The Times

Issue date: 12/10/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Maria Avalos Tom Jozwik takes time out of his day to enjoy some quality reading.

He has been teaching journalism and English here for 20 years, but what many people don't know about him is that Tom Jozwik is also an actor, loves to play golf and volunteers at his church.

Jozwik started working part-time in 1988 after he graduated from UWM, while also being a freelance writer for several local publications.

As time went on, Jozwik said, "I became more a teacher than a writer." He said that he taught at Waukesha Area Technical College, Marquette University and wherever he could get work. "So, the writing became secondary to the teaching."

However, he still writes for publications like Waukesha Now and Catholic Herald, "just for fun."

Still remaining a traditionalist, Jozwik explained he's not much into technology or reading a paper online. "I like sitting at the table and spreading the paper out and holding it in my hands," he said.

Jozwik expressed excitement when he spoke about his acting roles. "Just today one of my students came to me and asked, 'Were you in that play It's a Wonderful Life'?" Laughing, Jozwik said that he had been in the play. "I played the old grouch."

The student's uncle was in that play, and that's how he recognized him. Although he hasn't acted in almost a year, he's planning to return to the stage in the next couple of months.

Jozwik loves teaching, yet he is thinking he may make the decision to retire within the next couple of years. He admitted the decision will be hard. "I have had some very good students who truly love journalism, such as Alexis Scheel, the Times Editor."

However, Jozwik has explained that sometimes people take the journalism class because it's a writing class and they expect it will easy. But when some students realize that there is still work involved, they bail.

He doesn't understand why they just don't take advantage of what they can learn in a journalism class and take it more seriously "because they can later apply all those writing skills into many job areas, such as public relations, marketing, etc."

The best advice Jozwik can give to journalism students is: "Use the right word, not ten; be accurate, you want to be balanced and neutral." He added, "A good place to start is the school paper."

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