An “Alternative Assignment” for Law Students

I have been thinking a lot about work/life balance, for both students and faculty. So, I decided to try something this semester in my seminar. I gave students an option: Instead of the last writing assignment, they could take a break. Their choice: (a) do the writing assignment; or (b) take a 72-hour break from work. Thankfully, everyone chose the break (full disclosure: if they hadn’t, I would have assigned it). Details are below in case you want to have your students try it.

My initial reflections: This was one of the better teaching decisions I’ve made in a long time. When I confirmed to the class that we would do this, their relief was visible (and I’m teaching on zoom). That moment alone highlighted how much this was needed. They had worked plenty hard already this semester; this was about thinking what it’s like to be in their shoes and prioritizing their wellbeing. To date, a couple students have already completed the “alternative assignment,” and their experiences have reinforced how important this was. Unplugging entirely from law school (or work) has become really hard. So, we (faculty) need to find more creative ways to support students’ efforts to create and sustain a healthy work/life balance. There’s much more to say; I’ll update this space after all students have completed the assignment. And subject to securing their permission, I might also share some of their reflections.

Now, the details on the assignment: Students were “required” to take a break from work for 72 hours. They could count weekends, so it only had to implicate one business day. My goal was to pick an achievable amount of time. I set the end of May as the deadline to give them the option to do this after exams ended. As I explained to them, I did not want this to interfere with any other class work. Whenever they did it, to get credit, they simply had to send me an email sharing what they did and how it felt (no one was required to share anything personal; just whatever they were comfortable sharing). The most important “rule”: This should not add pressure/stress to their lives. So, if they felt they simply couldn’t afford time off, or if they tried and fell short of 72 hours, that’s okay too. The only things that were required were (a) a good faith effort, and (b) honest disclosure. So, if a student reported that they attempted it, but had to do 2-hours of work at one point, that counted. The idea was simply that, together, we were all going to try to take a break. And so far, the results have been exactly what I had hoped for.

I am looking forward to hearing from the other students. And as I promised them, I plan to attempt the same and share results.

(Note: if you try this or something similar in your class, please email and let me know how it goes.)

FALL 2021 UPDATE: The vast majority of students in the class have continued to work on their papers, even after the course ended—and for several students, after they graduated. In other words, giving students the opportunity to have balance seemed to allow them to engage the materials more meaningfully, and it did not lead to any less commitment to work hard.