My main goal for Media Law and Ethics is that it not be a boring class. It used to be taught by old, white, male Law professors who assigned dreadfully dry Law textbooks and stood and lectured monotonously. I show videos, we talk about contemporary controversies, we play courtroom roles… it’s as much fun as I can muster. The final exam is to write your own personal code of ethics, and these kids sometimes really surprise me with how much they’re willing to put into them. One young woman ended hers with this anonymous quote:
“The world needs men and women… who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character above wealth; who possess opinions and a strong will; who are larger than their vocations; who do not hesitate to take risks; who will not lose their individuality in a crowd; who will be as honest in small affairs as in great; who will make no compromise with wrong; whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires; who will not say they do it ‘because everyone else does it;’ who are true to their friends through good and bad, in adversity as well as prosperity; who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheartedness are the best qualities for winning success; who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for truth when it is unpopular; who can say ‘no’ with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says ‘yes.’”
That’s what I’m going for. I’m trying to train a corps of freedom fighters — young people who will go out and fight the negative consequences of media conglomeration by telling good, important stories. I have developed a radical and controversial teaching style. I do things all out. I hear rumors about me all over town! HA! Sometimes I have to clean up my messes after I’ve taken things a bit too far — but it sure is provocative!
It’s the same thing I did, or tried to do, with my former friends who’ve chosen to stay friends with The Ex Husband. I will stand like an old, strong tree in my conviction that domestic violence will not end until we — all of us — won’t stand for it any more.
Hmpf. 
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I’d love for you to say more about your “radical and controversial” teaching style…I’ve never had any doubts about your ability to inspire students (you’ve proven that long ago), but in terms of innovation, tell us more about your creative methods! Thanks for sharing your student’s comments — it was inspiring. And sorry I missed catching you on the phone today; I forget to listen to my voice mail sometimes (it’s a new addition) and it’s a little late to try now! Tomorrow, though…
Really, I just say all the things I have always wanted to say but was afraid to… I get into the meat of the controversies… I show video of Ralph Reed and Pat Robertson hatching their five-step, ten-year plan for putting a fundamentalist President in the White House; I drew explicit connections between Terri Schiavo and the pushing through of federal judges not accepted last term; I show documentaries about the war and war coverage from all over the planet… but the neat thing is that we have conversations about all of these things in terms of, “Is this in keeping with the philosophy of the First Amendment?” “Is this the democracy we want to create?” One student stopped int he middle of class conversation last semester and said, “How come you’ll say all this stuff and nobody else will?” I also shared with them my own, very personal, Code of Ethics. I’ve really lessened the distance between them and me in some ways — it is tricky, but rewarding, too.
There are a handful of people in this world that I strive to be more like, and you are one of them. Thank you for teaching me.