How High School Journalism Failed Me

And how Medium has been a key to my success.

Photo by sean Kong on Unsplash

When I was a junior in high school, I took a journalism class with the naive hopes that I would network with others who shared my passion for writing and photography, hone my young skills in a way that would set me up for more advanced journalism experiences in the future, and learn tricks of the trade…or at least the trade itself.

My most memorable moments of the two years that I was in Journalism were these: In my senior year, I experienced my first blown out tire while driving around town selling ads for the school newspaper. As a junior, my Journalism teacher had a mental breakdown at the front of the class, settled on her stool in an unfortunate, depressing display, shoulders slumping and shaking with sobs as we all looked on in awkward discomfort as some kids that age will do when surprised with real life emotions, empathy just a twinge in the back of our minds.

I’ve always been empathetic, before I even understood what that ability meant. And it is certainly an ability. My husband often whispers, “Its not real” to me as we watch movies and I have tears streaming down my face. I can feel. And being able to feel, to stand…