Really -- it was a lot of fun to judge. The Urban Debate League has a middle school program. Hubby and I (mostly hubby) have been helping to coach in it this year.
The kids kind of knew what they were debating about. The details escaped them, and I really think they'd be better off with a different model of debate -- but, the point is to introduce them to the process.
Most of them spoke well, some were excellent -- a few mumbled and one tried to talk fast without much success.
What's really cool about this program is that a good, private college has started a really good UDL debate scholarship... to qualify you must do four years of UDL -- and middle school counts.
Now -- if they'd only learn that the time to bring up the impact of nuclear war isn't in their rebuttal, things would be good. Also -- discussing their opponents dropped arguments would be a bonus..
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That's so funny! Much to my shock, Stryker was actually impressed that a "debate judge" (someone who now he really admires) actually read and liked my blog :-)! I'm so glad you told him. I need to do another MN blogger thing soon. . . maybe January! Looks like things are going well here, too?!
Ah it all ends in nuclear war, doesn't it? Every. Single. Topic. Links. To nuke prolif. *Sigh*
That's what happens when the college and high school levels degenerate into pure laziness, unfortunately. They just recycle the same old illogical links to nuke war and fail to learn anything about the actual topic or the actual way the world works...
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