A week ago, my students and I took a journey to Courtroom 534, City Hall, Philadelphia, PA. No, no one was in trouble! We've been studying the Constitution and particularly, the Bill of Rights. I thought it would be a nice capstone for our studies by touring a courtroom and conversing with a real judge! Nothing could have prepared me for the fantastic time we had there!
Her honor, Judge Shreeves-Johns called me into chambers and together, along with her Court Crier (I learned something new), fine-tuned what we thought would happen in the moments that would follow. She would pose different scenarios to the children that would test various amendments of the Bill of Rights. They, the students, would in-turn, reply with their opinion on the legality of said issues.
All rise!
Her honor, adorned in her black robe (kids 'shock' face---Mr. Flemming, you have a robe like that! You wore it in class! Me to them, "Shhh!! Court!") walks in to a nervous and eager group of third graders (and three equally as intrigued adults).
She, along with her staff involved each child in the trial process. Jury, sherriffs, court crier, prosecution or plaintiff, defense counsel and defendant.
She posed various legal scenarios and asked for those who represented the state and the defense to speak to the allegations and their legality as it pertains to the various amendments. Most of the children were sharp and where anyone may have been a bit nervous, she looked to the jury for anyone who may have had a legal opinion. She used the court crier (one of the kids) and "polled" the jury quite a few times. After each "case", roles were switched and another case was brought before the court.
Where she challenged them, they met the challenge each time! Even when a few were nervous and got tripped up, it was warming to see the rest of the class come to the rescue and "stick it" to the judge (in a way only 8 and 9 year old children can)!!
The eloquence with which a few of them spoke was astounding! Some legal issues involved more than one amendment, but that didn't unnerve the kids one bit! They made their case to the shock and dropped jaws of even her court staff!
In one case, the defense attorney was jacking up the case for her client and the client, who knew the law, replied loudly, "you're supposed to be HELPING me!!" Judge Shreeves-Johns was impressed and remarked that he could easily represent himself in the case.
In another case, the defense attorney was extremely nervous and didn't answer the judge's questions in a way that would help her client. The client was "locked up" as a result, but in her wisdom, the judge opened up the possibility of an appeal to everyone, appointed one of the jurors to be the new counsel and had the lawyer become a sheriff (no shade to sheriffs at all, lol)
After some time, the children got a chance to ask her some questions as they related to the Bill of Rights and the law. I prepped the kids ahead of time for this possibility and had them write down questions on 3x5 cards and have them in their pocket, ready to pull out in a moment's notice if the opportunity presented itself!
Knowing 207, knowing my students, questions would NOT be an issue! (smile)
A couple of questions really stood out. One asked whether or not she, the judge, felt bad if she had to "lock up people". She paused only for a second and replied "no", because in her courtroom, if she must "lock people up", they did what they were accused of and need to learn that there are consequences for breaking the law.
Another question that had me grin from ear to ear with unfettered pride was, "So the 2nd amendment gives people the right to own guns, but does it give people a right to kill? I ask the question because I don't think it does!" (What the???) One edu-commentator/poet/inspirationalist wrote that we can tell a lot about whether a child is learning, not by the questions s/he answers, but the questions s/he asks!
After court, we got the chance to take pictures with Judge Shreeves-Johns and thanked her for allowing us into her space for a little more than an hour!
Her stenographer, real court crier and aids were all GREAT!!! The chaperones who accompanied me were both impressed as well! Words cannot explain my pride for my kids that day! They were sharp!!!
Even now, a week later, I'm still so very proud and impressed with my students! THIS is real and experiential learning, for which I am an advocate and of which I am a practitioner!
They learned a lot and based on our experience and some of the conversations I overheard, many wouldn't mind a career in law! Isn't that what this is all about? Inspiring a generation of children and youth? Real teaching and learning?
Go 'head 207!! Y'all did the thang!!!
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