A powerful experience teaching
at the University of Pretoria
I approached the trip to South Africa with excitement and confidence, but also with trepidation about what the week would entail. Now, upon reflection, about two months after being at the University of Pretoria, I can honestly say that participating in this program was one of the more powerful experiences I have ever encountered in my life. I am so grateful for the opportunity to take part.
Our week consisted of 4 1/2 days of intense classroom instruction and student participation analyzing many angles and facets of “Special Economic Zones” – the history behind them, various legal, economic, and policy implications surrounding their implementation, and examining a number of case studies of countries that have enacted some form of this concept, some to great acclaim, and others to epic failure. We, as instructors, had the benefit of the course materials from the previous years of the course, which were incredibly helpful, but a fair amount of time and energy was required before our trip to review carefully, determine what was still relevant or not, update, as necessary, and adapt to our own styles. We had various planning calls as a group and each session team (there were two of us who co-taught every session) communicated on its own to prepare for specific classes.
While the beginning of the week was nerve-wracking… not knowing the students or their backgrounds, not having previously taught this material, teaching in a new environment, being in a new country far away from home, and working with colleagues I had hardly met before, it was a transformative experience to see how everything evolved and came together in such a wonderful, collaborative way over the course of the week.
The students warmed up to us very quickly and became very engaged in the subject matter, debating the key issues back and forth, asking great questions, and sharing their own personal experiences and backgrounds to help shape the conversation. Here, sitting before us, were 20+ students from more than 14 different African countries, including, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, and the DRC, many of whom grew up with very little, who had worked tirelessly to make a better life for themselves and their family and secure a graduate degree. From what we understood, this was a competitive program to get into and anyone who was there wanted to be there in a very profound way.
It was incredibly humbling to be in the students' presence throughout the week, realizing that we can never take anything for granted in life, but often do. Most of us have fortunately not gone through the familial, social, religious, or political struggles that a number of these individuals have faced, and to be in their presence was truly inspiring. The students worked very hard throughout the week in class, and then spent much of the last two days working in smaller groups preparing their own presentations (on implementing Special Economic Zones in countries we assigned to them) that they gave in front of the whole class on the last day. It was very rewarding to see how the students internalized much of the material we discussed throughout the week and weaved it into their own analysis.
On a personal level, it was also very special to spend a week with a number of DLA colleagues from various practice groups and offices. We worked hard together during the day and enjoyed getting to know one another at breakfast and dinner before and after hours. We truly walked away as close friends and grateful for the opportunity to develop these new relationships. We have all kept in close touch since our adventure, and an experience like this binds you for many years to come. We work in a huge organization in our own respective day-to-day worlds, and while we appreciate that we are part of something much greater, the demands of our practice don’t often allow us to get to know one another or appreciate what other groups, sectors, or geographies are doing. This experience provided the opportunity to learn from each other, share our personal and professional perspectives together and make us better integrated colleagues. Participating in this endeavor made me very proud to work for a firm that places such emphasis on giving back to the community in a very material way and makes sure colleagues from all regions are involved.
Yes, we taught these incredible individuals throughout the week, but we received much more than we gave…wonderful new friendships and an appreciation for life and the importance of making the most of every moment that we have.
Photo left to right: DLA Piper lawyers Joris Willems (Amsterdam), Edoardo Betto (Riyadh) and Jeremy Lustman.
Full teaching team: DLA Piper lawyers Edoardo Betto (Riyadh), Cathleen Donohoe (Palo Alto), Claire Donse (Sydney), Jacek Gizinski (Warsaw), Christine Jesseman (Johannesburg), Jeremy Lustman (Washington, DC) and Joris Willems (Amsterdam).
