After teaching journalism and photojournalism for many years at Liberty, former teacher Mrs. Lisa Miller stepped down and took a position at Osbourn High School in Manassas. Following in her footsteps were Ms. Ashley Ayash and Mr. John Sealey, who in turn taught both photojournalism and journalism for two years respectively. Last year, however, Ayash announced her departure from Liberty High School and Sealey decided that he would no longer be teaching journalism, much to the dismay of the many students who cherished them. Taking their place this year is English teacher, Mrs. Tiffany Zimmer, née Davenport, who has been teaching for seven years now and counting. Yet, this is only Mrs. Zimmer’s latest endeavor. Alongside her role as an English teacher at Liberty, she is also one of the club sponsors for the Black Student Union, founder of Project Liberty Well, and teaches multiple ESL classes each year.
After teaching exclusively English classes for quite some time at Liberty, Zimmer decided it was time to take on a new challenge. When the position for journalism and photojournalism teacher opened up, Zimmer knew she had to take advantage of the opportunity immediately.
“I’ve been teaching English classes for years now and while I love those classes, I think I was feeling a little stagnant. So, when the opportunity came along, I felt like this was a chance for me to not only try something new but challenge myself as well and unlock my creative side,” said Zimmer.
Apart from her background as an English teacher, Zimmer also has experience with journalism outside of school which she feels will prepare her for the journey ahead. Zimmer has a part-time job with Virginia-based digital marketing firm, BlueHuki Digital Marketing, which often entails blog writing. On the other hand, photojournalism is an entirely new realm for Zimmer, but she feels that her involvement within the school will prepare her for that as well.
“I’m involved in several clubs and I participate in a range of different activities and events. You need to know what’s going on at school in order to capture those special moments,” said Zimmer.
For her inaugural year as Liberty’s journalism and photojournalism teacher, Zimmer has high expectations for both herself and her students.
“I want to be the best teacher I can be for these classes. I want to create amazing, thought-provoking products that truly capture what this school is all about. I want to make sure I meet my own expectations as well as other people’s expectations,” said Zimmer.
Zimmer considers herself a bit of a perfectionist, thus creating products that she is both proud of and that are engaging to readers is the key focus of her oversight. With the yearbook, this is especially pertinent due to the fact that consumers are spending money on a product that holds value to them and that they have their own expectations for.
While rewarding for Zimmer, undertaking such a task as becoming the journalism and photojournalism teacher while simultaneously teaching English classes is expectedly accompanied by its set of challenges. In journalism and photojournalism, most of the work done by students is carried out independently. This differs from previous classes Zimmer has taught in that more of the work was centered around group efforts and teacher-led activities. Another challenge with incoming journalism students is pushing them out of their comfort zone when it comes to socializing with others and enhancing their writing skills.
“There’s only so many things I can teach. I can teach the fundamentals, but it’s one of those classes where doing the work is where the lessons come from. You try, you make mistakes, fix those mistakes, and move on. It’s been a little hard for me to relinquish control of the class and trust students to do what they’re supposed to,” said Zimmer.
Despite everything, Zimmer maintains a positive outlook for what the future holds and has confidence in students’ abilities to produce quality material that everyone will be proud of.
“I want to inspire and motivate young adults to succeed. With the yearbook, it’s been so rewarding to see the pages that students create come to life. With journalism, it’s been incredible to see students overcome their fears and see the excitement in their faces when their articles are published,” said Zimmer.
Zimmer is not alone in her optimism, as current journalism and photojournalism students share her enthusiasm about the new direction she intends to take with the two classes.
“I really like Mrs. Zimmer’s approach to journalism. I particularly enjoy the way she divides students into teams and how she encourages everyone to explore their full potential,” said senior Diego Blanco.
Even former students of Mrs. Zimmer’s can attest to her effective teaching methods and qualifications for the new role she has decided to take on.
“I had Mrs. Zimmer for English 10. I love her so much. She’s my favorite teacher I’ve ever had. She helped me out so much in that class and I still use the skills she taught me. I think she will be amazing in whatever she does and continue to help her students just like how she helped me,” said senior Stevin Sanchez.
“She was my English teacher freshman year and she helped me discover my passion for English. She would always brighten up the class. We were able to enjoy even the most boring subjects. I think as a journalism and photojournalism teacher she’ll do the same and help other students explore their passions and interests in a meaningful way,” said junior Willow Bacon.
If there is one hope that Zimmer has for her students, it is that they are able to find their voice through these classes and realize that what they have to say through their work holds value and matters.
“I hope that students get a sense of what honest communication and news look like. I hope they gain confidence in their writing and themselves. I hope they get a sense of community – not just within the class, but in the school as a whole. I hope they can improve in their writing and discover what it is that they are passionate about,” said Zimmer.
