The brief that was due was just a draft - so it wasn't a huge stinkin' deal ... but I'd blown it off for, oh, weeks. Pre-Disneyland. And I felt that I had to show a good-faith effort in this "draft" - even though it wasn't going to ROCK by any stretch of the imagination. I signed up for a conference on the draft on as eary of a date possible, so I can have lots of time between DRAFT and FINAL to fix things up .... since it needs it.

But now it's 3:45, and I don't pick up a child until 5:30 from her acting doo-hickey, so I have time to kill.

And I have to give a seminar at 9 a.m. tomorrow on OUTLINING - so I thought I would use this forum to sort through my thoughts on what to say.

I don't think anyone's going to come, b/c the 1L's don't have class until 10:15, and since I'm usually around between 8 and 10:15, I know that NONE OF THEM are here earlier than, oh, say, 9:50. I think that's why I'm not stressed.

So. I'm bringing the following to show to the 1Ls:

My Property Outline (first 3 pages should do it);
My property index/condensed outline
My Civ Pro Outline (again, first 3 pages)
My Civ Pro Outline of Rules
My Civ Pro Index of Issues (cross referenced to Main Outline, Rules Outline, and Notes);
My Fed Courts Table of Cases (I am going to FLASH it on the screen sooooo fast, so their poor 1L-fragile senses of balance are not too screwed up by the INSANITY of what is expected by Fed Courts - just to show them an OPTION of how to organize material in preparation for an exam)
My Con Law Chronology of Cases

I am going to talk to them about:

Timing - don't start too early, b/c you won't have the entire course put into perspective; but start early ENOUGH that you can get your main outline done before reading week, and spend reading week both creating indexes, sub-outlines, and writing out practice exams (I never got to practice exams - or at least, hardly ever.)
Organization - I'm a huge advocate of structuring the outline around the syllabus -- it's the way the professor things - the professor who is GRADING YOUR EXAM!!
If the exam is closed book (Torts is open; Property is open; last I knew, Civ Pro was UNDECIDED!! How can they not KNOW that yet???) --- don't bother with an index - the point is to get to the info you need as quick as possible, and if you don't have info to get to!! You need to shove it into your brain instead. Instead of a condensed outline - make notecards. One per rule; one per case; one per issue.
How to use your Outline as a Study Tool: 2 ways.

[why not a? why is automatic numbering always so USELESS??] read through the outline, highlight areas you are weak on; then:

Get together with others who are as far along as you and chat things over. help each other with highlighted portions that others may NOT have highlighted (usually the case)
Take that same group (or skip the group, and go on your own) and go to professor's office hours. Don't waste their time before you get to this point - they don't want to re-teach an entire course to you in a 15 minute block.
Get a little supplement book-like thing, and read a different take on those issues. I am NOT a fan of doing this before this stage. Again - b/c of my belief that you should be speaking to YOUR professor. I bought Glannon's for Civ Pro, b/c I felt confused, but by the time I finished my outline - I was no longer confused (and I was kind of out of time). Fed Courts, however, I used. Extensively. But still only for exam prep (how others found the time to read 2 books before each class is BEYOND ME!!)

I forget what else. I have a list of things I want to raise at home (I think. in a pile, on the floor, next to the white couch. or perhaps that's the pile of papers that fell off the coffee table over by the Snake Plant?). I have to now go downstairs to a computer with Word on it (I don't have word), stick my magic little memory stick into the USB port, open up my outlines, and create ONE document with all the pages I plan on showing in the morning.

I also need to read through what the professor is going to say. She said I can feel free to repeat her, b/c students will probably listen to something I say, even after NOT listening to something SHE said, b/c I'm a student. a peer, if you will.

I'm sure it will be fine.

As of right now, the plane in the building in NY is being deemed an accident - not terrorism.

The kidnapping in the West Bank, I'm assured, is routine.

North Korea is a little nutso.

People are dying by the hundreds of thousands in Iraq.

Who cares about my stupid talk for approximately 8 1Ls?

posted by Zuska @ 3:46 PM

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