The word "debate" conjures different images for different people. Some think of the presidential debates they see during election years while some think of a "discussion" they had with their teenagers sometime in the last week. For the purpose of true educational advancement, most often debate is closer to Webster's definition of "a regulated discussion of a proposition between two matched sides." Debate is not hostile bickering, but an organized means of using logic and rhetoric to express facts in a persuasive manner. 
 
In man's never ending search for truth, debate seems to be the vehicle of choice. For the student in the rhetoric stage of learning, debate is the ideal vehicle to gain knowledge while meeting the adolescent need of positive self-expression. Fortunately for students and parents today, this vehicle is available, educational, self motivating and extremely fun. We will examine the history of debate, the benefits of debate, and how your student can be involved in this activity. 

 
History of Debate

When we look at the history of debate in our world, the Socratic method comes first to mind. The practice of learning through conversation is fundamental. Through-out history man has discovered that knowledge can often be best advanced by discussion with seeking counterparts. We see this continued into the early days of our country. Debating societies were formed in which men would gather to discuss issues of the day. Benjamin Franklin, along with his other accomplishments, established a debate society called Junto. This was a group of scholars and businessmen who met on Friday evenings to discuss and debate issues that covered many topics including politics, science, economics, law, justice and ethics. They agreed in advance to certain rules of good behavior. According to Franklin, "Our debates were to be under the direction of a president, and to be conducted in the sincere spirit of inquiry after truth, without fondness for dispute, or desire of victory " How different our society is today, when discussion for the pursuit of truth seems boring and antiquated to the electronically entertained, self seeking person of our present age.
 
Debate clubs have existed in traditional high school and college programs for nearly one hundred years. As a result, debate leagues have formed in which students from different schools compete against each other at tournaments. Michael Farris of HSLDA, along with his daughter Christy, had the vision to bring this activity to the home school community in 1997. Their vision caught on quickly. At the first national tournament, 32 debate students competed. In 2002, the national tournament, held in Nashville, hosted 334 students, from 34 states, competing in both debate and speech activities. The growth prompted HSLDA to form the National Christian Forensics and Communication Association (NCFCA) to take over the home school debate league. NCFCA is the organization that decides our topic for each debate season, gives rules and guidelines for the league and hosts the national tournament each June. 

 
Benefits of Debate

The number one reason why students should pursue debate is to be better prepared to serve the Lord and take His message to all people. We are admonished in 1Peter 3:15, " .always being ready to make defense to everyone who asks you to give an answer for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence." Effective communication is essential to Christian education. As parents we strive to teach our values, faith, and beliefs to our students. However, many students walk away from their home school years without the ability to defend these important areas when challenged. By using debate as the vehicle, we are teaching students effective communication to be persuasive about Biblical truths.
 
Debate offers many skills and abilities that are hard for students to gain through other arenas. One of the general benefits that we have seen is the positive ability of rhetoric stage students to express themselves. The Well Trained Mind by Wise and Bauer states, "Since self expression is one of the greatest desires of adolescence, high-school students should have training in the skills of rhetoric so that they can say, clearly and convincingly, what's on their minds. Without these skills, the desire for self-expression is frustrated. Expression itself becomes inarticulate." 
 
A maturing comes to these students as they learn to articulate effectively. We see this both in and out of the debate round. Whether debating in a formal setting about international trade policy (our topic for this year) or casual discussions concerning human rights versus national sovereignty (some of the value implications of our topic), students are seeking truth, learning effective means of expression, and growing in a skill that is invaluable in the "real world." By making them effective communicators in a topic area, we have given students the template needed to become effective communicators for the cause of Christ. 
 
One of the specific skills that students gain is confidence in public speaking. Since debates happen in front of an audience (of at least a few people), the student is learning to articulate policy issues in a public setting. In order to be effective in the public realm beyond the school years, superior oral communication skills are necessary. 
 
Debate requires a great deal of research in order to find evidence to defend the position one is taking. Debate students do all of their own research both through the use of the internet and college libraries. This is teaching the students the skills to find the information they need. Since debate involves a current policy issue, the student becomes very knowledgeable as they research that area for almost a year. As the topics vary, so does the knowledge area. Over the past several years debaters in our league have researched issues such as income tax, immigration, agriculture policy and international trade policy. 
 
The logic that the student has been studying since early junior high will now be put to its real use. The debater has the chance to apply the logical application they have learned as well as evaluate arguments used against them. They are employing effective reasoning in order to be persuasive on the issue at hand.
 
Of course, abilities and skills gained vary with each student, but debate seems to add some strength to each child's weakness. We have seen very shy students become more outgoing as well as overly boisterous students become more controlled in their communication. 

 
Joining a Debate Club

Participation in a debate club is the means in which a student becomes involved in debate on a local level. Students compete with other home schooled students at tournaments throughout the school year. Fortunately for those of us in Northern California, there are several debate clubs within a few hours of each other. This offers many options for parents in choosing a club to best meet their needs and it provides a great deal of competition for our students as they attend tournaments hosted by clubs in our area. Debaters who perform well at some of the local tournaments, will be invited to attend the national tournament where they will compete with students from all over the country. 
 
Most debate clubs offer classes to teach the basics of debate. Students will have practice debate rounds with other students from their club before they go to tournaments and compete against other clubs. Some debate clubs are started by parents with a prior debate background. The majority of clubs are started by parents who do not have that background but just have a real heart for students in their area to benefit from this activity. They use the resources available and learn along with the students. Recently, former debaters in our league have graduated and gone on to start their own debate clubs. They are some of the best coaches in our league.
 
It is very essential that you do join a debate club in order to gain the maximum benefit from debate. This is not something you should do at home by yourself. Just as iron sharpens iron, students need to practice with other debaters to increase the level of their argumentation and research. 
 
A common question that most parents ask is at what age should a student start debate. While our league allows students to start as young as 12, most students are not ready to start this young. Your student really needs to be well into the rhetoric stage of learning. A good recommendation is that girls start no younger than 14 and boys start no younger than 15. It is never too late to start debate. Juniors and seniors often excel in debate. 
 
We receive many phone calls from parents of 12-14 year olds that tell us "my child is a natural born debater." The truth is most of these students are the average child entering into the logic stage of learning where they are beginning to question and analyze the world around them. They are not yet ready for the rhetoric style of learning. The process of logic stage prepares them for debate in the early high school years. If a student does start too young, they will take longer to comprehend the material, and compare themselves to older students who advance in the activity faster. The result is often discouragement for the activity before the benefits of debate come to fruition. An alternative for this stage, would be a good beginning public speaking group. This begins to get them accustomed to the speech process without the pressure of competition or the depth of knowledge and argumentation needed for debate.
 
Resources

There are several debate clubs in the greater Sacramento area. If you would like to find out more information about these clubs or you are interested in starting your own club, please feel free to contact me at: modestodebate@aol.com. I have information regarding clubs, books, and materials that may be useful. 
 
Debate should be a major part of your high school student's education. The growth that I have seen in students is beyond words. When a student gets excited about debate, there is no stopping them. The enthusiasm is amazing, the skills gained increase with each year of competition, and a whole new world opens up to them. If America is going to be restored for the cause of Christ, it will take a skilled generation. Our generation wasn't trained properly to do this. Will we let another generation pass away? The duty is ours as homeschoolers, but we can't rest on the fact that we home school. If our students can't speak confidently, research logically, and know how to defend for the faith, we will lose their generation as well. 
 
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Mike and Mary Winther are the coaches of Modesto Debate, the home school debate club for the Modesto area. They are former high school and college debaters who started their club 5 years ago. They have spoken at conferences throughout the nation to train debaters and coaches in the areas of debate and Biblical principles of government. They have coached many students to the national level and several of their students have gone on to become coaches and start their own debate clubs. They home school their 3 children, ages 8-17.