Dear Teacher Facilitating a Debate,
You already know where this is headed, right? Don't worry. I am not about to stick my toe in a tub full of piranhas by committing the cardinal sin of addressing politics in writing. Who you choose to bubble in on November 3rd is your business, but from a pedagogical standpoint, let's state the obvious.
If tonight's presidential debate were happening in any cinderblock classroom in the country, both boys would be on the fast track to the dreaded, "I'm going to need you to step out in the hallway, young man."
Look. I don't want to be unfair here. Truly, I have no idea if tonight's moderator, Chris Wallace, has ever stood in line behind six other teachers begging God to please keep the copier safe long enough to shoot out pages of his semester exam like warm dollar bills from an ATM. That kind of trauma changes a person for life.
I am not judging the poor man. I'm really not. Okay, I am judging a little, but the judging is in fairness to the American people. Does that make it better? I am not sure, but I do know, as citizens, we deserve better than the splattered road kill form of communication we witnessed tonight.
Schools in Washington D.C. have teachers successfully facilitating debates of extremely controversial topics every single day. I know because I've seen videos on Teacher Channel of boys with patchy facial hair and young girls using the phrase "like" in excess. Sadly, they are arguing with greater skill and poise than either of the political "clowns" espousing their opinions tonight.
It's only a suggestion, but I think popping into one of those D.C. schools this week might prove to be beneficial for Mr. Wallace in preparation for the next debate. He is a busy man. I get it, but in my opinion, a quick, little teacher modeling would be a worthy investment of time.
After all, any teacher who has ever led a debate with a pack of wild, hormonal, opinionated, and often ignorant, teenagers, knows tempers can flare like a California wildfire.
As a proactive measure to transform these feral creatures into confident and civilized young adults, she sets norms- serious ones. If the speaker cannot play by the rules, he does not get to hold the talking stick.
Her list of norms might consist of any, or all, of the following:
1) No name calling. Doing so is the lowest form of communication and is off putting to your audience.
2) No interrupting others. When it is your turn to speak, speak. When it is not, please, please shut up. (Sorry, mom, I know you hate it when we use that phrase).
3) Be knowledgeable. Do your homework. If you aren't knowledgeable, don't pretend you are. It is obnoxious.
4) Listen and respect the opinions of others. Remember Socrates said, "It is the mark of an educated man to entertain a thought without accepting it." Just because you disagree with an issue doesn't mean you can't listen with an open mind and acknowledge the other person's viewpoint.
5) Don't speak in absolutes or with harsh generalizations. Big issues should not be addressed with phrases like always or never. Doing so discredits your ethos.
6) Remain humble and kind. People want to listen to people who have a success record with each of these traits. It builds trust with the audience.
I realize adhering to all six of these norms in the next debate is a little far-fetched. Not to sound pessimistic, but the next show down is probably going to be another snapshot of a poorly managed classroom. And most likely, we'll get frustrated and change the channel to "Dancing with the Stars".... again.
But in putting my thoughts into words tonight, I have learned an important lesson. Before I dismiss or judge Mr. Wallace, it's probably a good idea to revisit the list of six expectations again, and ask myself an important question. "Have I adhered to these norms in my own life?"
-CDB