If you are a student at Manogue, your morning most likely goes something like this:; You sit down in your first period class, the bell rings, and your teacher turns on MinerTV.

MinerTV, also known as the Broadcast Journalism class, is a student-run broadcast that plays every morning and allows the school to stay informed on current events, sports,upcoming dates, and fun activities. Entertaining videos, usually skits framed around particular announcements, typically play at the end of the broadcast to get students excited and engaged. Students who are a part of this class, such as myself, are also able to practice “news writing” and publish their work in the school newspaper, The Miner Detail.

MinerTV is an ESSENTIAL aspect of Manogue culture. But who is the man behind the curtain contributing to its success?

That would be Craig Charboneau, more popularly known as Mr.C, a beloved teacher who works in the English department here at Manogue.

Entering into the Broadcast Journalism class, I had not had Mr.C as a teacher; however, I had definitely heard some intriguing stories: he could twirl fire on sticks (true), he loved his coffee (also true), and that he was an incredible teacher, which goes without saying.

As soon as I sat down in the Broadcast Journalism class for the first time and listened to Mr.C’s introduction, it became very clear that he had a strong passion for media, writing, and production, and yes, fire twirling.

Mr.C has always taught us that when we are curious about something, that we should get the facts, and since I have always been intrigued by his background and how he came to teach MinerTV, I decided to get the facts straight from him.

Mr.C was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and he grew up in Orlando, Florida. “I lived there until around middle school, and then I moved out here to Reno to be with my family. So like half my life on the east coast and then the other half of my life here.”

I ask where he went for college and what he studied. “I went to UNR, and I studied English and Philosophy. I got my Bachelors there and I went back and got my masters there a couple years later, also in English, with a focus in literature, like 20th century modernist literature.” I am curious about his interest in English, so I ask if it has always been something he was passionate about.

He tells me that he used to be a big reader when he was younger and he laughs, “I feel like I was the kid who would sit in the corner and read books while I was at school.” I laugh with him as he says this because it reminds me of myself. I have always loved reading and I have always loved studying English. This explains his love for Journalism, however I still wonder how this connects to his love for Broadcasting, so I push further.

I ask about his background in Broadcasting. He shrugs. “Basically just this class.” I’m shocked. I was sure that there had to have been some involvement beforehand, especially with the confidence and passion he seems to carry in the broadcasting industry. “They asked me when I started here if I could teach it because I had a masters in English, and that’s what they were looking for. It was definitely a learning curve for me to teach the class”.

In my mind, Mr.C and MinerTV go perfectly in hand, so I can’t possibly picture a time when he wasn’t teaching the class, anyone else would feel wrong. I ask if he helped to start the program or if he took over for someone else. He said that Mr.Gali, one of the religion teachers at our school, was teaching the class.

At this point in my interview, I am completely thrown off because almost every single assumption of mine has been completely disproven.

He tells me that he finds Journalism really interesting from a writing aspect. Journalism is a very different style and format than what you would write in a typical English essay. “It’s a more practical type of writing because you have a goal, which is to inform your readers about a certain subject, and you have to do it in a very concise way”.

He goes into his love for videography. “Getting into more video making, i found that to be fulfilling, it satisfies my itch for filmmaking.” I learn that he used to teach some film classes in college, which brings me to my last question.

I ask what motivated him to become a teacher. He smiles and tells me he did not actually plan on it. He was trying to figure out what to do in college, and they offered him a teaching position which would help to pay for his tuition. He tells me that he thought that through teaching the things that he loved, he would be able to learn more about them, which is an angle I have never thought to look at.

Through his teaching job, he learned that he knew a lot less about his subject than he thought he did. He tells me that you learn a lot when you are trying to explain something to someone else. “I actually found that I really liked teaching, it’s fun getting to talk about these things that I like with other people”

I learned a lot more than I thought I would in this interview.

I learned that you should never stick to your assumptions about someone. You should learn their facts, find their truth, they might surprise you.

I learned that teachers don’t just teach because they want their students to learn, but also because they themselves are trying to delve deeper into their subjects of interest.

Most importantly, I learned that it is never too late to find something you are passionate about. You should explore your interests, and they might lead you down a path you never expected.

Being able to sit down with Mr.C and truly learn about his background was truly a very inspiring experience. Mr.C likes to think outside of the box; he is creative and he is constantly challenging us to let our imaginations run wild. I love the free range that he gives us, and I truly feel that this class has developed my writing skills, as well as helped me to find ways I can express myself. I will be taking his class again next year, and I am looking forward to all of the new skills I will learn (hopefully one being fire twirling).