Restorative Justice, Listening with Empathy, and Incorporating Poetry

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Session Type: Discussion Programs

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I came to law teaching with a JD, years of experience as a public defender, and an MFA in, and love of, poetry. Bringing the arts into a law school classroom—poetry, visual art, music—not only invites creativity into the room (and an element of fun) but also welcomes empathy and emotional connections. It can help law students strengthen their listening and communication skills, be fully present, build community, and assist in learning how to connect with clients. It can also help law teachers connect with their students and acknowledge commonalities.
The workshop was inspired by my teaching in restorative justice, which emphasizes speaking and listening from the heart as well as the mind, focusing on healing and accountability, rather than punishment and shame, and rebuilding relationships. In this workshop, we will talk about some of the basic elements of a restorative justice approach, which includes listening only to listen, rather than to respond. After discussing some of these concepts, participants will break into pairs to engage in a listening exercise with each other followed by a writing exercise, which will ultimately result in a short poem (following instructions I will provide). Participants don’t need to know anything about poetry or have creative writing experience, and will hopefully enjoy the experience we will all share. This exercise, or a variation of it, could be applied to any clinical or non-clinical teaching setting, to teach deep listening, self-reflection, and awareness of the needs of others. Reading and writing poems also reminds students that being more concise in one’s writing often results in more powerful and persuasive writing.