Progress reporter profiles: M.D. Kittle

Alana Alford gave me an appreciation for breathing. The second-grader at Jackson's Orchard Elementary School suffers from asthma. Breathing isn't something she takes for granted.

I got to tell Alana's story earlier this year, I got a glimpse into her world. She made me understand what it's like to struggle for air.

Over my nearly two decades in print and electronic media, starting out as a dumb kid at a small-market radio station in the back of an old house, I've had the good fortune to talk to a lot of people, to tell their stories. And that's exactly why I have remained in the news business.

I'm the education reporter for the Southeast Missourian. It's the most important beat in this newsroom. OK, there's a beat bias built in here, but I don't know what's more important than our children and their future. Education is filled with all kinds of stories, from soaring successes to crashing failures. There are stories of loss, hope and redemption.

The education beat is all about learning, and everyone I meet is a student with the power to teach -- like little Alana.

That's how we live and learn.

Read Kittle's blog at www.semissourian.com/schools