I went to law school immediately after graduating college, so I did not have to make the same jarring adjustments as many of my older peers. Sure, law school is much different than undergrad, but I was used to being a student.
After going back for my LL.M., I’ve experienced many of the strange adjustments that my older law school classmates complained about, like unusual class times, the lack of a real paycheck, and becoming a hermit for finals.
We can also add a new unexpected adjustment to the list: planning for active shooters.
In one of my first classes after the Parkland high school shooting, my professor started the class with a PSA:
Professor A: “So, despite the president’s desires, I do not plan on carrying guns to class anytime soon. That’s not in the job description yet. However, you’ll note that the classroom door has a lock that we can activate in the unlikely event of an active shooter on campus. That’ll be the responsibility of the person sitting closest to the door — sort of like the emergency row of an airplane. However if the shooter comes from the other direction I’ll probably see him first…”
There were many uncomfortable laughs in the classroom. Many of us were probably thinking, “Oh, I forgot this was part of being in school.”
No Comments