A Quarantine To-Do List: Debate Chores and More
By Jasmine Stidham, Teacher and Coach at Harvard-Westlake and Assistant Coach at Dartmouth
Debate under quarantine is weird. I simultaneously hate it and depend on it. I hate it, because I miss the real thing. It’s funny, because during the regular season, I often grumble about desperately needing a break from tournaments. Now, more than ever, the only place I want to be is at a tournament. I miss driving the school suburban to the airport in Los Angeles traffic. I miss getting off the plane late at night and trying to find whatever new suburban awaits me in the Hertz rental center. I miss waking up early and sending Slack reminders about our leave time. I miss that indescribable adrenaline we feel when that first Tabroom pairing text hits everyone instantaneously. I miss pacing back and forth between rooms to hear decisions. I miss consuming an unhealthy amount of caffeine the night before elimination rounds. I miss the intensity of debating our rivals. Most of all, I miss the people. Not just my own students, but the students and coaches of the broader community. I enjoy winning just as much as the next person, but no amount of wins can replace the human connection that so many of us are desiring. I’m not sure how online debate can replace that. Truthfully, I do not think it ever can.
I could write seemingly infinite articles about how quarantine sucks or about how much I eagerly anticipate the next “real” tournament. But that does not seem nearly as helpful right now. All of us are managing various responsibilities including: schoolwork, college decisions, jobs, working from home, homeschooling kids, job loss, health, financial struggles, caring for loved ones, and more. The debate community may only be a subset of the larger population, but we are all still trying to make sense of debate under quarantine. No one should feel compelled to be hyper-productive during this time. You should not feel guilty for taking a break from debate, either. We all cope with anxiety and loss in different ways, and that is okay. If you’re like me, you might manage that anxiety by creating to-do lists or spreadsheets with tasks you’d like to complete. I prevent myself from drowning in uncertainty and panic by creating organized lists on legal pads and slowly checking off tasks throughout the day. Each little check mark feels like a tiny victory.
One of my lists is dedicated solely to debate “chores.” I call them chores not because I abhor them, but because they are considered routine tasks that are necessary to maintain my multidimensional debate household. These agenda items are usually projects that I always say I’ll eventually make time for but always find an excuse to ignore them. So, here I am - faced with an unexpected amount of “free” time during quarantine and a to-do list staring back at me. When I made my list, it was not with the intent to become some productivity machine that inputs tasks and outputs work. Rather, I’m using this time to think creatively about ways I can give back, enhance team organization, and improve my own skills as a teacher. We don’t have to treat quarantine like a debate work retreat, but we can find ways to collectively help one another get through this. As the saying goes - this, too, shall pass. I hope this list helps you pass the time, even if only in small ways.
1. Help your local Urban Debate League
While not everyone lives in close proximity to a UDL, many of us do. There are so many ways you can volunteer at your local UDL:
a. Judging online debates: if your UDL is hosting an online tournament, it is likely that they are in need of judges. Reach out to the tournament director to see if they could use you in their e-tournament.
b. Giving online lectures: many UDLs are looking for ways to reach their students in an online setting. A relatively easy way to contribute is by giving an online lecture on a specific topic. I recently signed up to give a lecture with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Urban Debate League, and I’m very excited to talk to kids about 2NRs and Kritiks.
c. Advertise your college program: if you are a college coach, now is a great time to reach out to UDLs about what your program offers. I’ve already seen UDL coaches ask for such opportunities, so don’t hesitate to connect with them.
To find out more about ways to get involved, or to find a UDL near you, please visit: https://urbandebate.org/get-involved/
2. Update your paradigm
The post-season is the perfect time for us to reflect on our debate opinions, proclivities, and pet peeves. After judging another year of debates, many of us learn more about how we view certain arguments. Those updated views are not always reflected in our paradigms, however, which means that we typically enter the next season evaluating arguments that fall under our pet peeves category. Or, we deprive ourselves from judging brilliant teams because we forgot to update certain sections of our paradigm that denote philosophical changes. In any case, there is no better time than the present to update your paradigm so it is ready for the next season.
3. READ!
This one is for all of us who kept saying that we would eventually come around to reading X book or Y article this season, but never had a chance to sit down and do it. For many of us, this applies to books and articles related to critiques and critical concepts prevalent in debate. If you have been looking for a sign to finally reading that intimidating book on post-modernism sitting on your desk, this is it. A few of the books on my list include: Frank Wilderson’s new book, Afropessimism, What’s the Use? On the Uses of Use by Sara Ahmed, and The Black Shoals: Offshore Formations of Black and Native Studies by Tiffany Lethabo King.
4. Organize your Dropbox
This task is high on my list. My Dropbox is a hot mess right now. I have too many folders, too many random files in places where they shouldn’t be, and an embarrassing number of articles sitting in my “Need to Cut” folder. It’s… a lot. I plan on devoting several days to giving my Dropbox a complete home makeover. This will free up space, make searching for files easier, and help keep track of assignments.
5. Backfile organization
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you seriously need to update your team’s backfiles situation. It’s me, I’m the one who needs to hear this. There is a mountain of files taunting me as I write this. My college folder from the 2015-16 military presence topic is judging me for leaving it unattended all these years, and my LD folders from last year are total chaos. We could all use some backfile TLC during quarantine. When your backfiles are properly organized, it makes a world of difference.
6. Prepare novice lessons
Novices are in a unique position right now because they are still deciding exactly how much time and effort they want to commit to debate. As a coach, I’m incredibly concerned for our novices because I am worried that the lackluster nature of e-debate will make them lose interest. I think most older, varsity debaters are able to fend for themselves slightly better, but novices are different. I have been trying to plan new lessons and activities to keep novices engaged so they will continue debate next year. If you are in a similar boat, here are some ideas to consider:
a. Organize e-scrimmages with other schools: it can be incredibly challenging to set up an entire e-tournament, but it is far easier to manage a handful of online novice debates. Doing so allows your novices to keep their debate brains active and engaged while stuck at home.
b. Ask your varsity debaters for help: one way that varsity debaters can help out your team’s novices is by creating virtual lessons and recorded lectures. I recently asked our older debaters to do this, and the results were amazing. We now have an entire folder full of helpful PowerPoints and lessons that our novices can access at any time. It allows novices to go through them at their own pace, and it’s equally enriching for the varsity debaters who learn how to explain advanced debate concepts to younger students.
c. Create reading groups: this could apply to all debaters, but it is especially useful for novices to do some light reading on common authors and arguments each week. For example, now is a great time to ask your novices to read about that Kant guy they’ve been hearing so much about. Or perhaps you could curate a few basic articles related to the security K to ensure your novices don’t lose their minds once they encounter their first reps K.
7. Create social media pages for your team*
*Quick caveat: only do this after receiving permission from your administration
If you do not currently have any social media pages for your team, now could be a good time to create a Facebook page or Instagram account. These accounts are useful to share team photos, tournament updates, and pertinent information about practices, fundraisers, etc. It allows you to connect and share your achievements with parents and alumni.
8. Take advantage of free online resources
We all know that inequality is rampant in debate, but there are many ways to access valuable and free content online. Utilizing this content is an accessible way for any coach or debater to expand their debate knowledge during this period of social distancing. Girls Debate is one resource, and there are several more that I would personally recommend:
a. HS Impact: this resource is more suited for policy debate, but much of the content could extend to other debate formats. Check it out: https://hsimpact.wordpress.com/
b. The 3NR: this one brings back old memories. The 3NR recently made its archived podcasts available for download, and I highly encourage everyone to take advantage of this free content. Follow this link: https://the3nr.com/2019/02/01/the-3nr-podcast-archives-now-available/
c. Wyoming Debate Roundup: this is a new blog ran by the University of Wyoming coach staff and students. They have blog posts relevant to all debate formats, which is awesome. Take a look: https://wyodebateroundup.weebly.com/
d. Putting the K in Debate: this is a really old one that hasn’t been updated in years, but it’s still an incredibly valuable resource. If you’d like to nerd out while reading some old blog posts relevant to K debate, check it out: https://puttingthekindebate.wordpress.com/
e. Go Fight Win! Novice Debate: truly an amazing resource for policy debate. It offers free and engaging debate curriculum for novice debaters. This is the Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxXDX2_FTbLvny6peHiAZOw/videos
f. W.in Debate: this is a free mentoring service designed to help younger women in LD. They pair older, more experienced debaters with younger students to foster a support system for girls in debate. An amazing and selfless resource. If you’d like to sign up as a mentor or mentee, follow this link: https://www.windebate.org/
Thanks for reading, and happy debating from Girls Debate!