JoJo Passes: Facebook Helped Me Share Our Good News
By Jeanne Acton, Journalism Director | Friday, December 17, 2010 8:53 AM
A Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup for breakfast.
Not exactly the breakfast of champions. Especially for a four-year-old.
But we didn’t care.
We were under doctor orders, and we were willing to have one super unhealthy breakfast to challenge JoJo’s peanut allergy.
The good news is, he won.
After two years of herbal therapy with Dr. Xiu-Min Li of Mt. Sinai in New York City, JoJo passed a peanut challenge.
He no longer reacts to peanuts. He is still allergic to some tree nuts, but we are winning this food allergy battle.
It was the best Christmas present I could have ever received.
As I shared the news, friends and family from around the nation cheered and congratulated JoJo.
Congratulations are in order. For two years, JoJo has taken 10 to 20 pills daily and drank herbal tea that JoJo so sweetly described as “poopy.” (After tasting the tea, I couldn’t really argue.)
Sharing the news about JoJo was incredibly easy. I was able to share our good news as it was happening, without ever calling a single person.
Through Facebook, I posted updates every few minutes. The first challenge was putting a tiny piece of the candy in his mouth. Then, JoJo had to quickly spit it out. Then we waited 15 minutes. Since JoJo didn’t react, we gave him a tiny piece to eat. Every 15 minutes, we increased the size of his bite.
It was a long day. Three and a half hours in the doctor’s office, but the day passed faster since I was able to communicate with friends and family during the challenge.
I would post an update and then friends and family would comment. I was not alone in the doctor’s office. Even JoJo liked hearing what other people were saying about him.
Facebook has become an integral part of how I communicate, and not just in the social realm. Facebook has helped me often at work. When I have needed a speaker for ILPC or help with InDesign, I have posted to Facebook. Almost immediately, I get a response.
When a small airplane hit the IRS building here in Austin last year, Facebook is how I first got the news. Sure, the newspapers provided me with the details and background later in the day, but it was a friend of a friend on Facebook that gave us our first glimpse of the burning building.
Almost every teacher I know either has a Facebook account or is considering getting one. Many journalism teachers are using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote their publications and news. And I think that is a smart decision.
So it only seems logical that the Texas Education Agency would weigh in its opinion on social networking sites.
Last month TEA posted the following: “Teachers must refrain from inappropriately communicating with students through the use of social media under the requirements of an updated Educators’ Code of Ethics endorsed by the State Board of Education today.”
While this TEA posting made several journalism teachers nervous, it is imperative to read the sentence with a critical eye. The statement says “inappropriate communication.” Posting updates to your stories or sports scores is not inappropriate communication with a student.
This new TEA posting is nothing new. The Code of Ethics addresses inappropriate relationships between teachers and students.
Teachers, especially journalism teachers, should always be cautious when entering a new form of media. Abuse can happen anywhere. But if used properly, Facebook and Twitter can enhance your publications. You can update your students' in real time with very little effort.
Then, you can follow the tweets and the Facebook postings with real stories that give the background, that explain and show the how and the why, that interview real people.
I loved being able share JoJo’s progress on his peanut challenge with my friends and family on Facebook. I loved seeing the well-wishes and congratulations as JoJo ate larger and larger pieces.
I had immediate communication with more than 300 friends and family, and that immediate communication is becoming a part of our new media – like it or not.
Right now, we are waiting on word from Dr. Li to know whether we will bring back peanut butter on a regular basis.
When I hear from her, I will let you know (on Facebook, of course).