Published: April 22, 2008 06:05 pm            

McDONALD: Growing ‘flowers’ in court

Editor’s note: The opinions of the columnists on these pages are those of the writers and not the management or staff of The Evening News or The Tribune.



“Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.”

— John W. Gardner

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John Gardner’s words indicate that we need to include into the process of education experiences that involve students in observing, synthesizing, concluding and making decisions for themselves. Any educator will tell you that students have to be engaged in the process to drive home meaning.

With limited resources this is becoming increasingly more difficult to accomplish. This means that hands on experiences must deliver a healthy return for the expenditure. I teach government and economics, two subjects that a large portion of students don’t get too excited about. However, has been in the past an activity that my government students universally look forward to participating in, Teen Court.

Teen Court was initiated nearly 10 years ago jointly through the Clark County Youth Shelter and Superior Court 1 of Judge Jerry Jacobi. Begun with a grant, the project nearly died on the vine after only three sessions after a change in leadership at the Youth Shelter.

There are many Teen Court programs in existence. Typically some run a sort of Moot Court where the cases are fictional but based in reality. Others may be real cases but they are held in courtrooms after hours. Teen Court in Clark County actually began that way.

However, after those first three sessions, Jacobi picked up the mantle and sought to mold a Teen Court experience that planted seeds and mentored young people in a real and meaningful way. Jacobi consulted with educators and molded a program that has become a legacy project in Clark County.

I have taken many of my senior government classes to Teen Court over the years and the experience has enriched all of the students. Teen Court as Jacobi molded it is an actual case involving a teen offender. The teen has admitted guilt but the Teen Court listens to testimony from the accused, parents and others to apply a just sentence.

Teen Court under Jacobi had a powerful impact for several reasons. First and foremost, the case was real and highlighted mistakes that all teenagers face. Secondly, there was genuine commitment from Judge Jacobi. Teen Court is held on Friday mornings during business and school hours so there is added commitment from students and volunteer lawyers who assist in the process. For students, since the court is during school hours, commitment and attendance is mandatory.

The key to the success of the program is the commitment and leadership that came from Judge Jacobi. In his last year on the bench of Superior 1, his court had the second busiest docket of any court yet Jacobi presided over 159 of the 164 Teen Court sessions during his tenure.

John Quincy Adams once said “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” Leadership is the key to a successful program. If the person at the top is not fully committed and engaged, do not expect others to be committed.

When I took my students to Teen Court to serve either as jurors, advocates, bailiffs, court reporters or observers, they were engaged in the process. During testimony and questioning, Judge Jacobi would often find teachable moments and instruct advocates and those in the courtroom from the bench.

The enjoyable part of the Teen Court experience for me was always the debriefing back in the classroom after the session. My students would always be enthused and sometimes critical of the teenagers who were on trial. They are the harshest critics of their peers and would often tell me how the testimony did not seem to hold up under questioning or how impressed they might have been with the authenticity of a teenager who clearly just made a mistake.

The neat thing about the program is that we are training future citizen jurors. They are getting a foretaste of civic duty and it makes a positive impression on them. To be honest, since Judge Jacobi has not been in Superior One I have not seen the level of commitment to the program. The students do not get the instruction and teaching from the bench that so adds to the richness of the program.

I wish Judge Jacobi Godspeed in his stand for Superior 2.

His intellect is impressive as is his experience as an attorney, prosecutor and superior court judge set him apart from others. However, most impressive is his commitment and authenticity as a public servant.

I have known Judge Jacobi for five years and we don’t always agree, but I respect his intelligence, commitment to education and his depth of experience. While I have not met all four of the Superior 2 candidates I have met and spoken at length with two. To let someone of Jacobi’s knowledge and experience slip by when experience level will be at a low point after this election would be a disservice to the courts. While I wish the best of luck to all the candidates, to my friend I say Godspeed to you judge and thank you for your work with Teen Court.

Tim McDonald is a local educator, lecturer and doctoral student. He can be reached at timothy.mcdonald@agsfaculty.indwes.edu

        

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