“Dear Honorable Judge Young, I learned so much! I am so very grateful that my grade and I got to visit the beautiful courthouse and your lovely courtroom. I loved getting a behind the scenes tour with you. The courtroom was nothing like I expected...it was much better! When I get a chance to go to Boston I am definitely going to ask my parents to go to the courthouse. I also liked watching the trials that were going on. I thought it was fascinating to not just see a courtroom on TV but to actually be in one. After learning so much from you I think I might want to be a judge just like you! I learned so much about the people in the courtroom so now when I'm in law school I will know more than anyone else! Thank you so much!
Kind Regards,
Abby Crowell
Fifth Grade
Wampatuck School
Scituate, MA”

“Through Children Discovering Justice, students begin to understand what our social responsibilities are – what is meant by good character and being a good citizen.  Kids need to know how their decisions will impact them for years to come.  This program gives them tools for understanding that.”
—C. Sura O’Mard, principal, Ralph Waldo Emerson School (Boston Public Schools)


“My students have not only learned important parts of history, but have at the same time acquired key knowledge in understanding moral and social behavior.”
—3rd Grade Teacher, Joseph Lee School, Dorchester (Boston Public Schools)


“Some day I want to become a mentor in the Legal Apprenticeship Program, as good as the mentor I had!”
—Ramona Coleman, college student and former legal apprentice

“Discovering Justice encourages children to think, speak, shape, and share their thoughts. They learn about themselves while they are educating others.”
—2nd Grade Teacher, Higginson School, Roxbury (Boston Public Schools)


"The students' excitement meter was running at peak capacity for the entire day [at the courthouse] and they haven't stopped talking about their visit!”
—Kimberly Themelis, Teacher, E.N. Rogers Middle School (Lowell)

“It's rewarding to see students take something they have some familiarity with from television or the movies and, in a relatively short time, see their understanding of the system grow. Middle school students are at a great age. They're on the cusp of making life decisions. Discovering Justice provides a great forum to work with such students.”
—Pratik Shah, attorney and former Legal Apprenticeship Program mentor


“[Students  learned that] their voice is one of many that contribute to the system we live in; that they are part of a bigger picture; that grown-ups do not just make up rules to torture children; that not every rule is right and that they have the power to question rules that are unfair; that education and knowledge of rules and people help them see what is fair and not fair.”
—1st Grade Teacher, Perry School, South Boston (Boston Public Schools)


“Civic Education is the part of education that transmits the growth of skills and habits that allow us to be human, to be more just, loyal, respectful, conscientious, and democratic.”
—Third grade teacher, Amigos School (Cambridge Public Schools)


“[The students’] answers almost always boil down to one central theme: that everyone deserves a fair trial, and that there are two sides to every story.  I would not have expected eight- and nine-year-olds to grasp this concept, considering the polarized state of ‘debate’ today, but they do.”
—Shelbey Wright, Discovering Justice Trustee and parent, speaking about Children Discovering Justice field trips


“I learned that everybody has to take responsibility for what they do.”
—Nathan, third grade student, Henry Higginson School, Boston Public Schools (on what he learned in Children Discovering Justice)

“I have two classroom rules: to appreciate differences and to respect living things and property.  I brainstorm rules with my class every year.  I write down all the students' ideas and we narrow them down to a couple of basic rules.  Out of that, we create a class contract that everyone’s behavior is measured against, including mine.  We make the rules together, and they belong to all of us.  We live it and say it every morning, directly after the Pledge of Allegiance.  It's our pledge, our commitment to be good citizens in our school environment.

Discovering Justice is not only reading about justice but living it and writing about it.  For the kids, it’s a connection to their lives.  They’re not just writing and talking about abstract concepts, they’re applying the things they learn about to their own lives.  I have a holistic approach to teaching, and Discovering Justice helps me to achieve my goals.  Developing our students as humane citizens, I believe, is every bit as important as developing them as scholars.”
—Maria Ciampa, third grade teacher, Oliver Perry School, South Boston (Boston Public Schools)

“It connects directly with their (the students') lives and enables us to talk about many important topics that children this age are particularly interested in.”
—first grade teacher, Cunningham School (Milton Public Schools)


“I love that it [Children Discovering Justice] is standard-driven and built around an essential question. I like the children’s literature and that it’s organized into units.”
—Maggie Slye, former third grade teacher, Jackson Mann School (Boston Public Schools)

“I love the [Children Discovering Justice] program. It is clear and concise. The students look forward to completing the activities and hearing the stories.”
—Second grade teacher, Warren Prescott School, Charlestown (Boston Public Schools)


“It [Children Discovering Justice] helped my class to develop a just classroom community – a community in which children feel empowered to effect change on a daily basis.”
—First grade teacher, John Eliot School, North End (Boston Public Schools)


“Thank you again for hosting Fenway students. They got just what they wanted: an inside look at the workings of the law, down to the actual bar that lawyers must pass! They soaked up every word”
—Rosemary Sedgwick, Director of School Development & Partnerships, Fenway High School (Boston Public Schools)