I couldn't write last night because Day 2 of TAW had me wondering how I was going to make it through a full week, let alone 2 more weeks after that. But, I even though I'm in class every day til 9, I don't regret the class because I love it :) First of all, Ogletree is amazing - an excellent lawyer, teacher, and presenter. Secondly, the judges, attorneys and professors working in the program are intelligent, insightful and fun. And I see in them many things that remind me why I came to law school and why I want to be a good lawyer.
It would've been MUCH easier to take this in the winter as I had originally planned. I could've focused on just TAW. Buuuut, Ogletree would not have been teaching it, and I would not have meet so many intelligent, beautiful black people! At Duke, I barely had any black teachers until I learned to seek them out. And certainly very very few who were black and female. Here at HLS we've got Lani Guinier. ....and that would be it. But the fall TAW staff is very diverse, and it does my spirit good to learn from people who look a little more like me. I feel much more connected to the course than I have in any other class since I've been here. *beams*
So, yea I'm exhausted. I come home late from TAW and do more work for TAW. I feel like I've been in two weeks worth of classes and it's only be 3 days. But I'm tired and happy. And that's a rarity here at hls.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
TAW - Day 1
You know people really respect you when they will sit in silence as you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich in front of the entire class without explanation.
I guess we all assumed our Prof. was going somewhere with it, and he did. He certainly took his time about it though. He told us that putting the pieces of a trial together is about as easy as making a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich, and then asked the class to re-tell all the steps he took to construct that sandwhich before the class. At the end of the demonstration he had two pieces of bread - literally pieces instead of a whole slice (much to the chagrin of the student who raised his hand to confidently volunteer the step "you took out two pieces of bread") - and a plate full of peanut butter and jelly. Nowhere in the vicinity of the courtroom was there anything even resembling a sandwhich of any kind. He wanted to demonstrate how hard it can be to tie a narrative together, even though it initially seems like it could be the easiest thing in the world. Ain't that always the way.
It certainly was harder for me than I expected, and I expected it to be hard. The attorney critiquing me said that I was "cold" and that I should try to be more "human" in my direct of my own witness.
Me? Cold? I cannot possibly even conceive that I have ever been cold to anyone in my entire life.
right...
I guess we all assumed our Prof. was going somewhere with it, and he did. He certainly took his time about it though. He told us that putting the pieces of a trial together is about as easy as making a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich, and then asked the class to re-tell all the steps he took to construct that sandwhich before the class. At the end of the demonstration he had two pieces of bread - literally pieces instead of a whole slice (much to the chagrin of the student who raised his hand to confidently volunteer the step "you took out two pieces of bread") - and a plate full of peanut butter and jelly. Nowhere in the vicinity of the courtroom was there anything even resembling a sandwhich of any kind. He wanted to demonstrate how hard it can be to tie a narrative together, even though it initially seems like it could be the easiest thing in the world. Ain't that always the way.
It certainly was harder for me than I expected, and I expected it to be hard. The attorney critiquing me said that I was "cold" and that I should try to be more "human" in my direct of my own witness.
Me? Cold? I cannot possibly even conceive that I have ever been cold to anyone in my entire life.
right...
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