By drawing on the fundamental intuitions students have about authority, justice, privacy and fairness, and by showing how these ideas are embedded in the law, LRE can deepen students' allegiance to it. Law-related education can also give students the sense of having a stake in the system. Someone who is modest enough to recognize that even her most deeply held principles may be wrong, who seeks to understand the minds of others and considers their opinions without bias, is the very definition of a tolerant person." "They're exercises in de-centering the self, in moving away from the certainty that your opinions are true because they are yours. Jack Hoar, a consultant with the Center for Civic Education/Law in a Free Society, says that the interactive, role-playing activities that characterize law-related education aren't just for fun. LRE also helps develop those attitudes that make for a healthy democracy. And yet our right to worship as we please, to petition the government, to speak out even if our opinions are deeply unpopular - all these rights are embedded in that founding document." "Every couple of years, a new poll comes out showing that most Americans not only can't recognize the Bill of Rights but are deeply suspicious of it. "Knowledge of the law undergirds our freedom," asserts Nancy Murray, director of Project Hip-Hop, a Brookline, Mass., organization that seeks to familiarize students with the history of the civil rights movement and the laws that were changed as a result. Indeed, proponents of law-related education, who number some 20,000 teachers, say that an understanding of legal principles is essential if we hope to maintain a tolerant, pluralistic society. And those are skills that can be taught." "An active citizen needs to be able to see things from multiple perspectives, to appreciate the moral complexities of a problem, to listen to others, to speak and write convincingly. In this case, Sagan says, the lessons deal with a variety of issues in addition to sexual harassment. The NICEL program gives students the chance to investigate social issues through simplified but realistic role-plays based on actual courtroom cases. The District of Columbia by reading a sheaf of mock trial materials put together by the National Institute for Citizen Education and the Law. The students have prepared for the case of Elyse Roberts v. "The class is involved now, with a kind of energy and moral seriousness they wouldn't have if I were just up here lecturing them." Sagan, a 20-year teaching veteran, says that law-related education - or LRE, as it's known - has revolutionized the way he does his job. It's another day in Sagan's second-period social studies class, where mock trials are part of the curriculum and law is the vehicle for sustained lessons in citizenship and participation. "The objection is overruled." And then, for the defense counsel's benefit, "Do you understand why?" Trim, soft-spoken, only slightly balding, he's positively judicial. Draped in a black graduation gown and perched behind the courtroom stage set that dominates his classroom, Sagan looks like he may have missed his vocation. Murphy is party to the case, so the question should be allowed."Īll eyes turn to the "judge," George Sagan. "Your honor," says the plaintiff's co-counsel, a young woman in a light blue suit who stands to address the court. A big junior with a breezy, confident manner, he has already rattled the opposing attorneys several times with his artful objections. "Objection, your honor! She's calling for hearsay." Jeff Dougherty, his shirttails untucked, is the defendant's lead counsel. Murphy you found the pictures demeaning," Martin asks, "how did he respond?" swimsuit pictures with her name scribbled on them tacked to the office walls. Martin, who has done a thorough job as the plaintiff's attorney, continues to draw out the details of her client's complaint. She is suing for medical expenses and damages of $150,000 for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. She cites his record of suggestive comments and unwelcome physical contact and describes a tense, hostile work environment. "Elyse Roberts," the plaintiff, claims she was sexually harassed by her boss, "Kevin Murphy," a Washington, D.C., attorney. Crisp, precise, working off her notes with the poise of a real courtroom attorney, North Allegheny High School senior Jamela Martin steadily questions her client.
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