser (and after having conducted some research -- the Student Press Law Center website is very helpful), let him know that he has an ethical AND LEGAL responsibility to take his job as adviser seriously. Advisers are there to supervise and oversee the process, and -- let's be honest -- make sure that students do not overstep legal boundaries. (The unfortunate inroads of Hazelwood.) Let him know that a hands-off approach is good for student publications, but if he continues to remain completely uninformed about what his students are producing, it could come back to hurt him in the form of a lawsuit against the paper (and himself, by extension). It is the adviser's role to maintain a working knowledge of student journalism law and legal implications of student actions. Show him the Hazelwood ruling, remind him that he reports to the principal, and help him realize he could be putting himself in a tenuous legal position in the future. If you really want to get him motivated, inform the principal about his lack of involvement and potential legal ramifications (but only as a last resort -- this might get the principal TOO involved in the newspaper's business). Suggest to your adviser that if he is uncomfortable with the legal responsibility inherent in a newspaper adviser position, he may want to consider leaving the job to someone else. (It also doesn't hurt to "court" an English teacher and convince him/her to be the adviser the next year.) I hope this gives you some food for thought.
unknown, 1/23/2006, 1:46:07 PM
sorry to hear about the past. i bet your staff this year is better
