Newspaper serves as living textbook

Good and bad, historic events are happening right now. To some degree, they happen every day. And, to borrow from The Washington Post’s Ben Bradlee, newspapers offer the first rough draft of that history. The outlines of tomorrow’s history texts are within the pages of your daily newspaper.We note this as Newspapers In Education Week comes to its end. Newspapers across the nation participate with their local schools to put the papers in the hands of students. This week marks the role newspapers play in informing the public, about things big and small, great and evil.The Lima News in February delivered to schools an average of almost 1,700 newspapers daily in this region, according to Anne Coburn-Griffis, The Lima News director of educational services who coordinates the NIE program. At one time or another through Newspaper In Education, The Lima News has reached every public and most parochial schools in Allen, Auglaize, Mercer, Putnam and Van Wert counties. Schools in Hancock, Hardin, Logan and Shelby counties also participate.The NIE program gives teachers and students a living textbook, Coburn-Griffis said. Consider, then, some of the recent history lessons that the local newspaper has provided:• Lima is still trying to work through the aftermath of a police shooting that killed Tarika Wilson, a 26-year-old mother of six. The community now is addressing race relations, police procedures and other issues. • The war in Iraq is concluding its fifth year with no end in sight. Wapakoneta native  Jon Michael “Mike” Schoolcraft III, 26, died in that war in January. The war’s most ardent defender, President Bush, has held that history will show his decision to invade was the right one. Others don’t share his optimism about history’s judgment, but do agree history will judge these events.• National politics are always a part of the daily report, but how often do national politics become local news events? It’s becoming more of a regular occurrence here. Former President Bill Clinton was in town campaigning for his wife’s presidential bid. Sen. Hillary Clinton’s representatives made other area appearances, as did surrogates for Sen. Barack Obama. This fall, students will read about Republican figures bringing national politics to the local level on behalf of Sen. John McCain’s presidential bid.• The biggest news isn’t always negative, either. Just look at the number of local high school teams that go to state every year. This school year, girls from Lima Central Catholic and Marion Local won state volleyball championships, while boys from Coldwater and Marion Local won football championships. Those are memories that last a lifetime. And, while it might be cool as a teen to see yourself on television, it’s going to be a printed story that helps you remember your glory some years from now.That’s just the living history lesson. You can find in a newspaper every subject students face in the classroom — and more. Always the most in-depth medium available, the advances newspapers are making with the Internet allows readers to expand their worlds that much more. Ideally, each student gets his or her own copy of The Lima News to use and take home, Coburn-Griffis said. Elementary pupils do so much circling, cutting and pasting that their newspapers stay right there with them, she said.About 50 businesses, organizations and individuals sponsor schools in the local NIE program. They know, as do we, that today’s students aren’t just passive readers. They’re tomorrow’s decision-makers. They’re tomorrow’s customers and tomorrow’s workers. The more students learn now, the wider their horizons spread now, the better off we all are when they take control.If you would like to learn more about the program offered by The Lima News, call our NIE coordinator, Anne Coburn-Griffis at 419-993-2114.