Take II: Education is Key
As you probably read in my first blog, Andalas University (UNAND) is known for its profound pride in education. So, when several lecturers asked me to present classes, I was ready to tackle the challenge head-on (and it was definitely a challenge).
More specifically, I was asked to focus my lecture on comparative election law between Indonesia and the United States. I haven’t studied election law yet, so I began researching the foundation behind elections. My first class comprised 50 students, and I broadly compared the United States and Indonesian constitutions. Besides the fact that constitution law was by far my hardest class (primarily because I grew up solely trying to overcome poverty and generational trauma), it was also intimidating teaching a class of dental students (on top of our language barrier).
I thought to myself, what is the best way to engage each student’s attention? Naturally, I led with my introduction to William & Mary Law School and its commitment to fostering citizen lawyers. In doing so, I hoped that each student would appreciate that, as a law student, I had a duty to contribute to the broader field of law.
In comparing each constitution’s overall structure and influence, I gave an in-depth account of the Bill of Rights and the 13th, 19th, and 26th Amendments. Then, I transitioned to explaining Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) to stress the necessity that each person appreciate their individual rights. Taking it a step further, I asked the class which rights they had taken for granted. The class was shy, so I offered insight into their right to religion…”What if your country denied your right to practice religion freely?”
I still wasn't sure if I was received well. (The class was primarily crickets, and on a Friday afternoon). It wasn’t until after I quizzed the students on our material, that the class answered each question right! The class showered with admiration in a video, “Good Job Mecca!” (This is definitely where I would input the Kamala Harris Gif, We did it Joe!)
The following week, I met with another Constitutional Law class to discuss America's Judicial branch (I really don’t think you all understand how challenging Constitutional Law was for me; it was almost as if everyone spoke a different language). Luckily, I had an amazing professor the semester prior who was more than passionate for the both of us (Shoutout to Professor Hu, without her support I would never have had the confidence to teach this class).
Similar to the week before, my shy class left most of the lecture to my instruction. This particular class, I emphasized the importance of checks and balances within our Judicial system. Because this class consisted of law students, I illustrated that our constitutional law is shaped from case law in addition to the the power granted by our Constitution.
After speaking for over an hour, I opened the floor for review (when the entire class is crickets, it’s probably best to make sure they understand you lol). I was shocked when my student Arriel announced his admiration for the American Judicial students and how case law enabled understanding amongst our citizens. (Fun fact: this is outlined in the mission statement of Indonesia's Constitutional Court). I never thought about it like that, so I humbled in gratitude.
I told the class that Arriel’s takeaway is why speaking even if uncomfortable is necessary. While I understood their apprehension to openly speaking (heck, I was terrified to speak out loud in my Constitutional law class) Arriel and I would not have had an exchange of perspective if I allowed my fear to withhold me from speaking.
I went above and beyond to share a learning experience I gained during my freshman year as an undergrad. My freshman year of undergrad I had a Persian teacher, and I felt intimidated to understand his accent. Instead of pushing past my challenge to understand, I put myself into a box and crippled my ability to learn through discomfort. It wasn’t until I had received my first failing grade on a math exam (and I absolutely LOVE math) that I refused to me enabled by my ignorance. My point was, that even if the students felt uneasy about speaking in English, they were not alone in learning how to adapt to their current circumstance (hey, I'm halfway across the world lol)!
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Until next time
“Be bold because you don’t know how your idea can change the history of your country!”