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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My kid is on the policy debate team. Kid likes the intellectual rigor and seems to be decent at it, and yet also seems to be made miserable by the stress of tournaments. I was never involved in debate, so it's all new to me, but it seems really intense (or maybe that's just my kid?) and the wacky arguments on both side and the practice of "spreading" (basically speed talking the entire time) make the debates themselves seem incoherent. Can anyone familiar with policy debate tell me if what I'm describing sounds normal? [/quote]

They really need to tone it down and make debate a non-competitive activity for kids.[/quote]

You can't make debate "non competitive", competition is literally built into the activity.  But I agree it has spun out of control.  I live in an area that has intentionally kept things more low key and reminds me of high school debate in the 80s.  The upside - it's a fun activity for kids who like to nerd out on the weekends and helps build a lot of confidence.  The downside - even our very best debaters don't do very well out on the national circuit.  I'll take it though, I think it's the better balance.[/quote]

Well, if we view this activity as beneficial and open to all, then, everyone should be acknowledged for their efforts.  Viewed through the lens of equity, why should one team have to lose?  Can’t this be a win-win activity?[/quote]

I don’t think “lens of equity” means what you think it means [/quote]

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