Dimitri Syros
Social Studies Teacher
GUEST SPEAKER: Attorney EM
One of the most prominent problems that I have observed plaguing students in under-resourced schools and neighborhoods are the lack of positive role models and professionals in the community. While many of my students blankly express that one day they hope to become a lawyer or doctor, they really do not have a realistic idea of what this really entails outside of what they see on television or from broader pop-culture. With this in mind, I reached into my personal network to connect my students with not only a real, practicing attorney, but with one that shared many commonalities with my students having overcome harsh circumstances to reach success. My colleague EM enthusiastically agreed to come into my Civics classes to give a brief talk on his educational, personal and professional background before facilitating a Mock Supreme Court activity and buying my class a pizza lunch. A few weeks before the event was to take place, EM and I gathered some prework for students to complete and built out the Mock Supreme Court lesson plan. In class students completed introductory readings and prepared questions to ask EM during the speech segment of the class. After excitedly completing the activity, students completed surveys on their experience and exchanged networking information with EM over an informal pizza luncheon that he graciously provided for us. I hope that this experience created a pathway to opportunity among my student's aspirations that will empower them to pursue their goals.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Student Pre-Work
2. Lesson Plan Outline
3. Student Surveys
4. Teacher Relection
1. Student Pre-Work
Before we could engage with our guest speaker i thought it was important that students prepared themselves with context for the content of our lesson. Since our guest speaker was an attorney I thought it was important for students to go in understandings what it is a lawyer actually does. Students were instructed to read Document A below prior to working with our guest speaker. To their surprise attorneys did not spend their days like they do on television shows like Law and Order. From this point I wanted students to type at least one or two follow-up questions for our guest speaker to be asked after he completed his presentation of which some samples can be found in Document B. Students were to utilize context from Document A to frame questions that were both meaningful and accurate. Finally I wanted students to read a summary of the Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines found in Document C which we would be engaging in a Mock Trial with the guest speaker. Before being able to understand and interpret a Mock Trial I figured that it would b helpful for students to brush up their memory on the First Amendment and have a general idea of what the case was about.
Document A
Document B
Document C
2. Lesson Plan Outline
3. Student Surveys
After the presentation and Mock Trial I wanted to get feedback from my students as to how they felt about the day's events. I was curious to see if meeting with an actual attorney clarified misconceptions about what the job entails. More importantly however I wanted to empower my students by connecting them with a positive role model that could be there for them down the road. When reviewing student survey results I was glad to see that across the board students felt like the experience gave them a much clearer view as to what attorneys actually do with many expressing "wow, I'm so glad I don't want to be a lawyer anymore" while others were much more enthusiastic. Generally students expressed an interest in maintaining a relationship with EM long-term to be available to answer questions for them as they prepare for high school and later college. Some students were excited to have someone "legitimate" to maybe write them a letter of recommendation one day.
4. Teacher Reflection
EM and I modeled our activity for this lesson based on the American Bar Association recommendations for integrating law education into high school classrooms. Through our activity students simulated a civil trial as “students will master courtroom techniques as they try a challenging case – from preparing and examining witnesses to crafting and delivering a closing statement” (American Bar Association, 2016). Not only was this experience meaningful as it related to our Civics content, but I believe it struck a personal cord with many of my students as well.
In his previous school visits Eddie had proclaimed that students gained key skills for how to review and annotate court cases and were also be invited to stay in contact with him. In order to sustain learning and success through this event, I decided it was important that students were connected with Eddie via email and will have the opportunity to utilize him as an academic and personal resource moving forward. Outside of Eddie’s knowledge I also had my students write personal thank you cards that further solidified their relationship. Upon completing their surveys students revealed that they learned a great deal about not only the first amendment but also what it takes to overcome obstacles and reach ambitious goals. I was pleased to find out in the weeks and months following the experience students were maintaining contact with EM and even asking him to write letters of recommendation for high school magnet programs.
Providing access to my students is the greatest justice that I can do for them as their teacher. Aspects such as time management, persistence, critical thinking, problem solving and goal-setting are all relevant to providing access points to students. In my own classroom I use these elements as the foundation of my course through infusing my curriculum with real-world problems and career applications. In my personal opinion, I believe that many of my students make their college versus career track decision based on their socio-economic situation and access to role models around them. With that being said it is important for me as a teacher to put my students in contact with as many resources as possible so that they can make the most informed decisions for themselves.
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