My first seat deposit has been made! After visiting Southern Illinois University School of Law last week, I know that my decision is good. Nothing about the trip made me nervous, except the distance. Six hours is an awfully long travel time. Everything about the school was perfect, though. The students were friendly (and happy with their choices), the professors were eager for me, the faculty was extremely helpful, and the grounds were peaceful. I found the perfect place to live (utilities included; they’ll find roommates for me; leases are individual; most importantly—I will have my own bathroom). I am anxious to start.And I am very anxious to see what I earn on the next LSAT. Studying has been especially hard this past week with travelling to Carbondale and then my quarterly training in Springfield with AmeriCorps. There goes five full days. However, the travel was all necessary. For AmeriCorps, we trained a few hundred elementary students in Citizen CPR and taught others basic emergency response practices. I crawled on the floor with special education students to show how you stay away from smoke; watched colleagues stop, drop, cover, and roll with students; and challenged students to clearly assess how they would react to someone in urgent need. It was very fulfilling. That is my everyday. I love my job more than I thought I would and more than I usually realize. Every day I make a difference. Every day I teach children how to save lives. Every day the children teach me.
Yesterday, as I was preparing a VHS tape, the television was on C-SPAN’s coverage of the budget hearing. A fifth grader shouted, “Yay! Judge Judy!” I asked these accelerated students what we were watching. “Where are they? What’s happening here?” None of these brilliant students knew. I gave an impromptu civics lesson on the government provided television station; what a budget is; and the similarities and differences between personal & federal budgets. I never stopped to think about how much knowledge I have on little things like this.
Teaching is a great inspiration to learn more, do better, and do good. AmeriCorps is the best thing I could have done with my interim period between my undergraduate and postgraduate studies. I have had a million opportunities I would not have had anywhere else. I hope I never forget it.
