NYT: Kids, Would You Please Start Fighting

[orangerful]

I just skimmed this opinion piece in the New York Times but I already like where it is going

Kids, Would You Please Start FightingDid you all have to take a speech and debate class in school

Comments

[hamsterwoman]

Re: debate class -- nope, not here, neither when I was in school, nor with my kids (now in high school). But I do believe it's meant to be part of the curriculum through history classes, I think at the freshman level. Or at least I remember having to debate something (with randomly assigned positions) in freshman World History, and L had to do the same (they had a mock trial for Columbus, for Columbus/Indigenous People's Day), and it sounds like O will be getting that at some point this year too. I definitely think it's a valuable skill to learn how structure a logical argument -- even/especially around a position you don't actually agree with, and learn the separation between debate and making it personal

[phenomenal]

We didn't have debate in school and I was very disappointed about it. I think that it's a very important skill.

[geekslave]

I can't remember if we had a debate class in my high school. I think we had a debate club. I definitely didn't participate in it so I think that would involve some form of public speaking, which I wasn't good at.

Stacey

[bookishgeek]

I would say what I think, but .... you know I have a Rhetoric degree. ;)

[koyaaniisqatsi]

I never had a speech/debate class. I remember the teacher prompting us to debate on codependency in children during my psych class... and I led the debate, and won. 8D

I went to a shit school, though. I'm sure the more well-to-do schools encourage healthy debate.