Starr finds Justice Teaching experience very rewarding
Starr finds Justice Teaching
experience very rewarding
& #x201c;Teaching these children was the most rewarding experience I have ever had.”Those were the words used by Elizabeth Starr, the bureau chief of the Division of Economic Crimes for the Regional Office of the Attorney General in Orlando, to describe her recent Justice Teaching visit to Frangus Elementary School.
Starr spent four days at Frangus and led interactive sessions with each fifth-grade class, using one of Justice Teaching’s most popular lesson plans, “The Invaders.” This lesson invites students to imagine a time in the future when the United States has been invaded by a group that seeks to take away our fundamental freedoms. The students are then asked to consider and choose only five of 10 listed constitutional rights they value the most and, therefore, would be allowed to keep. The exercise presents an opportunity for both the Justice Teaching volunteer and the students to explore why constitutional rights are invaluable to American citizens and how those rights are interrelated.
“the end of my first class, I was amazed at the passionate engagement of the students, their knowledge and perspective on these rights, and mostly their appreciation that I had taken the time to visit and talk with them,” Starr said. “They listened intently to explanations of the rights that exist to protect us and keep us safe.”
She said the students were “visibly uncomfortable and bothered” by the task of choosing between these rights.
“I watched them at the moment they realized they had an interest in the law,” Starr said. “It was moving for them, and it was moving for me.”
On the final day of her Justice Teaching visit, Starr was presented with thank-you cards from each of the students. One card — its cover illustrated by an enormous heart — stated: “Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to teach us about the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.”
Another student made some very specific requests of Starr: “If you have any time left, can you come back again? I had so much fun. And can you do something for me? Can you wish me luck on my FCAT and wish me luck on my life, too?”
Starr said her Justice Teaching experience with Frangus Elementary School exceeded her expectations, and she has since encouraged her peers to join her as a Justice Teaching volunteer.
“I have volunteered in many different ways throughout the years, helping the homeless, raising money for foundations, attending galas for children, collecting food and clothes for kids,” Starr said.
“Teaching these children was the most rewarding experience I have ever had.”
If you would like to learn more about becoming a Justice Teaching volunteer, please visit www.justiceteaching.org.
