Speech and debate

One of our favorite parts of homeschooling last year was participating in our local speech and debate club.  This club competes through the NCFCA.  I was blown away by the level of competition and the quality of performances of these students. 

My oldest participated in the LD debate, but there were others involved in TP and many categories of speech.  Participants are 12-18 years old.  The experience was excellent for him to learn about how to structure an argument, how to present himself, what evidence is important and useful, and even how to go through the formal process of a debate.  He learned a ton about the year's resolution, and it provided us great opportunity to discuss current events and history with a depth we don't usually get to experience.  The whole family was in on letting him know of any relevant quotes or fact they encountered.

I think my favorite part of the experience was the excitement and enthusiasm I saw in him for research.  In NCFCA debate, there is one resolution over the course of the year.  Each student has to write and prepare both an affirmative case (supporting the resolution) and a negative case (against the resolution).  In a tournament, each student will be required to debate both sides.  This requirement forces them to dig deeper and build strong cases, but also to look from both sides of the argument.  Instead of just picking a side, they have to be able to see the other side's point of view and understand it enough to even argue for it.  It's an incredible exercise in argumentation and research.

Parents attend tournaments and help judge which was a lot of fun.  I loved watching other debaters and speakers.  Again and again I was blown away by the quality and level at which they were competing.  To watch high school students be able to stand up and speak eloquently and deeply about real subjects and issues in an educated and passionate way--well, I just can't say enough good about the organization or our club.  It was a great experience in oral presenation that fit perfectly with our goals in the rhetoric stage.