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Appellate judge speaks with preschoolers
Fair Play, MO. – Judge Gary Lynch is used to speaking in front of audiences. As a member of the Missouri Court of Appeals, he regularly addresses an array of groups, from fellow judges and attorneys to college students and civic organization members. These groups were only prelude to his most challenging audience: a preschool class full of five-year-olds.
Judge Lynch was asked to visit the classroom on Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and read the students a book about Lincoln. The lesson that Judge Lynch would teach on this day, however, was not confined to the 16th president.
“None of the kids had ever met or talked with a judge before,” Judge Lynch said. So he spent a substantial portion of his time explaining to the children what a judge does. He also addressed some of the basic concepts of the legal system in a way that they would be able to understand.
“It gave me the opportunity to talk with them about how important it is to tell the truth,” he explained. Judge Lynch was not simply imparting important life lessons for the youngsters. His discussion with them provided a foundation to develop an understanding of the importance of the courts in our system.
“They were very attentive and asked some great questions about what judges do,” Judge Lynch said.
While some may think that information about the role of the courts is wasted on five-year-olds, they would be wrong.
Supreme Court of Missouri Judge Patricia Breckenridge, who chairs the Court’s civic education committee, explained: “Studies have shown that the optimum age to make an impact on people about civic education is around six years old. Given this research, I believe Judge Lynch was addressing these preschoolers at a very appropriate time.”
When he read the Lincoln book to the group, he was dressed in a suit. Before he talked to the students about being a judge, he retreated for a few minutes. He came back into the classroom wearing his judicial robe and towering over the children, who were now arranged on their “lily pads” on the floor.
“There are all the kids, sitting there on the floor, and looking up at me in my robe,” Judge Lynch recalled. “And I’m thinking, for the rest of their lives, they are going to think that every judge is a giant.”
More pictures from Judge Lynch's visit to the preschool.
For more information about the activities of the Supreme Court of Missouri’s Committee on Civic Education, please visit News & Media.
