Want it to go out this week, any comments?
Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 1:02 am
Many people have told me I am crazy for looking to change my career path at this point. Most of the people with whom I have discussed my goal remind me that I already have a good job, and to tell the truth, they are not wrong. The fact is that I enjoy being a college professor and I find being a college debate coach very fulfilling. I believe that my college debate coach was one of the most influential and positive influences on my life and I would like to think that I have become that for others.
Several of my debaters have gone on to do great things, and I take great pleasure in their accomplishments. One specific incident that stands out is when two of my debaters and I were invited to participate in the 1st Annual Inaugural Debate Series, a series of debates on Presidential policies that took place at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History on the eve of the Inauguration of President Obama. We were one of six universities represented at the event and the other schools included national debate powerhouses like Wake Forest, Michigan State, and the University of Southern California. Being that we were a debate team in its first year of existence, from a historically black college and university (HBCU), this was a great opportunity for both our university and our debaters to demonstrate just how great of debaters we were.
Of course, the Inaugural Debate Series was a high stress event and it showed. My two debaters and I prepared for the debate by spending almost every waking hour together over a three day period crafting their arguments and honing their delivery. At times, the pressure of knowing that these debates were going to be performed in front of a large audience of VIP’s (including senators from our home state who were making the trip just to watch the debates) and television cameras seemed to get to my debaters, and it was at these times that I had to switch from a demanding coach to a more supportive role. Specifically, at the meal immediately preceding the debate, one of my debaters had a meltdown and I was not sure she would even be able to go on. However, after some counseling and consoling, she seemed to find her calm, and she went on to perform marvelously in the debate. In the end, the debate went off without a hitch and our debate was actually the favorite of the audience if their constant applause and standing ovation were any indication.
In addition to doing great things while with my debate team, several of my students have indicated they have plans to go on and do even greater things as a result of their experiences with myself and debate. This past semester I have had four current and former debaters contact me for help putting together their application materials for law school. Assuming they are all successful, this will bring my count of past debaters who have gone on to study the law to five (I have one former student who is current enrolled at the University of Arizona – the same debater who I had to console at the Inaugural Debate) and will prove in a way that none of my debate trophies ever could that my run as an educator and as a coach have been successful. As much as I enjoy the excitement of watching my students compete in a debate, one of my favorite accomplishments is that every single debater I have coached who has gone on to apply to law school has chosen to credit their experience with the debate team and with myself as one of the major reasons that they feel prepared and capable of being successful in law school. I believe that I have helped craft these students into the successes they by being a good listener and a facilitator. I get great personal satisfaction from helping people get where they need to be, and that is one of the reasons I have always wanted to get into the practice of law.
From an early age I have had an interest in the law. While I suspect that my interest in the law originally came from being part of a family that some troubles with alcohol and consequentially with the criminal justice system, I cannot say for certain exactly when I decided that the law was for me. However, I can say why I decided the law is for me. From whatever point it was that I discovered just exactly what the law is and what power it holds, I have wanted to be a part of that system. The law is the contract that holds our society together and that provides reason and order to situations that often have little of either. I have always wanted to be the guy who was able to stand beside someone who needs assistance and make the law work for them the way it is supposed to.
In my roles as a professor and debate coach, I have been able to assist a lot of people get to where they want to go and to accomplish the goals they have set for themselves. However, I still yearn to take that next step and help people who do not have many of the advantages that even my most disadvantaged students possess. I believe that through practicing law I can put the skills I possess to an even better use by advocating for those who are unable to effectively advocate for themselves.
Several of my debaters have gone on to do great things, and I take great pleasure in their accomplishments. One specific incident that stands out is when two of my debaters and I were invited to participate in the 1st Annual Inaugural Debate Series, a series of debates on Presidential policies that took place at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History on the eve of the Inauguration of President Obama. We were one of six universities represented at the event and the other schools included national debate powerhouses like Wake Forest, Michigan State, and the University of Southern California. Being that we were a debate team in its first year of existence, from a historically black college and university (HBCU), this was a great opportunity for both our university and our debaters to demonstrate just how great of debaters we were.
Of course, the Inaugural Debate Series was a high stress event and it showed. My two debaters and I prepared for the debate by spending almost every waking hour together over a three day period crafting their arguments and honing their delivery. At times, the pressure of knowing that these debates were going to be performed in front of a large audience of VIP’s (including senators from our home state who were making the trip just to watch the debates) and television cameras seemed to get to my debaters, and it was at these times that I had to switch from a demanding coach to a more supportive role. Specifically, at the meal immediately preceding the debate, one of my debaters had a meltdown and I was not sure she would even be able to go on. However, after some counseling and consoling, she seemed to find her calm, and she went on to perform marvelously in the debate. In the end, the debate went off without a hitch and our debate was actually the favorite of the audience if their constant applause and standing ovation were any indication.
In addition to doing great things while with my debate team, several of my students have indicated they have plans to go on and do even greater things as a result of their experiences with myself and debate. This past semester I have had four current and former debaters contact me for help putting together their application materials for law school. Assuming they are all successful, this will bring my count of past debaters who have gone on to study the law to five (I have one former student who is current enrolled at the University of Arizona – the same debater who I had to console at the Inaugural Debate) and will prove in a way that none of my debate trophies ever could that my run as an educator and as a coach have been successful. As much as I enjoy the excitement of watching my students compete in a debate, one of my favorite accomplishments is that every single debater I have coached who has gone on to apply to law school has chosen to credit their experience with the debate team and with myself as one of the major reasons that they feel prepared and capable of being successful in law school. I believe that I have helped craft these students into the successes they by being a good listener and a facilitator. I get great personal satisfaction from helping people get where they need to be, and that is one of the reasons I have always wanted to get into the practice of law.
From an early age I have had an interest in the law. While I suspect that my interest in the law originally came from being part of a family that some troubles with alcohol and consequentially with the criminal justice system, I cannot say for certain exactly when I decided that the law was for me. However, I can say why I decided the law is for me. From whatever point it was that I discovered just exactly what the law is and what power it holds, I have wanted to be a part of that system. The law is the contract that holds our society together and that provides reason and order to situations that often have little of either. I have always wanted to be the guy who was able to stand beside someone who needs assistance and make the law work for them the way it is supposed to.
In my roles as a professor and debate coach, I have been able to assist a lot of people get to where they want to go and to accomplish the goals they have set for themselves. However, I still yearn to take that next step and help people who do not have many of the advantages that even my most disadvantaged students possess. I believe that through practicing law I can put the skills I possess to an even better use by advocating for those who are unable to effectively advocate for themselves.