The Great Debaters' Debate
So, to kick off the pre-holiday weekend, I saw The Great Debaters the based-on-a-true story presentation of the early history of the Wiley College Debate Team, one of the finest in the nation for over a decade in the 1920's.
First, go see the movie. It's excellent.
But we'll skip a deep critique of the film itself -- did I say it was excellent?-- and focus on the back-story: the success of a bunch of east Texas sons and daughters of sharecroppers at the forensic science of debate. The fight to overcome the inertia of racial disparity in the hinterlands, and ultimately, the triumph of good and virtue over the forces of evil.
But let's ask the question: where is such success to be found today among our brightest minds? Where are the Wiley College Debate Teams of the 21st Century?
It was certainly inspiring to be witness to Wiley's unparalleled success through the magic of modern cinematography, but what I long to see is such success live.
Today. Now.
I am sure we can find any number of triumphs in athletics -- and they are worth of praise -- but what about the ultimate in success from the exercise of the human mind. Throughout the movie, I kept asking myself "where are the kids of today, whose stories will be told in 90 years?" I know we have young people who are excelling individually, but it sure would be nice to have a group of young people, like those Wiley debaters, who are teaming up to become a whole greater than the sum of its parts.
One promising sign is that there is an increased effort to establish debate teams in urban areas, coinciding with the release of the movie. The National Association of Urban Debate Leagues is spearheading a drive to get hundreds of inner-city and financially challenged schools to establish debate programs. Their model is the thriving debate league in the Chicago metropolitan area.
According to NAUDL, competitive debate leagues have proven to increase literacy scores by 25%, to improve grade-point averages by 8 to 10%, to achieve high school graduation rates of nearly 100%, and to produce college matriculation rates of 71 to 91%. Impressive numbers, indeed. Hopefully, it will be some of these children that become the next great debaters, and leaders.
Kids from communities of color are going to play integral roles in the direction of these United States, we know that. They're going to be setting the course for policy, and projects. But to be successful they need to develop those core academic skills: literacy, critical thinking, research, communication, organization and supporting of arguments. Without these skills, their futures, and by extension, our collective futures are going to be dispelled as fallacy.
In short, we need to be training little Wiley's all over the nation.
Scholars. Leaders. Debaters.
First, go see the movie. It's excellent.
But we'll skip a deep critique of the film itself -- did I say it was excellent?-- and focus on the back-story: the success of a bunch of east Texas sons and daughters of sharecroppers at the forensic science of debate. The fight to overcome the inertia of racial disparity in the hinterlands, and ultimately, the triumph of good and virtue over the forces of evil.
But let's ask the question: where is such success to be found today among our brightest minds? Where are the Wiley College Debate Teams of the 21st Century?
It was certainly inspiring to be witness to Wiley's unparalleled success through the magic of modern cinematography, but what I long to see is such success live.
Today. Now.
I am sure we can find any number of triumphs in athletics -- and they are worth of praise -- but what about the ultimate in success from the exercise of the human mind. Throughout the movie, I kept asking myself "where are the kids of today, whose stories will be told in 90 years?" I know we have young people who are excelling individually, but it sure would be nice to have a group of young people, like those Wiley debaters, who are teaming up to become a whole greater than the sum of its parts.
One promising sign is that there is an increased effort to establish debate teams in urban areas, coinciding with the release of the movie. The National Association of Urban Debate Leagues is spearheading a drive to get hundreds of inner-city and financially challenged schools to establish debate programs. Their model is the thriving debate league in the Chicago metropolitan area.
According to NAUDL, competitive debate leagues have proven to increase literacy scores by 25%, to improve grade-point averages by 8 to 10%, to achieve high school graduation rates of nearly 100%, and to produce college matriculation rates of 71 to 91%. Impressive numbers, indeed. Hopefully, it will be some of these children that become the next great debaters, and leaders.
Kids from communities of color are going to play integral roles in the direction of these United States, we know that. They're going to be setting the course for policy, and projects. But to be successful they need to develop those core academic skills: literacy, critical thinking, research, communication, organization and supporting of arguments. Without these skills, their futures, and by extension, our collective futures are going to be dispelled as fallacy.
In short, we need to be training little Wiley's all over the nation.
Scholars. Leaders. Debaters.
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You're right, Tony. We need to be showcasing young people with beautiful minds, not just those with beautiful jump shots. What happened to the balanced approach to youth development - working with kids to strengthen and enhance their bodies and their minds?? Jeez!!
Anyway, I will make sure to take my kids to see this movie, in hopes that it will inspire them and remind them yet again of what's truly possible when they apply their intellect and drive and determination toward a goal, all with the full support of their families and communities.