What My Students Know About Potential

I just got back from my Phoenix camp. This is the second camp I've run with them this year, and it won't be the last. Here are the two things that set them up for success.
 

Info-Hunger

I ran Day I for TP, and Day II for LD. A number of students actually came for both days just to learn about the other style: even though they won't be competing in it.

They understand that debate competition is more than a weekend performance. It's a thought-space: something that maximizes your cognitive ability and teaches you more about life.
 

Learning Skill

It's difficult to change your mind when presented with new information. Throughout the camp, I kept noticing how these students interrogate what they know about debate, and emerge on the other side with a stronger perspective.

We've worked bottom up: from the learning the definition of a resolution to advanced social theories. These kids grow by leaps and bounds because they want to have the best information possible: even if that means setting aside what they used to think. 

I'm expecting them to do great things in this season, and in the chapters afterward.