Janet Raddish

School: William Jennings Bryan High School
Subject: Journalism Exploration, Newspaper Production, Yearbook Production

After receiving my bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, Journalism and Speech Communication from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1989, I worked as the education reporter for the Bellevue Leader newspaper for six months. In this capacity, I enjoyed meeting new people, writing a variety of stories, taking photographs and developing a variety of reporting skills and experiences I would be able to share with my future students. In the fall of 1990, I joined the Omaha Public Schools faculty to teach journalism classes at Northwest High School. Five years later, I transferred to Bryan High School to teach journalism classes, and I have been at Bryan ever since. In 2001, I received my master's degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. These additional skills have helped me be a better teacher and leader for students in my Journalism Exploration, Newspaper Production and Yearbook Production classes.

Outside of the classroom, I enjoy spending time with my family, including my husband, two sons, two daughters-in-law and five (soon to be six) grandchildren and one dog. We enjoy everything about the outdoors, and we spend much of our time in the summer and on spring and fall weekends traveling and camping. We especially love visiting state and national parks and enjoying the natural beauty and historical legacy of this fabulous country of ours.

What are some of your reflections about using media in education?

Although a few of my students choose to pursue careers in journalism, most of my students will use the communication skills they learn in journalism classes throughout their lives, including in college and in the work place. In addition, I enjoy entering the work of my students in several competitions each year, and I am as pleased as they are when they win recognition from local mass communication or journalism colleges or through the Nebraska School Activities Association sponsored competitions.

What is one thing about the Omaha Science Media Project that you'd share with other teachers?

Working with the Omaha Science Media Project was like having the best of both worlds -- combining my love for media and my interest science together. It was a very enjoyable and rewarding educational experience.