The More Things Change . . .

I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." We could have a philosophical debate on the meaning of the phrase . . . actually, we could, and I'd really enjoy that conversation! ;) However, since this post is more one-directional, I'll share my thoughts.

One way to interpret that saying, is that despite a change in outward appearance, a person can still be the same on the inside as they were before the outward change. So, even though my new profile picture sports my stylish gray hair instead of my lush auburn hair, I'm still very much the same me on the inside. I still love a good debate, a good piece of chocolate, a good piece of writing, and a good friend.

Lately, I've been focusing a lot on the good debates and good friends. I love to talk!

My pal, Mitch, and I have been waxing philosophical as we debate some interesting ideas in our new podcast, What Else You Got?

Check it out, and give us a follow. Feel free to join our conversations by leaving comments on our short videos and/or full podcast. We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Here are some places you can find us:

Instagram

TikTok

Facebook

YouTube

How about you? Do you like listening to or watching podcasts? Do you have a favorite? Why? Leave your comments below!

High School Speech & Debate Competitions

Man. Oh. Man.

I absolutely LOVE judging high school speech and debate competitions.

I spent 12 hours Friday and 12 hours Saturday (I kid you not!), with only a 7 hour night's rest in between, judging competitions. I am STILL exhausted!

While I did get to judge three rounds of speech competitions, I mostly judged debate ... and with that, mostly POLICY debate. Holy smokes. Those people talk (aka SPEW) so fast, it's ridiculous, and they have worked so hard researching, it blows my mind!

But, I thought I would share with you a few of the funny things I overheard teenagers say during the competition (two of these were said in speeches, and two were said in the hallways ... can you tell which is which?) ...


"Hey! Girlfriend. Hold my earrings while I take this mother down."


"Oh. Yeah. We did pickle juice shots when she stayed at my house that night, but she thought our pickle juice didn't taste right because it wasn't Kosher."


"You can't hurt me. I have a black belt in Jesus."


"Yeah. I had a pet cow when I was a little kid. My friends didn't believe me. So, one day when they were over at my house, they said they wanted to see my pet cow. I said sure and led them to the back of the house. You should have seen the looks on their faces when I opened the freezer and introduced them to Moo-Moo, my pet cow."
...

I love spending time with young adults ... well most of them. I did kick three girls out of the audience during a policy debate round because they were talking and giggling and texting ... AND disrupting the debate. I'm sure they had a few choice words to say about me out in the hallway. And, during another policy debate round, I interrupted because the AFF side refused to provide their evidence to the NEG side, and I quoted debate code to them. You should have heard the rude things they said! Oh. My. Gosh. I told them right then and there they'd lost the round for speaking to me that way, and they could either leave immediately or stay and finish the round. Surprisingly, they stayed and finished. But they still lost, and I made note on their ballot as to why.

And, yet, I still love judging! The time and effort these teenagers put into their preparation and the competitions is remarkable.

So, from the above four overheard comments, can you tell which ones happened casually out in the hallways and which ones were parts of prepared speeches?

Should ESL Students Receive Extra Consideration?

Saturday, I spent 12 hours judging high school debate competitions. I love it. I love watching the teenagers interact. And I love listening to them converse with one another before, during, and after a competition.

The thing I don't love is being told to be nicer to the students when filling out my ballot sheet. Am I really the only adult who thinks teenagers should be told the truth? Don't get me wrong ... I don't write on the ballot: "You're ugly. You're snotty. Your breath stinks."

Instead, I give a compliment first, and then note the negative things (if any) about their presentation. If I don't ... how can they know what to improve on? For example, one mean thing I wrote (after giving a compliment) was: "If you feel the need to constantly fidget with the hemline of your skirt, maybe you should consider wearing something else next time, because the fidgeting is very distracting." Another mean thing I wrote, "Your facial expression comes across as very angry. Is this what you want to portray?"

My daughter is a competitor, and she would rather the judge tell her what she could improve on, specifically, rather than give vague generic responses.

So ... I turned in a ballot at the tabulation table, and a debate coach (teacher) from one of the high schools handed the ballot back to me, and said, "You scored them too low. Rescore it."

I (being the kind lovely patient person that I am) said, "No."

The coach turned to the coach sitting next to her and said, "Are you going to let her get away with this?"

HA. Clearly, she does not know me.

The second judge said, "Were they really that bad?"

I said, "Yes. I scored them appropriately."

Second coach lowered her voice and said, "Well, this competitor is an English-Second-Language student, so maybe we should just give her some extra consideration."

WHAT?! Heck no.

I don't care if English is your second language. I've judged PLENTY of foreign-exchange students (this student was not a foreign-exchange student), and they've performed excellently.

Heck no.

I asked my 15-year-old daughter if she thought I was being too mean (granted, she's biased and may be in fear of punishment or something) ... she agreed with my reasoning. How can someone improve if the only thing they ever hear is, "Great job!" ??

Now, I have to tell you, I judged a lot of competitions Saturday that were blow-your-mind-amazing. These students are SO SMART. Debating about complicated moral, ethical, and governmental issues ... they were prepared, well spoken, and sharp. It was a pleasure to watch, and I was so sad that one of them would not advance because of my decision. And, that especially, is when I think it's crucial for a judge to explain on the ballot why one person was chosen over the other.

Another thing to note, when my daughter and I first arrived, we walked through the cafeteria (where the students congregate and wait for their next debate), and I smiled, because everyone was squeaky clean and smelling good. At the end of the day, that cafeteria is NOT where you want to be! Then, they are sweaty, stinky, and sporting their slippers, pj's, and hoodies. Evolution.

Anyhow. The question of the day is: Do you think ESL students should be given extra consideration (whether in class or in a competition)??