My best day as a teacher is often when everything is done. I do not mean this to be snarky or mean-spirited, but it feels like every project, every extracurricular activity has a big "run-up" and at the end of the extracurricular activity or project it feels good to have successfully completed "a thing."

Every year in early October mock trial season begins. Mock trial begins with recruitment and much of the first two weeks consist of my assistant and I seeking new students to bolster our numbers. We focus mainly on recruiting freshmen and give presentations in freshman seminar classes with the hopes of recruiting some new blood. Recruiting for mock trial is tough because we are not flashy or really all that exciting -- mock trial is work and the competition is fierce, but if a student is interested in law we are a really great place to begin that exploration.

Once the recruitment phase is over we move to organizing teams and preparing students for competition. We use materials purchased from the OCLRE and bring in attornies to help coach our students and refine their skills. Our attornies are great and our students gain real insight as to what it is to be an attorney. I usually work with the witnesses and prepare them to answer questions. Being a witness is not just about knowing one's material but about being able to respond in a way that feels real (kind of like acting).

Competition season begins in January and it is all or nothing. A team that wins two trials moves on and if a team splits their two trials they go home. This is pretty tough on the kids because at its core mock trial is a team sport and everyone needs to pull their own weight. 

At the end of every season, we sit down with the kids and review the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is my favorite part because we can look at our work as a whole and plan for how we will do better next year. This is the point where we can all put our stamp on the season and say we completed "a thing" and next year we will do it again but better.

Casey C.