Mock Trial Reflection

· During Mock Trial, I felt both nervous and excited. The first year I joined the team, I was new to the area of performance and law. I was afraid that I would not be able to play my witness role correctly and would make a horrible mistake on stage. I was especially nervous about the cross examinations performed by the opposing attorney. Although we were able to memorize our questions and answers for our direct examinations, the witnesses were required to have exact knowledge of the case in order to answer any question the cross attorney threw at us. This made me nervous as I was afraid of not being able to answer a question in the correct manner. Also, the real judge that overlooked the trials was very intimidating. They constantly nitpicked at every detail regarding the case. Because I was not very familiar with the court setting, I was afraid that I would mess something up. Even though I was very nervous about my activity, I was also very excited to be able to perform a witness role and become familiar with the area of law. It was a new experience my first year and I was very eager to learn all of the aspects of the field. Having never been in a court room before, being able to go through a trial in one was a very exciting experience. In my second year of Mock Trial I was a little more confident. Although I did get nervous before the trials and about making a mistake, I was already familiar with the setting and procedure of the competition. This allowed me to focus on the task at hand and not be preoccupied with minor things such as court room etiquette and competition rules.

· I perceived this activity to be an eye-opening experience and a way to try something new. I started Mock Trial in 11^th grade which the year in which one would start thinking about his or her education after high school. I was able to understand a little bit about the field of law that way I would be able to decide whether it was a potential career choice for me. I saw that the area of law if very competitive and requires skills that I did not possess yet. By having the opportunity to talk to real attorneys and judges about their jobs, I was able to get a personal perspective into the field. I was also able to perceive the different aspects of the field. Prior to this activity, I did not fully understand the role of the attorneys and the different procedures that were performed in a court trial. The Mock Trial program gave me the chance to understand the different objections that could be performed, the appeals brought to the judge, and the role of the witnesses in the trial.

· I think that the Mock Trial program is a very excellent opportunity for students in high school to get experience in for a possible career. I am glad that I chose to do this activity for it has helped me improve my skills of public speaking and has increased my confidence. One of the skills required in this activity is the ability to be quick on one’s feet. During the trial, I did not often have the time to mull over my replies and I was therefore required to come up with a response in a quick and efficient manner. This activity helped me improve that skill and I am glad to say that I can give the correct response quickly enough in a trial. This activity has helped me improve my skills and I think that it was a very new and revealing activity.

· This activity means more to me personally than academically. Although Mock Trial is a great way to expose yourself to the world of law, it was not very academically inspiring for me. I found that I did not want to go into the law area of study because of the experience I had in Mock Trial. Although it was exciting at times, I don’t think I would be able to repeat this activity multiple times in the future. However, the activity had a lot of personal value to me. It has allowed me to improve my skills. I was also able to become comfortable working on a team. Although I had my specific witness role, I still interacted with the rest of the members of the team. I learned how to help other people improve while learning on my own at the same time. This activity allowed me to expand my horizons and try something new. However, I do not think it is the most valuable activity I have done for it has no academic value for me, which would help me the most at this point in life.

· I have learned many things in Mock Trial, but I do not think any of those things could be applied in my future. Although I was only a witness, I was still required to learn how the whole trial was performed. Ms. Taylor, along with some of the older team members, taught me and the rest of the team about objections, pre-trial motions and defense/cross examinations. Because I am not planning to go into law, I do not think I would be able to use that knowledge in the future. Another thing I learned in Mock Trial and something I could possible use in the future is the art of public speaking. Through Mock Trial, I was required to create an efficient memorization technique which I could use to study and remember other important things. One of the most important things I learned in Mock Trial was how to work with other people. Often times we would disagree about something pertaining to the trial so we would have to make a decision or come to a compromise. The ability to work as a team but still come up with your own ideas is a skill that could be very useful in the future in academics and on a day to day basis.