I’m also becoming a huge fan of Oceanlab. How can every track you cut be better than the last one? Unreal. My life unfolds to this soundtrack these days.
So tomorrow it’s off to Burlington. Here are some thoughts about the upcoming tournament:
- I hope to pick up some new ideas about teaching debate and the role of debate in the University from my colleagues. I like sharing ideas, especially about how to defend large debate programs from the impending changes in the University that are most likely coming as the economic situation continues to decline.
- I expect to see some very good debates. I have a few teams I’m looking forward to judging, and I hope I’m in those rooms.
- I’m looking forward to re-connecting with the students, judges and coaches in the region, catching up and seeing what they are thinking about.
- I’m really looking forward to meeting up with a couple of good friends from overseas – that is going to be one of the highlights of the trip I think.
- Looking forward to seeing how the CA/DCA system works from the inside.
- Hoping to not forget to take a lot of pictures and/or videos.
- And I wonder if I will have the time to hit all of my favorite Burlington places? I’m going to try really, really hard.
And I’m not sure how my students will do. They are taking it very seriously, which can be good and bad. One should take it as it is. Which would be as the mirror does. Mirror-mind – one of the more difficult concepts to understand which appears in a few Eastern traditions of thought, including Zen Buddhism and Taoism. I haven’t begun to figure out how to teach it yet.
Well it is time for me to go meet with my freshman and see how they are doing. Then off for a few errands before tomorrow’s trip. I’m excited! This time last year I think BP was very different. I will be curious to see the differences in how I felt about the debates I saw in Portland and the debates I will see in Vermont.
