Brockport High School Teacher Kerry Blocker's Participation in Government classroom was converted into a courtroom recently as students determined whether a defense of battered child syndrome would be enough to acquit an 18-year-old accused of killing his stepfather. It didn't take long before the prosecution and defense were objecting on the grounds of leading the witness, hearsay and irrelevance. The "Honorable Kerry Blocker" presided over the court and had all the evidence at her fingertips so she could quickly decide whether to sustain or overrule the students' objections. Blocker only needed to use the gavel a couple of times during the mock trial to call "order to the court." In addition to learning about the legal process, students learned about child abuse, premeditation and the difference between state and federal statutes and Supreme Court rulings. Over the course of the half-year class, students have had visits from a police officer and politicians, visited Attica State Prison, and learned through current events using a news magazine. The mock trial was the students' final grade for the course. February 12, 2006 |
