This is my second term teaching the capstone, which is the editorial side of our weekly newscast, Fresno State Focus. These students produce, write, report, shoot, edit, go live and anchor the news for our community. The show airs live on CMAC, our local PEG channel partners.
Last term (Fall 2020), we had to pull it off from our homes spread across the Central Valley thanks to the pandemic. This class persevered, however. The resilience and enthusiasm of our students makes teaching such a fantastic experience. Through COVID diagnoses, weird work schedules, reporting from a shared kitchen and appearances by pets, kids, spouses and parents, it was a term to remember.
An upside about working from home, other than the ability to wear slippers, is it allowed us to explore some of the stories in communities we might not otherwise have had time and access to. The diversity of life experiences just in our small section of California is a great reminder that everyone has a story. I learned more about San Joaquin, Modesto, Delano and Selma in one semester than I had in two years of living here. Each community is unique, and the stories illustrate how much and how quickly the Central Valley is growing.
As we slowly transition back to in-person classes, I hope we try to keep that mindset of looking beyond Fresno and nearby Clovis for community stories.
This term (Spring 2021), we're back in the studio, albeit masked, socially distanced and with occupancy restrictions. We can't have everyone involved in Focus in the studio at the same time. My colleague Kim Stephens and I are up for the challenge!
Speaking of challenges, I am co-teaching the editorial side (with Kim) while also teaching the Crew side on my own. I suspect I will be getting my steps in on show days! We launch in early March!
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