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The Year 11 Legal Studies course was special to me.  I had a great teacher, who believed in me and my ability. Mr. Ward made a point of singling me out during class, so that I could type to clarify something, or to ask a question, with the support of Gordana my Aide and ally.  He also assessed all my assignments, including the ones that I did at home. Because I communicate by typing with support, I often do my longer pieces of work at home with Mum who is by far the best facilitator. On the other hand, the school administration would question any assignment not done at school for the obscure reason that it may not be my work. However, Mr. Ward made a point of bending the law in my case.

Mr. Ward encouraged our interest in the law by making us read up newspaper articles and to write about something that concerned legal matters.  One of my assignments was a review of an article in the Age entitled, ‘Courts treated like car factories” by Leonie Woods on 10 May, 2012.  At the time, there was a debate in the news about assessing the work of the courts according to productivity guidelines. As expected, there were outcries from many notables in the field including Chief Justice Marilyn Warren who was withering in her condemnation of what she saw as an encroachment of the independent functioning of the courts.  The topic was intriguing as I felt that this whole rigmorale on how the legal system should meet productivity and financial targets was an unacceptable attack on how justice could be better served.  I got an A+ for my assignment, and the comment, “This is masterfully written! Well done, Tim.” from Mr. Ward.  I think I did well because not only did I become interested in the skillful way the subject was presented but also because I was made to feel very included as a valued member of the class.

One of the highlights of our course was the excursion to the County Court. We visited one of the courtrooms, where the judge gave us a talk about the general  layout and  functions of the County Court and its jurisdiction with respect to the court system. Mr. Ward then asked for a photo with the judge and the associate, and nominated me to represent the class.  My brush with the law on this occasion was a very positive experience.