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Honorable Jim Shumate, 5th District Court
On Tuesday, September 10, 2002, I met Travis Christiansen outside the office at Hurricane High School to begin our morning working with
Mrs. White's classes in the Dialogue on Freedom. The setting couldn't have been better because the classroom where we started had belonged to Travis' father from the construction of the
school until he retired as the legendary football coach of Hurricane High. It also didn't hurt that Mrs. White's husband Wes is a member of the Bar and occasionally appears in my Court.
The students had all seen the video presentation, so they had a reasonable background, but when school starts at 7:50 a.m. the teenage mind is a bit sluggish. Still, once Travis and I
began to volley ideas and questions back and forth we began to get some response. The students were a bit startled by the Socratic method of teaching but the dialogue started to move
after about ten minutes.
Our participants needed to be goaded into defending their freedoms occasionally, but the idea of teenagers only being allowed to wear jewelry approved by
the "State Committee on Earrings" served as a catalyst for some searching discussion. Repeated challenges of "Why do you think that?", were sometimes needed, yet the
overall impact seemed to be positive.
Much of the world of today's youth accepts our free society as a given, and this exercise was valuable as a tool to examine some of those
assumptions and to point out that our Constitutional system is not universal. This was a very satisfying experience and I would encourage its continuation.
(Some might think our
approach of being "Travis" and "Judge" a bit informal, but the setting demands relaxed participants.)
Nathan D. Alder, Attorney at Law
I conducted
"Dialogue" discussions at two middle schools in Salt Lake County. It was a rewarding experience. It was an honor to be there with those kids.
I asked who wanted to be our
mayor, or our governor, or the president of our country. A few hands went up for president, a few more for governor, and several for mayor. Then we had a lively discussion about the
differences between Quest and America. The kids had great insights. I was impressed. At the end of the discussion I asked some of the kids what they wanted to be when they "grow
up." There was a lot of ambition in the room. They wanted to be authors, marine biologists, lawyers, teachers, movie stars, inventors, and the like. One even said he wanted to be the
next Bill Gates. I was pleased that they realized that the son or daughter of a salvage yard worker, or a cleaning maid, or a miner, or a truck driver, or anything else, could become
almost anything in America. They realized that America was a special place where its many individuals could aspire to great opportunities. What interested me the most was to see the light
bulb go on for these young kids as they realized that freedom and democracy were the bedrock of fulfilling their dreams. They were keenly aware that our democracy is by the people and for
the people, and that it should benefit all, not just a few. They also realized that education and hard work were key factors to their individual success. I think they walked out of there
with more gratitude for our democracy and freedom. It was such a positive experience that I allowed myself to think that I may have made a difference in these young people's lives. I sure
hope so.
Karen Hale, Utah State Senator
Lisa Adams and I spoke to several classes of middle school students. Many of the classes we visited were composed of ESL (English
as a Second Language) students. As we talked about the Constitution, we discussed the right to vote and what "representation" means. This part of the discussion was particularly
interesting to me, as students were asked why they should know who represents them, why they should care and why they should participate in the political process. "Why are the
decisions I make as a state senator important to you?" I asked. "How are you effected?" The class was silent. Finally, one young man looked as if a light had just gone on
in his head. "Uniforms?" he asked. Suddenly the students, all wearing uniforms, realized that they truly are effected each day by the decisions made by elected officials.
We then talked about the importance and the empowerment of voting. Before we played the video, we first asked the students to describe America. If they were talking to their friends
who live in other countries, we asked, how would they describe Americans? The answers were interesting, and for the most part, positive. Students used words like proud, happy, patriotic,
friendly, smart, rich. Next we asked the students how their friends in other countries would describe Americans. The answers changed. The students used words like greedy, fat, selfish,
spoiled.
We then showed the video, which reflected many of the same sentiments students felt their foreign friends would express. After viewing the video, we talked about personal
rights we enjoy here in the United States Ð rights that were not enjoyed in the Land of Quest. We, at times, allowed only certain students to comment and be a part of the discussion. We
told others they could not. Students became very indignant when their right to speak was not honored. "You can't do that," they retorted. "Why not?" we asked.
"Because we have freedom of speech," they cried. The discussion then focused on other rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to present this program in the schools.
Dave Harper, West High School Teacher
The anniversary of 9/11 took on additional meaning for
most of the Social Studies students at West High this year. As part of the commemoration of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the Utah State Bar Association sponsored guest
speakers throughout the state focusing on the Dialogue on Freedom Program. The Dialogue on Freedom Program was initiated by the Justices of the United States Supreme Court.
West
High School History teachers were eager to take advantage of this program offered by the Utah Bar group. Over ten different attorneys, elected officials, and the Mayor of Salt Lake City,
Rocky Anderson, visited individual classes over the week of September 9th sharing with the students valuable lessons on what freedom means to students of other countries and how our
freedoms have developed in this country. Each session included an open question and answer time for students to guide their guests to topics important to them. An excellent role playing
video accompanied the visits which helped establish the tone and topics for discussion.
West High teachers agreed that the class time was well spent in this endeavor causing their
students to view the events of 9/11 differently as well as the kinds of freedoms they enjoy here in Utah. A deeper understanding of our own nation resulted from each visit. Every teacher
who participated with the Utah State Bar expressed their hope that these kinds of visits would continue and aide them in helping their students understand and value freedom in America and
differing systems in other nations.
West High School gratefully thanks the Utah State Bar Association for the Utah Dialogue on Freedom.
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