This past year I participated as the judge in the annual mock trial with our TPS Seniors. It’s one of the highlights for our seniors, but most certainly for me as well.
During the trial I learned that the students had devised a kind of therapy to induce stress in the treatment of “patients” called the “Big Work Day.” Their “patients” were subjected to “important” paperwork, e-mail, meetings, and phone calls for eight hours.
I was curious and asked if this work came from the “patient’s” real job. I was informed that the “therapists” hired staff to create the paperwork, write the e-mails, act as clients, and make the phone calls. In other words, the “Big Work Day” was not work. It was make believe.
I tried hard to keep my composure as a judge. That lasted about five seconds. I burst out laughing in genuine affection for our students. Their idea of real stress was so pure and guileless.
Later I shared about my first real “Big Work Day.” I was a young lawyer and had just opened my own office in a small town. I was encouraged because I had several clients right away and after my first month I was able to pay all the office bills and my secretary. But, what I took home was $25! I had a wife, two small children and a new mortgage. I promised myself I would never feel that pit in my stomach again.
In just a few short days, those seniors will be our 2014 Temecula Preparatory School graduates, and we are very proud of them! They are about to embark on a new chapter in life and will soon discover, as I did, what a “Big Work Day” truly is. To them I wish the very, very best.
Scott Phillips, J.D. is the CEO and Headmaster for Heritage Classical Charter Schools/Temecula Preparatory School. Twitter: @ https://twitter.com/Scott_HCCS