From The Newsroom To The Classroom
Felicia McGee-Hilt grew up in Detroit, Michigan with parents who were both educators. During her high school days she remembers thinking to herself, “I want to be a teacher.” However, those same high school years lead her to reassessing her career aspirations because she also began thinking to herself, “But I don’t want to deal with high school students – they’re not my calling!” She soon decided that she wanted a career in a television newsroom.
About eight years ago, she began working in WTVC’s newsroom. During one summer, she met Betsy Alderman, a member of the University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga’s Communications faculty. She told Felicia about an opening in UTC’s Communications Department and then asked her, “Where do you see yourself ten years from now?”Felicia thought for a moment and then made an off-handed comment saying, “I don’t know – maybe I’ll teach” even though she had absolutely no prior teaching experience or any real inclination to enter the classroom as an instructor.
Dr. Alderman was convinced that Felicia McGee-Hilt, reporter could easily make the transformation into Felicia-McGee Hilt, communications teacher. She says, “When you think about it, as a reporter Felicia was already sort of an educator. I knew because of her professional experience, she had a lot that she could bring to the classroom” But the lady herself wasn’t quite so easily convinced. Felicia recalls, “I was working full time at Channel 9 whenever I began teaching my first class at UTC. I remember telling my students all of these stories about things that went on behind the scenes and they would say, “You can’t possibly be serious!” Yes – that’s exactly what happened yesterday,” she replied. After teaching her first class, she thought to herself, “How exhilarating! I really do like this.” She thought teaching the class was lots of fun and the experience reinvigorated her. She was also impressed by the looks on her student’s faces as they were learning and processing the material as she was teaching it.
A short while later, the Communications department offered her a job and Felicia accepted. She began teaching in January of 2000 – but was still under contract at News Channel 9. She worked at the television station from 4 AM until 1 PM and then taught a class from 1:30 to 3:00 at UTC. She thinks her students really enjoy having a working journalist as a teacher. “It gives you so much more to offer. It’s one thing to say, “This is how it’s supposed to be” and “This is what our textbook says.” But it’s quite another thing to say, I’ve lived this, I’ve worked this and this is what really happens out there in the field. I think my students appreciate that and they also appreciate the level of firsthand knowledge that I’m able to bring into the classroom.”But after accepting the position with UTC’s faculty, she soon discovered that she was becoming homesick for the newsroom at Channel 9.
She’d worked as a full time reporter for three years and whenever she became a faculty member at UTC she realized how much she was missing being a part of an active newsroom. She says, “Sometimes reporting gets into your blood and you miss it whenever you aren’t doing it.” During the summer break she worked at News Channel 9, went back to the classroom in late August and then began thinking to herself, “There’s got to be a way I can do them both.” She then talked to her producer and they agreed that she would work on Fridays and pinch-hit for other reporters during holidays.
“It was the best of both worlds. I got to teach four days a week and then I was able to continue working in a professional news setting on Fridays.” However, higher education had also creeped its way into her blood because she’d also begun working on her Master’s Degree. Once she accomplished that, she began taking classes at the University Of Tennessee at Knoxville because she wanted her PhD. She’s been working on it steadily for the last three years. But it’s still going to take awhile before she’s completely finished with her paper about the Montgomery bus boycott. Felicia was hoping to have it done in time to graduate this coming May, but says that August is a more feasible goal.
What does the future hold for Felicia McGee-Hilt? Dr. Alderman says, “I sincerely hope that she decides to remain a faculty member here at UTC. I believe she will because she does an outstanding job in the classroom and I know that once she’s finished with her doctorial work, she wants to resume her teaching career.” Felicia herself says, “The future is unlimited. Once I’ve finished my dissertation I look forward to stepping back behind the lectern. I would also like to go into the administrative side of higher education because that’s where you can have a greater impact. As far as television – I’ll continue moderating “Tennessee Insider” until something else comes along or it could be my end all in broadcasting.”
