Today was the day we got our first lengthy lecture from Mr. Miller, about the Elements of Journalism, and I have to say that it absolutely met the standards the older students drew out for me. The class was not only interesting, but he also made the class an interactive environment.

Even though it was our first true lecture, Mr. Miller didn't make us feel like we knew nothing. He made sure to ask questions that we could answer, then bumping up the level of difficulty as we progressed. Using a PowerPoint, the whiteboard, and his own words, we were able to not only decode his message, but internalize it too. This doesn't just make the class interesting though, the message of the Elements of Journalism was interesting in itself.

I think the reason I found the Elements of Journalism so intriguing was the thought, “This is going to help me pursue my dream to become an author.” I was also constantly thinking about what I needed to do to stay attentive, but I never really dwelled on the fact that I was already giving my undivided attention to the lesson at hand. It is very difficult for me to get to that point; further proving my point that the lecture was interesting.

I think my final reason for finding the Elements of Journalism interesting hit me in the middle of class. I will use this for the next four years. I think that’s a big worry when you go into something new, “What if this isn’t for me?” I realized in the middle of the lecture, that this is interesting. That I didn’t make a mistake applying to Manual, all of the Elements made sense and intrigued me.

Overall I feel that after going through the first lecture, I am able to have confidence and my own standards of what I think class will be like in the future. I’m going to now and always be able to explain the Elements of Journalism and why they are important, because of the interesting lecture we had in class.