Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Routine

I don't have anything very exciting or insightful to share--I guess that's why I haven't been writing very much lately. The excitement and angst of moving has passed and we are all settled into a nice little routine.

Well, except for last week--darling fiancé got in a car accident and I couldn't be reached because my new cell phone is a piece of crap. But he is fine and I really don't want to relive that horrific drama.

I love routine and predictability and structure. That's why I came to law school. However, they have spent the last month telling me that the law is not static--but alive, ever changing and pliable. This is good too, it means the years I spent honing my arguing and bullshitting skills weren't wasted.

For the most part professors use the Socratic method here, while it encourages thoughtful discussion and examination of the material, it also causes us to go off on long tangents. Some people just love to hear themselves talk and since the professor just keeps asking them questions to lead them to the "right" answer, we waste time. I have no desire to listen to my classmates grope around in the dark, searching for an intelligent thought. I hate sitting quietly, patiently as they flip through the case book hoping the answer will jump out at them from the fluorescent yellow striped page. HINT: If you highlight all but 10 words on a page, you have missed the point!

Now, I'm not brilliant and I don't have the all the answers but I expect a certain amount of intelligence and professionalism from my fellow students. Do the reading, show-up on time and don't treat the class like your own personal conversation with the professor. Raise your hand and wait your turn. And a note to my professors: If you can hear a collective groan when you call on the same person question after question, day after day, and tolerate her outbursts time and time again--you are in danger of losing the respect of the class and you are wasting our collective time by teaching to just one student.

Wow, I guess I did have something to bitch about after all, and I feel a bit more self righteous since I just received the highest grade in the class on my first legal memo.

posted by Rissa Roo @ 3:14 PM

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