I think Julie McConnell’s piece on the decrease in life without parole sentences was really interesting, and I’m looking forward to hearing her talk more about it. I also think the mission statement was intriguing because so much of it focused on education as a means of “learning” their way out of a bad situation (anger management, psychological services, substance abuse education, etc.). And the contrast between the focus on education/rehabilitation at the Richmond jail and the various barriers present at Bon Air makes me glad that we can help out at Richmond but also sad that we aren’t able to do anything with Bon Air.

My questions for Julie McConnell:

You mentioned that you made a switch from being a prosecutor to a defense attorney. Was there a specific moment that prompted that switch? What moments have reinforced that switch, in your mind?

And my responses to Professor Dolson’s challenge:

I feel like I’ve learned so much from hearing everyone’s stories, whether in traditional “story” form or in bits and pieces that come from the different responses people have to the things we’ve talked about. Reading Writing Our Way Out opened my eyes to some of society’s narratives. As far as composing a college-level analytical essay… well, I’m not 100% sure I’ve done that yet! But with any luck, I’ll cross that one off the list eventually.

I think this class balances self-efficacy and community in a way that strengthens both elements – we work on our own to prepare for our time together (which shows our respect for each other and the class, right?) in order to grow both as individuals and as a community. As far as intellectual engagement, though, I think I’m doing really well. I’m somewhat (pleasantly) surprised at my time management, because I struggled with that a little in high school. But with my schedule here, I don’t really have any choice except to use any piece of time I can to study and do homework. And I think regarding ethical understanding, I believe that at the very least, I’m more open-minded after reading Writing Our Way Out.

I believe that everything worth doing is worth doing with 100% effort, and that’s pretty indicative of my approach to learning. I really value effort and engagement in learning communities. And in my mind, there’s nothing cooler than learning something awesome and looking over and seeing my peers smiling because they think it’s cool too. Learning cool stuff just brings me so much happiness, and I don’t know exactly why! But it happens.