March Madness: Supreme Court Version

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I really should get some sleep, but I have to jot down some thoughts about class tonight first. This was one of the most fulfilling days that I have experienced as a college instructor, thus far. The chapter that we covered is probably the driest material in the entire textbook: the judicial system. There are several Latin terms, a lot of procedural dos and don’ts, and it is difficult to make it sound interesting. It is important; don’t get me wrong … just not particularly riveting.

I took my lecture notes with me to lunch earlier today, to spend some more time prepping before the 6pm class. As I was looking back over a few sections, this picture began to piece together in my head. I thought it might be corny, but it was worth a shot!

Here’s what I drew on the whiteboard when I got to the classroom:

The players in the judiciary

The players in the judiciary

Using the March Madness basketball theme, I sketched a basketball court for the University of Common Law whose motto is “stare decisis.” The “C” in center court stands for Constitution. The referee has “jurisdiction,” while the two coaches are yelling, “Justiciable controversy!” and “Standing to sue!” to have their issues heard.

The player with the ball is “activist,” because he’s on the offense, and the player who is just standing there is “restraintist.” The two baskets represent types of precedent that the judiciary weighs when making decisions: case law and statutes.

The cheerleaders represent interest groups on the side of the court. The Supreme Court justices are on the right (there are 9), and four of them are circled, since that’s how many have to agree to hear a case. The Senate is in the lower right corner, keeping an eye on the court and saying, “Bork” because they might not want to confirm one of the judges.

Appellate Courts Bracket

Appellate Courts Bracket

On the far right, next to the Common Law seal (with a scroll to symbolize the Constitution), I put sample brackets to represent the U.S. District Courts (there are 94), U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals (only 13 of these), and finally the end of the line: the Supreme Court.

I really liked being able to reference the board instead of just the PowerPoint slides as we went through the material, and I think it helped to put some of the concepts into practical (albeit silly) terms.

I was pleased enough that the lesson went over better than I had hoped, but that isn’t even the best part of the class. One of the students who is doing really well in the class came up to me at the end and asked for my advice about possibly switching his major to political science. Wow! I know it isn’t just because of my awesome teaching (lol), but I’d like to think that I had a little bit of influence toward his interest in the subject! 🙂  It made my day.

Soar! (Prayer Devotional for the week of March 16, 2014)

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I had the privilege once of riding shotgun in a private plane. It was, without a doubt, one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. Flying is a completely different experience from the co-pilot’s seat! I got to wear a headset and listen to the pilot communicate with air traffic controllers, and he toggled between channels so that we could talk to each other, as well.

He shared that people often have the misconception that planes can just fall out of the sky like a rock. On the contrary, even in an emergency situation, a pilot can usually glide the aircraft to the ground. A plane doesn’t flap its wings like a hummingbird; it soars like an eagle. With little adjustments here and there, it uses the wind to its advantage and flies high and far.

In Isaiah 40, the author shared some insights with the pooped-out Israelites. The people were feeling weary and began murmuring about whether God even cared about them at all. In v. 30, Isaiah reminded them that even young people get tired (Amen from any college students subsisting on Red Bull & Ramen?) Later in v. 31, he says: “But those who trust the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired” (CEV).

We can’t go through life frantically flapping our wings, y’all. Believe me; I’ve tried. (Anyone else a do-it-yourselfer besides me? If I just try harder, then maybe I can make it work …) We need to learn when it’s time to exchange our hummingbird tendencies for eagle wings (by letting the Holy Spirit lift and push us forward). God doesn’t want us to be weary and barely able to function.

Now, don’t take this analogy to mean that you’ll never experience turbulence when you put your trust in the Lord. There will certainly be times when we, like the pilot, must make adjustments and maneuver through the storm, but as Matthew 5:8 reminds us – our needs are no surprise to God. He saw the turbulence coming before you even encountered it. Hold your course and keep trusting him. “The Lord gives strength to those who are weary” (Isaiah 40:29, CEV). He wants you to soar!

And now, we wait.

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I have some exciting news to report, although it comes on the heels of not-so-great circumstances. (If you are a sympathetic puker, then you may want to skip a couple of paragraphs.)

I stayed home sick from work yesterday and slept until after noon (it was about 12:30pm when I got out of bed). I began feeling bad during the night and woke up a few times with shivering chills that made me feel nauseated. My room wasn’t really cold, but I turned on the portable heater and bundled up in blankets, anyway. I slept fitfully until my alarm went off, then after tapping Snooze a couple of times, I thought I would try to tackle the day. I made it as far as the shower before I threw up. Yuck, but at least it wasn’t my sheets. I fell back into bed with damp hair, swype-typed an email to my boss on my phone, and went back to sleep.

My mom had already planned to take the boys swimming at the Y yesterday (since I was supposed to be at work), so they were gone when I woke back up. I’m so thankful for her help this week while they’ve been out for Spring Break. I fixed myself some toast and sat in my writing chair (cushy armchair by my bed). It took a good half-hour before I felt like I could function upright, but at least the nausea had passed. I just nibbled my toast and sipped some water.

When I finally felt like I was coherent enough to string a few words together, I opened my dissertation draft and started working. Over the next few hours, I completed the almost-final draft that I needed to send to my committee before my defense on the 24th. (<<That’s only 10 days, y’all!!) They will likely have more edits to recommend after the defense, and it’s possible that some of the committee may respond beforehand with other changes, but for now … I wait.

I texted my bff to tell her the good news, and she suggested celebrating with a glass of wine. Unfortunately, the very thought of drinking anything other than water or eating anything at all made me feel gross again, so the celebration will have to wait. Worst yet, the last thing that I ate the night before I got sick was fried mushrooms from George’s – one of my favorite dishes at one of my favorite restaurants – but now, I think it’ll be a very long time before I can stomach them again. I don’t know if that’s what made me sick (I hope not!), but just the association with being sick will take a while to get over. (It’s the same reason why I couldn’t eat pineapple for nearly a year after a bad episode in Thailand, but I’ll spare you the details of that ordeal.)

So, here we are. I will hit the road a week from tomorrow with a girlfriend who graciously offered to tag along for the drive, and we’ll get to Georgia sometime on Sunday afternoon. My defense is scheduled for 3pm EST on Monday the 24th, and I would appreciate your prayers for a clear head, articulate presentation, favor with my committee, and/or whatever else comes to mind. 🙂 We’ll start the return trip on Tuesday and get home on Wednesday. I really appreciate the grandparents for tag-teaming with the kids at home!

Cometh to the Dark Side (A review of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars, by Ian Doescher)

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I have been remiss in posting this review (though as far as excuses go, I have been a wee bit busy finishing my dissertation). 😉 For the past four years that I have been working toward this degree, I have given myself literary rewards as incentive to keep myself on track with my studies. Leisure time is hard to come by while balancing grad school with a full-time job and parenting, much less any semblance of a social life. I love to read, so allowing myself time to read a novel – or anything other than a textbook, really – is a treat when I reach certain goals along the way.

That said, I was given the opportunity to review Ian Doescher’s book, William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope, and I couldn’t resist. It is positively hysterical. The storyline is easy to follow if you are familiar with the Star Wars saga at all, and the Shakespearean tone is a hoot.

Format-wise, the book is written like one of Shakespeare’s plays, complete with character notations, dialogue, stage directions and scene descriptions. My favorite character in the book is R2-D2, because although he only speaks in bleeps and bloops in the dialogue, Doescher has taken poetic license to provide some insight into R2-D2’s thoughts in the narrative. Sweet little heroic droid!

If you are a fan of Shakespeare, a fan of Star Wars or interested in dabbling in either, this book is a fun place to begin!

Disclaimer: I was provided a complimentary copy of the book but received no other compensation for this review.