Asking your members to teach a class in a local school is one of the traditional ways your bar association can observe Law Day. Developed for inclusion in your bar association publication, the information in this article is designed to help your members feel comfortable in front of a class.

Tips to help build rapport with a class

Most students look forward to having community members speak with them as a break from their day-to-day routine. When you speak to a class, your challenge is involving students with your topic—in this case the Rule of Law: Foundation for Communities of Opportunity and Equity—and keeping them interested.

The following tips coupled with the lesson plan found in this year's Dialogue can go a long way in making sure that your classroom appearance is one that students remember as a welcome, informative break from their routine.

Involve students quickly. You can establish rapport by having students introduce themselves by saying their names and a fact about themselves. For example, you might ask students to name the place where they were born, a favorite subject or even what the rule of law means to them.
Reveal something about yourself. Tell them your name and answer the same question.
Establish your credibility by explaining something about your background, education and practice.
Identify the value and importance of the topic. You may need to think about some examples of the rule of law in your community and explain how it impacts students. You might want to ask about rules in the classroom and what those rules mean to individual students and the class as a whole. Then you can tie that discussion to the larger issue.
Tell the students what you are going to tell them and how you are going to do it. Let students know if you prefer to go through the material and go back for questions or if you will stop each time a student has a question.
Recognize the importance of vocabulary. Students often struggle with new words introduced with new concepts. Find ways to link legal terms to familiar concepts.
When you are finished, go back and tell the students what you said. Repeat why the rule of law is important.
Relax and enjoy the refreshing viewpoints students can offer.