.jpg)
By Sunny Muthuswami, Justice and Legal Thought Scholar
We’ve seen explicitly in the last few years that the justice system and the legal systems are deeply ingrained in our society, and that they manifest differently for individuals. It is and will not be the same experience for everyone. Our students should be well prepared for that harsh reality, and should be equipped with tools to face it.
As a Justice and Legal Thought Scholar, I have come to accept that this is what drives our lives: justice, legislation, the consequences. It dictates our lives in many more ways that we can consciously think of. The justice system and the legal or legislative system are crucial parts of living in the United States, as they are founding and guiding principles by which we abide.
It’s become increasingly clear that we need to educate ourselves and our young people especially to these systems and how they affect daily life. Most students do not get a great civics course or lesson in the American public school system, and many of the more intense civics or government related classes are electives. Many children do not even know that there are three branches of our government. We need a better way to teach our young students about these systems, so they are prepared when they eventually come face to face with it. This was my guiding belief throughout my service-learning project, that students deserve to be educated on the systems that ultimately control them. It is extremely important that students know how these systems work and what to expect from them. It will directly affect their futures and they have aright to be properly informed on the system.