My first COLD CALL

AAHHHHHH!!! Somehow I've made it up until today (a few weeks shy of dead week) without being cold-called. To explain: to prepare for classes, we read cases in our casebooks and take notes for our class discussions on various topics outlined in the cases. Often the prof will start the discussion by calling on one unsuspecting student to explain the case, state its facts and the arguments within, then will keep the student "on the hook" to answer questions pertaining to that case throughout class. It is notoriously unnerving. 

In two of our classes, the profs don't exactly cold call... additionally I volunteer answers a lot to avoid being called on. I figured, though, my time was coming because I hadn't been cold-called yet. I've been called on to answer problems or hypotheticals, but never the dreaded cold call. 

Contracts has been sneaky lately - there are two other "Kristins" in our class and one "Krystal," so I've been "false-alarmed" a few times [e.g. my heart starts to beat faster and my cheeks flush but I'm not actually being called]. Today, though, our Contracts prof looked me right in the eyes and called on me to state today's case. It's amazing - I had read the case previously and I had even "briefed" it, that is I typed up a condensed version of the facts and arguments of the case. HOWEVER the minute he called my name, my mind went blank (the 2L's warned us this would happen our first time). Despite the fact that I'm comfortable talking in class otherwise and had a "cheat sheet" RIGHT in front of me, I still was taken aback/anxious about it. After tripping up a few times (answering questions with a tangent, mistaking a minor fact or two), I ended up OK. Of course, I kicked myself for every mistaken word that came out of my mouth (we were warned this would happen as well) and wished that I had stated certain things better/more completely. However, it ended up being fine. Everyone makes mistakes when stating cases, so I was fine. I felt like a blathering idiot at times, but none of my friends even remembered my mistakes.

SO glad that's over with! I'm officially a law student! This rite of passage is complete!

K