Teaching law is tricky. The substantive law is only the beginning. Teaching law is also teaching students how to think about the law§how to argue for their positions; how to find the weak points in their opponents' and their own arguments; how to understand why and how the law changes; how to think about justice and fairness; and how to be ethical people while working as lawyers.

In earlier times, the "Socratic method" of teaching law, was done, I gather, in a dry, inquisitorial, and intimidating way. I prefer a less harsh style. I listen carefully to my students. I try always to understand what they have to say, and to find what is good or interesting in what they have said. In the classroom I try hard to develop an atmosphere in which students are not afraid to work at the edge of their knowledge, saying things that they are not sure are right, but which, because they are on the edge of certainty, are lively, interesting thoughts.

I do not intend by my style of teaching to allow students' ideas to escape rigorous scrutiny. Quite the contrary. I try to establish an atmosphere in which I can say the most direct and critical things about an answer or ideas without the student feeling that he or she has been personally attacked. Partly because I am able to communicate my affection for my students, I am usually able to correct, contradict, and argue without intimidating or humiliating them. When I am able to do this, the conversation can continue, for other students are encouraged to volunteer risky ideas, knowing that they will treated respectfully as well as rigorously and honestly.

When my classroom is at its best (which is not always), the conversation turns back on me. Students contradict me, argue with me, and vigorously defend their own ideas. It takes courage for students to do this. I do not condescend to my students, or hide from them what I know. But I want them to realize that there is no monopoly on wisdom and truth in my classroom.

I try to help my students appreciate that honest conversation and criticism can lead them (and me) to new insights. I try to train them to trust their own considered judgment, and always to be willing to test it in open argument. I want my students to learn both the strength that comes from confidence in their abilities, and the humility that comes from recognizing that they cannot always be right. I try to help them to develop the knowledge and self-knowledge that will permit them to serve well in the profession they are about to enter.