When's the last time you had a student sit out w/you?

[Kyung]

This question is an offshoot of another discussion I have out there about what the policies are in different states about having students sitting out w/reporters.

And now I'm wondering, how often are the students sitting out? Who are they sitting out with?

If you've had a student sit out w/you, what are you hearing from the students? Do you like students sitting out w/you? Does your agency ask you if you'd like students to sit out with you? Do you volunteer to have students sit out w/you?

I'd really like to know.

Thanks.

[Cathryn Bauer]

I haven't. I would be very cautious about which students I'd have with me. I always felt that the reporters I sat in with did me an enormous favor, and I was mindful that my behavior reflected on them in their workplace. Now that I'm a working reporter, if someone wants to sit in with me, they're going to need to communicate that attitude to me.

[Tami]

The week before Christmas. Well, he's actually a new reporter now.

No doubt, the number is in the hundreds.

Any student (any reporter, for that matter) is welcome to sit in with me anytime. If she/he doesn't leave with an added desire to push through school and new excitement for this wonderful profession of ours, then I feel I've failed miserably.

[Kyung]

That's awesome, Tami.

[Anthony D. Frisolone]

I enjoy having students sit in with me. In the past eight or nine years since I started having students sit in with me it's been at least 30. The policy with regard to internship hours varies by school here in New York, but with one school in particular the hours have to be divided between freelance and official reporting. Recently in New York, for a degree-granting school the internship hours are now over 100 hours of internship.

I volunteer to have students sit in with me, I don't really need too much prompting. However, I do have my standards such as dressing appropriately, arriving on time, no chewing gum, being prepared to work the full day with me. being prepared in terms of having a notebook and taking notes on what I say, and having enough paper in their writer for the full day. They get the message from me that there's not playing games here and that I still have to do my job eve though they're there with me. Also, I try to get them to sit in with me for a week or so because every day is different and I like to give my students more of a week in the life of an official reporter rather than a day in the life. Also, when there's a trial going on and I'm not the reporter, I'll ask my co-worker if they don't mind having someone second seat with them. Most of the time, there's no problem. Generally, my co-workers are supportive of my working with students.

So far, I have not had a bad experience with a student, and since I teach the high speed class at night at a school here, I know all the students who are sitting in with me for their internship. If I don't know a student, I'll invite them to sit in with me anyway. Of course, if I don't like what I'm seeing then I'll make up a polite excuse as to why they can't come back but I've never had to use that one so far.

When a student is with me, I talk about what we're doing in court for that day. What certain terms mean. As the proceedings go on, I explain to them different things that are going on. Also, I bring my laptop ever day to the courtroom and so we talk a lot about realtime writing and equipment selection and setting up your equipment to do the job.

I don't have a preset routine with a students and I change things up based upon what I feel that student needs to know. Luckily, we have some fairly new staff member who have spent the majority of their careers as freelances and so I'll have the students talk to them about freelance reporting and what's expected from them in that area of the profession. I like doing that because court is usually the first stop for an intern and so if I can prepare them for the freelance portion of their internship while working with me in court, then I feel like I'm making the freelancer's job easier when that student goes to them.

The students love it and I have quite a few thank you cards from students over the years thanking me for having them sit in with them.

[Kyung]

AWESOME!!! You're a credit to the profession, Anthony. I think this is the type of thing that will really help students in the long run stick w/the profession.

Wonderful.

[Susan Crivello]

Anthony, I just posted on the forum about sitting in on depositions. I have not had any responses yet. I have been sitting in three times a week on DWI seizures, but I need to move on. I have already graduated from LIBI. If there is anyone out there who is working in the Long Island, NY area, let me know.

Thank you,
Susan

[Anthony D. Frisolone]

I have an idea. For those of us who are interested in doing this, we should go over to the students section and let them know that we're available for them to sit in with us. Sound good?

[Kyung]

Sounds great. I'd love to have students sit out w/me.