Steve Douglas: Superstar Teacher Spotlight
The Student Media Collective meets many teachers when helping students across the US. The teachers who educate, inspire, and push students to reach for the stars make a lasting impact on students’ lives. We’re excited to announce our new series, the Superstar Spotlight, a place to learn from teachers who make a difference.
From current student success stories, to the network of alumni who give back to the program, it is clear that Steve Douglas is a Superstar teacher. Here is what he had to say in an interview conducted by our Young Ambassador Emery Eckman:
After reviewing the incredible track record of Steve Douglas’s teaching career, I was eager to learn more about what it takes to foster a community within a high school class, and Steve had some great answers. From advice on where to look for funding and opportunities for students, to the power of failing in the classroom, Steve offered insight on how he runs such a successful media curriculum in an ever-evolving industry.
Getting to Know Steve Douglas
Q: Where are you located, and what is your current job?
“I teach at Lake Forest High School on the North Shore of Chicago, and I teach New Media. I’m also the Career Pathways Department Chair (Business, Applied Tech, and New Media), where I lead a group of great teachers and create Experiential Learning opportunities for our students across 14 different Career Pathway Endorsement areas.”
Q: What inspires you to go above and beyond with your classes?
“I had a couple great mentors in High School, they went above and beyond in what they did in their classrooms, and I saw how big of an impact teaching can really be in my life and my friends. I never thought I would ever become a teacher, but after finding my dream job at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, which was really just creating content for sports gambling, I wanted to do something more meaningful with my life. I started designing the video storytelling class that I would want to take… and then I was given the opportunity to do it for real at Lake Forest back in 2005.”
Q: What has surprised you the most when working with your students?
“Nothing really surprises me anymore, since I’ve been doing it for over twenty years and I’ve learned a lot and learned to expect the unexpected, but I don’t think that is what you’re asking about! I’ve been really impressed with a few students who naturally understand the video storytelling process innately. I’m pleasantly surprised when students truly put the work in to make something they are really proud of, including rounds of feedback and additional work. I’ve seen that happen in short form contests, like the All American Complete Experience and our 7 day challenges.”
The Power of Failing
Q: Your course description mentions “students learn by ‘failing quickly.’” What benefits do you see from students failing?
“I’m so glad you found that in your research… Yes, I think it’s essential for students to push beyond their fear of perfection or failure to truly become free to pursue a great idea, capture something visually meaningful, or to learn challenging editing software. Being willing to “ask a dumb question” or to share their work for constructive feedback is essential, and if you’re afraid to fail in that process, then you will be limited in your ability to gain so much from those formative experiences.”
Q: How do you create an environment where students are comfortable failing and experimenting when grades are on the line?
“I try to model that in class by admitting when I’m wrong, sharing my wonderings as well as sharing my own professional work for my students to share their constructive feedback for me on a draft or a finished piece. I also have Advanced students who volunteer to be servant leaders in my class, and we call them TAs. In the first few days of class, they set the tone. I have them describe the class before I even get into the syllabus- what it’s all about, and then answer questions before I add context, as needed. I then assign the 1st Semester students TAs for each project, and rotate them, but they sit next to each other throughout the process so they can ask questions without feeling dumb. This way the TAs get to learn even more too, especially when they don’t know the answer, they can ask other TAs or me, and then we all get to learn together. Community building is essential to creating a unique space and place in the school where students can really push themselves and their creative ideas.”
Giving Back
Q: What is your proudest accomplishment when it comes to creating opportunities for your students?
“It’s when our alumni give back to the current community. When we go out to LA and we have 20+ alums who get us on set, into a classroom at USC or take the time to hear the current student’s stories and their questions over dinner. It just makes me smile to see everything come full circle. The alums so appreciated the older alums investing in them through feedback on their work, hosting them at film school or jumping on a Zoom for our Media Literacy Fridays, where we take a break from our projects and engage in the broader scope of how media is changing the world.”
Q: What’s next? What do you still hope to accomplish?
“I hope to help every student learn how to tell, capture, and share their personal story with their unique audience. AI is helping to move this forward in interesting ways, which I’m excited about, but students need meaningful reps in learning how to reflect on what they did and what they learned through the process. My hope is that it will change Education from being reactive to being more proactive. Student Personal stories are amazing, and after taking over 5,000 students through this process, I truly think it’s transformational.”
Recommended Resources
Q: When it comes to getting access to equipment and funding for field trips and events, do you have any advice for other teachers?
- get CTE money through Perkins and state/local funding. It’s a massive way to build and sustain the work you are doing to prepare students for the professional world.
- Do professional work in your community- set up an Education Based Enterprise to make it legit, but then you can charge folks in your community to do content for Social Media, websites and events and then reinvest the money back into your program and your students. It’s a powerful way to give back to your community, become relevant in your school community and to be self-sustaining with your budget. Sports Media Days are easy ways to raise money, give recognition to your student athletes and give your students professional experience they can leverage into their careers.”
Thank You, Student Media Collective
Q: How has the Student Media Collective helped you and your students?
“The Student Media Collective has been fantastic in connecting my students with amazing guest speakers from LA, and all over the world, who have inspired my students. It has also given us access to demo equipment from industry companies before we invested our small budget into their gear, to validate that it was the right decision. My students have been given amazing opportunities to be mentored by working professionals through the Student Media Collective, and I couldn’t be more thankful for Cirina Catania, and everyone else who has invested so much time, expertise, and heart into the next generation of video storytellers.”
Working with Blackmagic Gear
Q: What was your experience like working with Blackmagic equipment?
“Working directly with Blackmagic and their team, to test the G2 live production cameras before we secured them through a grant was key. To share in our grant application that our students had hands-on experience with the gear, and loved how easy they were to learn, really helped us secure the funding needed.”
To find out more information on Lake Forest High School’s New Media or Career Pathways, visit: https://lfhs.lakeforestschools.org/academics/academic-departments/career-pathways/new-media
For updates on the Student Media Collective, follow them on instagram @highschool.media or https://www.instagram.com/highschool.media/