Books for Debate Team!

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially increase social services to persons living in poverty in the United States. That's the debate topic for next year for high school students nationwide in the event of policy debate. I'm a 7th grade US history teacher and after school I am the Debate Coach for our 7th-12th graders. We are one of the few urban public schools with a Debate Team. Three years ago I started the Debate Team with a handful of students. Today, there are about 70 students on the Debate Team from grades 7th-12th. We are the largest urban debate team in the country. And we are one of the most successful. Debate is one of the most challenging academic opportunities out there. Students learn valuable skills in public speaking, writing, researching, logic, philosophy, current events, economics and so many other subjects. It is one of the most student centered activities where the student is the one in front of the class and the teachers are the ones sitting and listening. And for that reason, debaters devote their after school, evenings, weekends and summers to debate practice, debate tournaments and debate camps. But most important of all, debate is a college prep activity. Students research and study subjects and authors that they do not normally study until college. Debaters have to read all the major philosophers and philosophies. Debaters study political science, economics, critical theory, and rhetoric. Debaters read college level texts. Debaters travel to tournaments located at colleges like Harvard, Columbia, Yale - to name a few we travel to every year. And debaters get recruited and have opportunities for scholarships for college debate teams. Nearly all colleges and universities have debate teams and outreach efforts for high school students. And debaters also get exposure through competition of their future college classmates. A huge problem that occurs in schools is if students just remain within the walls of the school and are never exposed to their college competition. My students go head to head against students from public schools, failing schools, private schools, parochial schools. The problem is that debate costs a lot of money. Students will read, write, and research thousands of pieces of evidence. They have to photocopy and print thousands of pages. They have to attend summer debate institutes at major universities which cost in the thousands of dollars. I was hoping to close the gap by applying for a grant to purchase a classroom library of books devoted to next year's debate topic which is on the topic of poverty in the United States. That way my students who cannot afford to buy their own books and cannot afford to attend fancy debate camps, can have access to some of the best research resources available. Not to mention the incredible literacy skills they gain by reading books that they want to read, rather than what they have to read. And finally, the debate topic and its research is so relevant to our student population. The majority of are students and our schools in the South Bronx are high poverty. And hence it is our school's mission and our student's mission to overcome these economic obstacles. And so I focused this proposal on a mini library of poverty books - not on theoretical issues and hypothetical solutions to poverty - but on real people who have dedicated their lives to fighting poverty - Dorothy Day, Chesar Chavez, Jane Addams, the Settlement House movement and several other historical figures. The Settlement Houses I'm particularly interested in for our debaters because our school is located in New York City which has over a dozen historical settlement houses that we can visit, tour, and even volunteer for. So this is not just a debate topic to practice for trophies, but a debate topic that will actually make a difference in our local community. Thanks!