tldr: you gotta sleep. It’s the 3rd day of the 2nd week of a 2.5-month-long bootcamp, and I’m now more of an expert than I’ve ever been on the tedium, the grind, and the bliss of bootcamps. For my fellow bootcampers: this is what I know of surviving (and thriving)…

Letting your Light Shine I was homeschooled from Kindergarten through 8th grade — after 4 years of public high school & 4 years of public university, I spent 8 years teaching elementary and middle school. Now, I’m returning to the homeschooled world with a message. (note: this article was also…

We published a blog awhile back about the debate < → battlefield metaphor. In fact, I think it’s the most appropriate — a castle siege, a battle. After all, debate is inherently competitive. And relating it to a sport other than an ancient battlefield feels like it cheapens the metaphor. …

What if the whole world were debaters? Would our public discourse improve? Would people be more reasonable? Would the issues of fake news and cheap arguments and dishonest rhetoric start to fade into the background? It’s always occurred too me that if there’s one debate skill that might push the…

Oh, the National topic. If I, from my humble little ivory debate teacher’s stump, survey “the problems of modern America”, I might place this topic right near the front. There’s a lot of issues with America. And with the world. But we can fix them — but only if we…

Deontology is, alongside Utilitarianism, one of the most common philosophical frameworks in debate. If you recall, utilitarianism is the idea that we should strive for the most good, for the most people — and ‘pure’ or classical utilitarianism doesn’t particularly care how we get there. In other words, if we…

In hindsight, maybe this should have been my first post. ‘Sacrifice’ has always been the go-to word for this activity. This part is obvious. It takes immense time, a lot of brainpower, a willingness to be uncomfortable — pushing your academic boundaries, pushing your social boundaries, pushing your ability to…

The Final Focus, Public Forum’s 2AR/2NR, is an often poorly-executed speech — yet, as the ‘tip of the spear’ and as each debate round’s final speech, it’s of crucial importance to taking the ballot. The speech begins with your collapse, or picking your best line of offense. With your best…

You may have heard of utilitarianism before. You may not have. You may not be able to pronounce the word. Utilitarianism is a philosophy which states that we should do things that maximize happiness, good and well-being. …