Audio profile of the South Loop School debaters

03/19/2010 12:15 PM

By Micah Maidenberg
Editor

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South Loop Elementary School 7th graders Judson Smith and Kevin Johnson review their materials at the March 6 tournament at Lindblom Academy.

A story about debating is, perhaps, best told in a way that allows the voices of those doing the arguing to be heard loud and clear.
Chicago Journal is thus pleased to present an audio profile of the student debaters at South Loop School. Ian Fullerton, a freelance journalist who often contributes to the Journal and its sister paper Skyline, reported and produced this story, traveling to Lindblom Math and Science Academy on Saturday, March 6 to see the team in action at a championship match.
A little background about the debates. The South Loop team competes in a city-wide middle school league associated with the Chicago-based National Association of Urban Debate Leagues. Teams gather for tournaments held at various CPS schools during the school year.
League rules force the student contestants to argue both for and against various positions, John Jacoby, a parent at South Loop School and the debate team coach, wrote in an e-mail. They learn to give prepared speeches, to cross examine their opponents and to quickly make rebuttals based on what the other side has said during any given round.
The point is to get students listening critically, thinking about how to make a case and effectively parrying their opposition's arguments.
Click below to listen to Ian's profile of the process.


A full script of the audio is included below.
And here are three unedited clips from the March 6 tournament.





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HANNSBERRY: Illegal immigrants cost the United States billions a year, harming the economy. What about illegal immigrants riding off of America’s social programs? Do you call this constitutional? [These are] people who don’t pay a dime to the American government and reap the benefits of medical care, education and social services. Do you call this democratic?
Veronica Hannsberry is an eighth grader at the South Loop School.
She’s arguing against government social service aide for illegal immigrants.
But she’s not a tea party patriot. Hannsberry is a member of the school’s debate team.
Last week was the Chicago Middle School Debate League Championship.
Twelve competing schools from across the city met at the Lindblom Math and Science Academy on Saturday. South Loop was pitted against Louisa May Alcott Elementary.
The topic for this round was on the merits of funding for anti-poverty reform.
Hannsberry and her partner Anna Griffith were on the negative.
GRIFFITH: Why should hard working Americans help illegal immigration who don’t contribute to tax dollars or otherwise to the economy?
ALCOTT STUDENT: Because we as a nation should help each other out. Also, back in history, they helped us out, so we should help them out.
GRIFFITH: So even if they are illegal aliens taking jobs from already hard-working Americans, we should still help them out?
ALCOTT STUDENT: Well it’s not a duty, we should do this—
GRIFFITH: So you’re saying it’s a moral obligation?
ALCOTT STUDENT: It’s out of the kindness of our hearts to help them out.
The girls have been debating since the South Loop team formed late last year.
HANNSBERRY: At first, our only strategy was to destroy them, but now we have to be more structured and make sure that we key in on certain things.
GRIFFITH: Like, “walk softly and carry a big stick.”
The students tackle big issues, like housing reform and the effects of poverty on military enlistment.
In their introductory arguments, the debaters read from prepared statements.
But it’s in the cross examinations where they can show off their real knowledge on a topic.
South Loop seventh grader Judson Smith played the numbers game in his argument against a government-funded housing bill for low-income families.
SMITH: How much does your plan cost?
ALCOTT STUDENT: I’m not exactly sure.
SMITH: If your plan does cost a lot of money, will it cause the government to be raising taxes, or will you be cutting other social services?
ALCOTT STUDENT: It won’t be taking away from anything else, so we won’t be taking away from the plan.
Smith said he likes the skills he’s picking up.
SMITH: You learn how to read over a problem, look over it quickly and state your opinion, and sometimes—this is used by lawyers, too—even though it’s not the side you want to be on, you still have to work so you make sure that that side wins.
SONG: Students gain confidence in terms of knowing about the world, in terms of feeling they have a right to voice to speak about the world.
David Song is the assistant director for the Chicago Debate Commission. He said that sometimes the issues can hit pretty close to home.
SONG: I’ll be at some of the certain schools in the poorest parts of the city, and they’ll be debating about whether or not the private sector and non-profits can do a better job of helping the poor than the government can, and they’ll say things like “federal housing hasn’t worked that well, so maybe it’s better for
the private sector to try and address it on their own,” or “the poor have a responsibility to lift themselves up by the boot straps.”
BURROUGHS: It’s interesting, I think they all do a good job. And they seem to enjoy it. Teresa Burroughs is Vanessa Hannsberry’s grandmother.
She said one of the best things about debate is that students find that arguing is not always a bad thing.
BURROUGHS: They can have a difference of opinion without animosity or violence. I think it helps these young people to see that they can express themselves in negative and positive and not come to blows about it, I think that’s really an important lesson: that you can sit down and discuss something calmly.
Ian Fullerton, for the Chicago Journal.



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