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| Enhancing Your Career Through Teaching by Shaun Jamison For many years, I wanted to be a teacher. But somewhere that ambition got lost and I ended up practicing law instead. However, that's not the end of the story. Like many lawyers, I've been able to parlay my legal knowledge and speaking ability into teaching opportunities. Why teach? Because teaching is a networking opportunity, builds your resume and gives you additional professional status. However, the real reason to teach is because you have something to share and you enjoy teaching. Did you ever go to a CLE (Continuing Legal Education seminar) and think, "I would like to lead a CLE"? Do you like to stand up in front of groups? Do you find that you enjoy breaking down complex legal subjects for your clients? Then you may want to teach. There are as many ways to find teaching opportunities as there are teaching positions. Some are easier to come by than others. After performing volunteer work at a Women's Center, I was invited to teach their divorce information seminars. This led to numerous other invitations, and ultimately, to other teaching opportunities. A classmate of mine clerked in bankruptcy court, worked for the bankruptcy commission and later practiced bankruptcy law. An adjunct position teaching bankruptcy at a local law school was an easy sell. His firm lost no time announcing to the local bar that he was teaching the course and included a curriculum vitae with all of his publications as well. My shot at teaching a CLE seminar came after I volunteered to participate in a seminar for law students. My topic: "Starting Your Own Law Practice." Later, I was invited to give the same talk at a CLE. Speaking at a CLE is an excellent way to establish yourself as an expert. In some states, you get CLE credits for preparing and presenting CLEs as well. What makes a good teacher? Preparation and flexibility. You need to be ready to fill the time with relevant, informative and interesting material, and be ready to adapt to the needs of the students. This may mean adding or subtracting from the material you planned to present. Make certain that people can see and hear you, check your equipment before the presentation, listen to your audience and check in with them periodically to see if they are getting what they need. Plan your presentation around the objectives the students were given. In formal education, this is drawn from the syllabus, otherwise it is generally drawn from the course objectives submitted to the CLE board or given to the students via an advertisement. Teaching can be an end in itself if you love it. Teachers are needed on many levels, from law school, to Constitution Day at the high schools, CLEs to being a "reading buddy" for a struggling elementary school student. There's only one way to find out if it is for you - try it. |