LAW DAY: Luncheon Featured Speaker: “The Law Through the Eyes of an 8th Grader”

Law day’s theme this year is “Toward a More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change.” Educators are the cornerstone of our country; the cornerstone of creating a more perfect union via our posterity. This year’s luncheon speaker is Ms. Rebecca Begley. She teaches United States history and civics at an eighth grade level and helps to mold the future of our community. Begley has been a middle school teacher for 26 years, and spent 24 of those years in the Millard Public School system. She loves every minute of it. As a mother of three and a teacher to many, she understands the importance of informing our next generation. 

Civics is a key factor to the state standards of education. For students, eighth grade is the cusp of transition; moving into high school, and preparing for a life as a young adult. It is a transition into the responsibilities of becoming a civically engaged and informed young adult. Begley notes, “A lot of kids at [the eighth grade level] start really thinking about what’s my role in [government] and where do I go from here.” Begley teaches all aspects of the constitution, and more importantly, instills in her students the fundamental concept of democracy that our country was founded on. This allows students to investigate and analyze the functions of the US government. “We do a lot of in-class inquiry, to try to discover the law itself, and their role in it.” They also discuss the importance of voting and how it is a way to perform civic engagement. 

This generation of students have more access to technology than ever. “[United States history] is one of my favorite subjects to teach because kids come with a variety of background knowledge.” Begley finds that lately this is because of television and TikTok. Having background knowledge from technology based sources – whether it helps with biases or not – can help kids determine reputable sources. It can help them understand how to discern truth from opinion. This easily translates into history. “Eighth grade American history looks at European exploration all the way into reconstruction after the civil war…we look through the lens of ‘what are the best resources to look at when evaluating history?’” This leads into the examination of primary sources and how to determine if there is bias, which is an important part of drawing conclusions to your own, informed, opinions. By examining primary sources, it can provide a factually based picture of politics in its rawest form. 

Her speech will discuss how important lawyers work is to the kids that she teaches. “Learning [about law] is really inspirational to a lot of kids; figuring out what are their rights and responsibilities in the United States and as citizens.” Something exciting Begley teaches in her classes is the reading over of old, and new, court cases. This is “incredibly engaging for the kids.” It allows them to have a taste of what it is like to cast judgment based upon our laws and constitution. This activity also shows kids the practical application of the Bill of Rights. She calls this activity: “Do They Have A Right?” It helps the students really think about how to interpret law and apply it to real life. Examining the actual practice and execution of law helps students internalize it.

Begley shares her favorite part about teaching: “For me, in general, it's the relationships, and having an impact and helping kids recognize their potential and worth. When it comes to teaching history and specifically teaching law, it's really about them recognizing and seeing what our country has to offer and how it is different from other countries.”