what an experience !!
When I first heard of street law and when decided to take this opportunity to do something completely out of my comport zone, I was nervous. I was a shy person who would not of spoke out very often and I would have liked to keep to myself. So, I thought this would be a good challenge and it was.
Today, looking back on all the lessons I taught I can’t believe that it was me who came up with the lessons and it was me who taught the lessons to a group of transition year students. If you asked me when I first started college to get up in front of a group of teenagers and teach them about the law, I probably would have laughed and said “no way”. If you ask me now to do it, I would jump at the opportunity.
During the many weeks, we adventured out to the schools. My confidence grew every week and I found myself speaking out more in class and just becoming a more confident in myself. It made me think that I could do anything if I just put my mind to it.
I knew the first week was going to be tough as this is nothing we had ever done before or experienced. We were used to sitting in lecture halls taking notes and trying to absorb all the information. This time it was us that was the teachers and we had to distribute the information.
Because we knew it was going to be daunting, the first week we wanted to pick a topic that was relatable not just to the students but also to us. So, in the end we choose cyber-bullying and defamation.
The students immediately got involved to my surprise. Which give me a boost of confidence that we were doing something right and that they were interest. when you see, the students getting enthusiastic about the topic, asking questions and being interactive, it gets you excited and it makes the whole experience more enjoyable.
It is not like a normal class where we stand up in front of the room and lecture them about what cyber bullying is and how to prevent it. It’s completely different, we got the students to come with the answers, questions and got discussions going. Basically, we were just there to lead the conversation and inform them through the discussion.
Overall, I really enjoyed the experience. It’s different and its unique. Not many people get this opportunity. It also gave me the confidence that I never had. The big Question would I do it again? Of course I would I loved the experience and it changed me in a way.
Lisa Ingram 3rd year LLB
