Diary of a guest editor
7 Nov 2007
So what’s it like being the editor of a national magazine? Julie Wilson found out as she joined the ChildEd PLUS team
Julie plans her issue with the ChildEd PLUS team
What was the last thing you learned that was completely new? As educators we focus a lot on making learning exciting and relevant for children. We help them to get the most out of their experiences and encourage them to develop new skills. Alongside that, we are always looking to increase our own knowledge and understanding, and make the most of opportunities to extend our expertise in the classroom. A headteacher friend of mine once commented that he thought the best teachers were really those who were great learners: intrinsically courageous and curious and therefore always ready to embark on a new adventure.
So you want to be a magazine editor…
Applying to be guest editor has been an experience of new learning for me. I have been a Scholastic subscriber for more than 25 years; first when I trained in England as a teacher, then in Canada and now in Scotland. I’ve always been curious about the people behind the publication, but until recently have been content simply to enjoy what is presented on its shiny pages from afar (and use all the wonderful resources in my classrooms of course!).
Being invited to be guest editor was such a surprise. My application had been submitted very late one night, when I was online downloading some resources from the Scholastic site. I was curious about what would happen if I clicked the ‘Guest Editor’ button. I think I rambled on a bit about ‘getting the Scottish perspective’ and ‘schools as people-friendly places’. When Mike, the editor, called me to say that I had been chosen, I was pretty dumbstruck.
Arriving at Scholastic HQ
Leamington Spa had been flooded that weekend. Nevertheless, arriving at Scholastic HQ on that Monday morning in July was a lovely welcoming experience. Hot coffee, delicious pastries, happy smiles and my nameplate waiting for me on the boardroom table, all spoke of the care that had been taken in preparation for my arrival. It was an eventful day ahead, but no one was ever too busy to stop and answer a question or take time to put us at our ease.
Magazines Publishing Director, Helen Freeman, captured the caring spirit of the magazines beautifully when she said, ‘In everything we do, we want to help teachers to be the best they can be.’ That care for teachers is evident in the way that the magazine content is crafted in order to be accurate, relevant and inspiring. But it is also through a wonderfully considerate process of gaining direct feedback from schools on important educational issues and then changing the magazine’s approaches accordingly.
A whirlwind tour
It was really exciting to learn about the different stages of the production process, and after a broad overview (punctuated by more coffee and naughty nibbles) we were treated to a whirlwind tour of the magazine department. Again, what struck me most when meeting the teams of editors and designers, was the care with which they go about their work. Like the best classrooms, there is an atmosphere of calmness and confidence, as well as playful camaraderie and obvious enjoyment in their tasks. And then another lovely surprise – walking into lunch to be greeted by all the magazine teams, toasting us with champagne and wishing us well in our adventure as editors.
The afternoon was spent hearing from other staff responsible for magazine promotion, advertising, designing and printing. The whole process really is quite ingenious and was most beautifully demonstrated. After work, it was time to relax together over a lovely meal, where we got to hear some very funny stories about the merry world of publishing.
Working together creatively was a very positive and rewarding experience
Down to business
Day two dawned and we were down to the hard work of creating a flatplan (see how easy it is to pick up new jargon!). I had been nervous about this bit but planning the issue was a blast! Mike, Charlotte (Deputy Editor) and Sarah (Assistant Editor) made things really easy and fun. They were accepting of even quite wild ideas, and working together creatively was a very positive and rewarding team experience. We identified possible contributors both for the magazine and for the online materials, setting deadlines as we went.
A last few words (and a very funny PowerPoint presentation) from Helen, many thanks and some lovely gifts, and we were off home. I left the offices feeling energised and eager to see some of the pages coming together. I also had high hopes for putting my new learning into practice as I was planning to give my new class the challenge of creating their own magazine back at school.
Look out for details of how to become Guest editor for ChildEd PLUS 2008!
Putting the issue to bed
A busy first term saw those children producing their own Megabooks Magazine, full of book reviews and reading news. What an achievement to take pride in!
During the October break, I nipped back to Leamington to find out how things were coming together on my issue. Seeing ideas translated into pages of text and beautiful images was really quite amazing. Everything was being double-checked, with final touches being placed, photos being taken and last comments being added. I can’t wait to see the final result. I left having experienced afresh, the wonder of new learning and also feeling thankful for having gained insight into the world of magazine production as a considerate, careful and caring process.
