The writer (left) with Jaclyn Chavez. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
Campus journalism has a very special place in Jaclyn Cecille V. Chavez’s heart.
A campus journalist at the Basak Elementary School and Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School, Chavez landed a government job and completed 18 units for the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET).
Today, Chavez is a teacher at Tabok National High School and is one of the coaches of the school paper, The Rattan.
“In college, I wanted to enroll in a course close to journalism because I was sure that I wanted to become a journalist,” said Chavez, who finished her mass communication degree at the University of the Philippines Cebu College.
Chavez joined other coaches and more than 300 students from 22 schools in Mandaue City for the Siloy Campus Journalism Workshop organized by Cebu Daily News.
The event was sponsored by J Centre Mall, McDonalds, ClintKAMMS and J Centre Convention Hall.
This year marks Chavez’s first time as a coach on photojournalism and feature writing though she has been teaching for three years.
Among the challenges that she and other coaches face in helping students become better campus journalists is the inadequate reading materials in the school’s library.
“I observed that good readers are better writers. But we lack books, periodicals and other pertinent publications in library. We are looking for partners who can donate reading materials in our school,” Chavez said.
Another challenge is time management as she noted that teachers are not paid for the extra hours they spend as coaches or advisers.
Since the school lacks classrooms, she has to hold classes from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Chavez, who is on the second trimester of her pregnancy with her first child, cannot go home yet because extra-curricular activities can only be done after school hours.
“A teacher is faced with many academic demands. You could not imagine how many forms we need to accomplish. So when a teacher becomes a coach or an adviser, that really means sacrificing time away from family or personal activities in order to help mold a child,” she said.
Leandro Valiente, a grade 10 student of Don Gerardo Llamera Ouano Memorial National High School in Barangay Opao, said campus journalists contribute to literacy development because they inform people about issues and stories that they don’t know.
In yesterday’s session, Valiente said he learned to look at issues from the perspective of other people.
“Writing is a form of serving others, so you need to devote time to interview people and listen to them,” said 16-year-old Valiente, who hopes take mass communication or education in college.
Ten-year-old John Niño Sarming said budding campus journalists like him need to be trained by practicing journalists who know what’s happening in the field.
Sarming wants to be an accountant in the future, but he wants to continue writing stories and letters like his favorite hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. “He assumed many roles, but he never forgot to write. He is a very good writer, and he used his power of words to be of service to the Philippines,” said Sarming, a grade five student.
Chavez said campus journalists these days are blessed because they get to attend workshops and listen to lectures by practicing journalists, which can help them hone their reporting skills.
To train a campus journalist means devoting time every week to focus on a child so progress can be monitored, she said.
As a neophyte coach, Chavez said her goal is to not only produce winners in the annual writing competition.
She said she also wants to help develop citizens who can make critical and informed choices and opinions because they read the news and analyze the stories they read.