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Teaching Philosophy
Personal Statement
An Essay by Gary L. Wolfstone, J.D.
garywolfstone@gmail.com
My teaching philosophy can be expressed in terms of two distinctly different metaphors ~ what I would hope to achieve in a courtroom,
on the one hand, and what I would hope to achieve in an art studio, on the other hand. First, what I strive to achieve in a law or justice
course is the same as
my philosophy of trying a case to a jury in a courtroom ~ I face my
students with the conviction that I have the burden of proof.
Burden of proof means that I have the task of “persuasion.” Just
as it is my challenge to persuade the jury to understand my case and
agree with my analysis of the facts in a court case, so too I must
persuade my students to respect the law, to apply the law to each
new case, and to reach a decision about right and wrong. In order
to accomplish this task, I must inspire my students to join me in this
journey of discovery.
I shall have reached my goal and shall have won my case if my
students acquire the same curiosity and passion that I have for the
law and legal process. As jury deliberations progress, jury members
form an interdependent relationship, and as my classes progress, I
am confident that my students will form the same interdependent
relationship with me and with each other.
Marcel Proust said it best ~ The voyage of discovery lies not in
finding new landscapes but in having new eyes. If I challenge my
students (as I am confident that I shall) to study with enthusiasm,
to look forward to each successive class, and to interact in the
classroom, then they will acknowledge (when they return their
verdict at the end of the course) that they have not only acquired
new skills and information but have also viewed legal problems with
fresh eyes.
In the courtroom, I marshal the facts. In the classroom, I
marshal my personal resources including but not limited to my
ability to demonstrate my compassion and excitement.
Second, the art studio metaphor is appropriate because
the practice of law is more art than science. David Deblinger at HB Studios said it best:
"What is most important to me is to transform the, ‘class’ into an ‘ensemble of artists,’ who come to build a bond of trust
and end up feeling supported and challenged to take a risk. That risk involves allowing oneself, emotionally,
to reveal and understand, more and more, personal truth."
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