Both Sam Neill and Greg Froese blogged yesterday, and now Jason Kohls just posted as well. And they were all excellent. I've posted descriptions of their blog posts (the way I see them, anyway) as well as put links to them at the bottom of this page.
That means I better keep up!
Yesterday I, my assistant David Bowers, and four students from Buhler departed for the National Catholic Forensics League Grand National Tournament in Chicago. Never been here. Don't know anyone who lives here. But that didn't stop us from driving here in a day. If that sounds tough, don't worry. It only takes 11 hours if you don't stop. Which we did. A lot.
I've got a fantastic group of kids we've gotten to take out. Two compete in Extemporaneous Speaking, one is in Oral Interpretation of Literature, and another is in Original Oratory. These are pretty demanding events for some pretty bright kids, and sometimes I think people don't realize just how cool it is that these kids WANT to work at an academic activity. They WANT to be the best at a skill they will get to use in the workplace. They WANT to present themselves in a manner that is more professional than many adults.
Oral Interpretation of Literature? A student has to perform a short story and a poem using voice inflections and movement to convey a message.
Original Oratory? A student not only writes their own 10-minute speech using valid sources and research (I challenge you to do that. It's got some length to get it to 10 minutes) but they also have to completely memorize it.
Extemporaneous Speaking? A student draws a current events question and then gets only 30 minutes to prepare a 7-minute speech, which they have to deliver in front of a judge. Here's an example of a question these students practice with:
If you're like most people, you probably don't know who Cornell Brooks is. But students in extemp would be expected to give a 7-minute speech over him.
It's astounding at how surprised parents get to see high school students who are capable of doing something like this. But should it really be that surprising? After all, these students only have class time to work and two days of practice a week to prepare. Many work outside of class and practice, but it's by no means required. Really that compares pretty well with any student who does a sport. And we don't get astonished at those who get stronger and faster because it's expected that they should improve when they're working at it and practicing.
But shouldn't we expect the same when it comes to the realm of academics? Shouldn't we expect that students put emphasis on gaining skills that will directly help them in any field they could consider going into? Our forensics kids don't bat an eye at the challenge because, simply put, they want to be the best.
And that's what I like the most about forensics. It puts all these skills and pieces of knowledge into a competition format. Students want to win. And when we we can legitimately reward excellence, when we give students a chance to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are excellent, they get much more than a trophy or a medal. They get something they can use for the rest of their lives.
That, more than anything else, makes challenges like an 11-hour drive to Chicago completely worth it.
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| Rag-tag group of champions. |
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