My head is still spinning. I keep trying to tell myself that by taking on this teaching experience, I have not, in fact, given myself the equivalent of my first semester as a 1L. Because that would be insane. RIGHT? Insane? Why take a perfect opportunity to stroll into 5 classes of my own choosing with confidence and all the time in the world, and just put it through the shredder?

Because I am me. I do truly operate better when my time is full. But this week!!! It was not the same as 1L, because, first and foremost, I can find my way around the building without being confused. I can find my locker without feeling like I'd been around the same circle 40 times. I know how to answer the question, "what level of scrutiny did the Court apply?"

By teaching, I'm also taking a class. This class comprises of ready-ing me to lead a class each week, as well as guiding me through the development of a paper/project. My project is going to be interested. It's a human rights project. I am excited about it. My least favorite aspect is the that client representative who I will need to be working with is in New York. The school may fly me to New York, to meet her or him, and work out the more specific plans.

So the class I'm taking, which is the vehicle for the class I'm "teaching" is four credits. But everybody who has done this before me said it should be AT LEAST 6 credits.

The group of 1L's for whom I am trying to create a positive experience is wonderful. I think they're great. That is all I feel comfortable saying on that subject.

Other than this class, I am taking:

Family Law: The professor of this class is known as an excellent professor, but a very hard grader. We are writing 2 papers this quarter, both with a partner. I'm unhappy about this. I don't want to work with a partner. I am thinking of relying upon my teaching-status to wiggle out of the partner requirement. We are given special dispensation in a few areas due to this extra duty, and I am *considering* trying to tap into this. I think I'll go feel out the professor, talk about how excited I am about the class, how family law is one of my possible areas of future interest, and see how it all goes, and then ease into a special request. Or not.

Advanced Criminal Procedure: A professor I know well. Material I find fascinating and important. One phenomenon which is true for Family Law as well, but moreso in this class, the 3L's intimidate me! I think that it happens more in this class because we have a lot of people who have done their co-ops in criminal law fields. So yes, I paid attention last year in first year Crim. Yes, I thoroughly read my assignments. But no!! I have not been side-by-side with a criminal defense attorney while interviewing her client in prison. No, I have not sat second chair with a prosecutor during a trial! I am therefore compelled to be silent. Not typically my style ;) I am sure that as time goes on, my silence will fade, and I will be back to feeling like I better shut up before I am one of those.

Evidence: Yeah. Evidence. I need not say more.

Then there are the other things:

1) I should start to hear about Round One of OCI on Tuesday. I am nervous. Very, very nervous. I dreamed about it last night. But the dream is all fuzzy around the edges, and I am not sure if it was a good dream or a bad dream.

2) Winter co-op time is here already. [Even though I am trying to be relatively anonymous, there is no way to discuss my law school experience, and the co-op aspect of it, without people knowing where I am.] I go back out on co-op around the first of December. So while trying to do everything else, I had to review the options for that. There are more options than I thought there would be. I thought that because it was an "off" time, not too many people would be looking for law students. Not the case. One of my first choices, surprisingly, is back in the family law field. It is a position for a non-profit organization that does children's law. It also just so happens to be 2 blocks from my house, and across the street from my kids' school. There are also law firms which PAY MONEY. Fathom that. Getting paid. Some are very interesting (i.e., criminal defense), and therefore pay about $100/week, and some are Big Law, and pay the typical $2400/week. HUH? My list of interest is long, but at least for the first round, I can only try for 16. My list is double that. Oh! And there's the ACLU. I would *love* to work for the ACLU.

I do want to one day go for a federal judge (I did a state judge this past summer), but I think I'm going to try for that NEXT winter. I just don't want to do a judge again. I want to do something different.

I'm pretty sure that is it for my first week (school-wise). Not too much to deal with, right? He he. Read on, toward Volume IV.

posted by Zuska @ 5:58 PM

2 Comments:

At Sunday, September 04, 2005 7:04:00 PM, Anonymous said…

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At Sunday, September 04, 2005 7:49:00 PM, Anonymous said…

all this time i was thinking you should have a blog and it tursn out you DID!! you little sneak! keep up the good work all around (school, things one & two, etc.) and ask me about the spam issue.

xo
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