Breaking through education’s virtual glass ceiling
HOW ONE CANADIAN WOMAN HAS TURNED HER LOVE FOR ENGLISH INTO A SUCCESSFUL EDITING CAREER.
By SAMANTHA HINDT | Web Editor
In the world of education, coming up with new and relevant ideas for teaching may seem like an impossible task. Yet at TEACH Magazine, every month the staff publishes interesting and updated designs and methods for teachers to utilize in their classrooms. Lisa Tran, assistant editor, is one of those people who is changing the face of education publishing. With only 6 years of experience under her belt, Tran isn’t the most seasoned editor around the block. But what she doesn’t have in experience she makes up for with passion, knowledge, and a deep interest in promoting education through print. Adapting to the new age of journalism, Tran shares the story of her rise into editing and how she has been a part of the movement to bring writing and education into the 21st century.
How did you get to your editing position?
I actually have a very unique story. In my last year at university, in the last month, I didn’t know what occupation I wanted to pursue. I was an English major who was interested in writing but I didn’t have a career in mind. I read a book by Milton and this prompted me to decide to work in editing. After graduating with an English degree, I enrolled in a writing and editing program where I decided to pursue editing. Coming out of that program I knew I wanted to go into an internship with a trade magazine. I got an internship with TEACH Magazine and have stayed with them for the past 6 years. One thing that has kept me at TEACH is I like how it has adapted itself to changes within the field of teaching and the field of print.
What does a day in the life look for you personally?
In my typical day, I work with a lot of different writers. My main job is to read through submissions. A big focus for editors is making sure that the writers understand what is going on in their writing as it related to the paper. I am also in charge of social media. This involves working with people who advertise with the paper. Also lots of administration work such as reaching out to the people who subscribe to the paper and making sure people are getting their subscriptions. Editing and writing has even changed since I was in school. Today’s paper is much more online and this has significantly changed what my job look like. I used to do a lot more writing but now I am more focused on building up the paper and developing themes for future issues and projects.
Who was a mentor and how have they impacted you?
My mentor, Chantel Guertin, was a teacher who was a part of my publishing program. I was lucky to be in this publishing program because its teachers not only taught about the industry but was also working in it outside of the classroom. She was a writer and publisher at the time that she was teaching. Chantel really inspired me because of how she had become an expert in her field. She was a resource for wisdom and questions. Become of her depth and width in the field, she later became one of the program coordinators. Chantel continues to inspire me in the way that she is so engaged with her followers. She is involved in everything: publishing and media. She has adapted herself to the changing medium of print. She has branched out to create beauty videos along with her print. She also engages with the public which has led to her success. Following and knowing your audience is how you stay current with all that is happening in the journalism world.
What is the best part and what is the worst part of being an editor?
The best part of my job is reading and publishing articles from teachers. They are the readers so it’s great to hear from the actual teachers because they are the best sources from the classroom. They describe how it is in the real world. The worst part of my job is getting article submissions that don’t fit criteria for our paper. An example of this is when people submit research papers which don’t work with the type of paper and demographic. We never tell people their writing is bad but they have to understand that we print articles and editorials. People try to submit lengthy research papers which is not what our magazine is about. We try to print stories that people can use in their classrooms. People get offended by the rejection because they don’t understand what the paper is about and it is really hard to have to tell them no.
What is a personal editing success story?
The best success occurs when you give advice and writers take it immediately and submit something that you ask for. Everyone needs an editor, even an editor to make sure their work is proof read.
“As an intern, you may not know everything but you should be ready to learn.”
What would you recommend someone to do in order to get an internship and what would you look for in an intern?
When looking at applicants, we are usually watching for somebody who is genuinely interested in publishing. All aspects of publishing and has changed as media had evolved. Our company is small so interns do a lot. They have to dive into all aspects of publishing. Lots of energy is needed. A question that we ask people who apply for internships is “what are your favorite books or interests?” We want to see where their interests lie. As an intern, you may not know everything but you should be ready to learn. A tip for intern’s interested in our paper is to enjoy reading and writing and know a little bit about social media such as twitter. Some other advice is to make sure that you research your magazine before you apply. Know their personality and demographic. Internships are great because they are a learning opportunity.
How did your English background help you in editing?
I spent four years analyzing and critically reading literature at University. This helps me when reviewing and editing submissions. What I do on a day-to-day basis comes from the post-graduate book and magazine publishing program that I attended. It wasn’t a master’s program but a practical learning program about sales and marketing, copyright laws, how to design book, learn different bindings for books, design, and learn how to write for magazines. It was this course in learning how to edit for both for magazine and book publishing that has helped me succeed greatest in my editing career.
“…we can create our own mandates.”
How do you, as an Editor, connect with what is going on in the Education world?
We always keep on top of the news and education. To do this we read education blogs and articles and also follow social media. Teachers love twitter and sharing articles. To find interesting stories, we will often see what’s trending and look to create articles that go along with what is important to teachers in current time. One great thing about being a trade paper is that we can create our own mandates. We are not tied to a union. This allows us freedom to think about what teachers are doing day-to-day and find articles that would interest them. Issues around teaching haven’t changed that much so we just approach them from different angles.
“There are many people who believe that kids need to learn programing in schools.”
What are some changes/developments that the paper has been covering?
Coding for kids is a big development that TEACH has covered. The reason why coding is growing is because everything in today’s world has to do with computers: there is always an online component. Coding is different than normal information because of how people want it to be incorporated into schools. There are many people who believe that kids need to learn programing in schools. This is so kids can learn practical skills with cognitive skills and graduate from the public system with skills that can be directly translated into understanding in a technology dependent world. An example of this is going on in England where coding is being introduced to kids in kindergarten. They believe that by mastering the basics of coding in grade school will lead to having jobs later. Coding is a new industry and if you are not learning basics from a young age then jobs will not be filled. Topics such as this are ones that our paper has covered and is continuing to cover as they are still very new ideas in the teaching world.
Lisa Tran, along with the staff at TEACH Magazine, are in a unique situation for editing and publishing because their publications are distinctive and specific to the education community. What allows this team to publish great and exclusive content is due to their extensive knowledge and understanding of their readers. Not tied down by unions or large corporations, TEACH Magazine provides information that stimulates its readers both outside and inside of the classroom. With a focus on presenting the newest in Education literature and ideas, Tran, knows what she wants to accomplish for the classroom and have revolutionized the presentation of information in a fun and exciting way for kids to learn. In order to do this she has to stay on top of what teachers would like for their classrooms. General publications don’t have this advantage because they don’t know much about the readers. This makes their information general. By knowing their readers, Tran and TEACH Magazine have an advantage to produce passionate and relevant content.
From what I took away from Lisa and her editing experience is that finding a niche and a passion is most important if you want to make a difference. Lisa is very passionate about her job and the content that they are producing at TEACH Magazine. This can be seen in her writing, her commentary, and in her passion for the different projects that the team and magazine have been working on over the past few years. Lisa really knows the heart and the soul of the magazine and she has taken the core thoughts of the mission statement and applied them to her own work. I really enjoyed talking to Lisa about her work because of how much passion she has not only for the content but also for the effects that they have on the teachers, classroom, and the students. She is dedicated to producing modern, technologically advanced, and kid friendly content that promotes the education of the 21st century student. There was a lot of information what I took away from this interview that has inspired me in my own career. Whether it be journalism or teaching, I now have a better understanding of what it means to be passionate and literate for my job.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
