In high school, I always felt I would have been more prepared for college and in turn, more prepared for the real world if I had access to more young professionals who could tell me what they did and answer my questions. As a result, this is exactly what Morgan Harris and I have done with our Young Professional Workshops that we run on Thursday evenings at school. Morgan brought in his friend Jamie Goodin, Web Communications Specialist at Washington and Lee, and this past week, I brought in my friend Field Yates, who writes for ESPN Boston about the Patriots.
Field spoke with interested students about his road into sports journalism, beginning with his own time in high school at Belmont Hill. A beat writer for the Patriots, Field harked on the importance of social media in his ascent to meaningful employment. A little over a year ago I invited Field to speak to my US History class about the importance of writing. I figured an athletic-focused, boys school might respond better to the value of strong writing from someone who makes a living writing about the NFL. He did a wonderful job. Students renewed their focus on their education, particularly their writing skills, and saw a viable career path laid out before them.
At the time he first spoke via Skype, Field was unemployed, managing his own Tumblr and building his own Twitter feed. A year later, he was sitting in his office at ESPN Boston. One of the greatest things about this path is that students feasibly could begin this exact career path today, and it’s free! The power of social media is often underrated in education and I love teaching it with any chance I get. To prove this point, I have told Field’s story before, but having him virtually present telling his own story and taking questions was even better. Students asked a range of questions from his college major and previous writing skills, to his favorite moments at Gillette Stadium this year. This videoconference was a slam dunk on each question, as his words clearly impacted the students present. And, his humor allowed students to learn and laugh at the same time. After all, what high-school aged boy doesn’t want to hear stories about Vince Wilfork’s locker room demeanor, and doesn’t dream of spending five days a week at Gillette stadium?
Field spoke with interested students about his road into sports journalism, beginning with his own time in high school at Belmont Hill. A beat writer for the Patriots, Field harked on the importance of social media in his ascent to meaningful employment. A little over a year ago I invited Field to speak to my US History class about the importance of writing. I figured an athletic-focused, boys school might respond better to the value of strong writing from someone who makes a living writing about the NFL. He did a wonderful job. Students renewed their focus on their education, particularly their writing skills, and saw a viable career path laid out before them.
At the time he first spoke via Skype, Field was unemployed, managing his own Tumblr and building his own Twitter feed. A year later, he was sitting in his office at ESPN Boston. One of the greatest things about this path is that students feasibly could begin this exact career path today, and it’s free! The power of social media is often underrated in education and I love teaching it with any chance I get. To prove this point, I have told Field’s story before, but having him virtually present telling his own story and taking questions was even better. Students asked a range of questions from his college major and previous writing skills, to his favorite moments at Gillette Stadium this year. This videoconference was a slam dunk on each question, as his words clearly impacted the students present. And, his humor allowed students to learn and laugh at the same time. After all, what high-school aged boy doesn’t want to hear stories about Vince Wilfork’s locker room demeanor, and doesn’t dream of spending five days a week at Gillette stadium?
