Building Confidence and Community: Kira's Impact with Mattole Unified and Arcata High

Article by Lucy Mokua

Kira's passion for debate began in high school, where she participated in Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas debates. Her dedication and skill led her to the national stage during her senior year, where she impressively placed fourth in the nation in Lincoln-Douglas debate. 

Growing up in a semi-rural area in South Dakota, she experienced firsthand the lack of adequate resources and representation for debate activities. Limited access to debate tournaments, scarce financial resources for high-quality research materials, and limited support for her debate pursuits all made reaching the big stages of debate difficult. The difficulty of overcoming these barriers inspired her to join RuDI and work toward changing the landscape of rural debate for others.

Kira's experience coaching at both high school and middle school levels has reaffirmed her ambition of helping rural students. As with most new subjects, students often start with hesitation and discomfort in debate, but gradually become more comfortable and confident. Kira shares a memorable success story of a shy student who was known for being quiet in the debate sessions and her other classes as well. After a year of participating in the curriculum, the girl began to gain confidence in her public speaking abilities and started speaking up more in the mock debates and her other classes. 

However, shyness wasn’t the only hurdle Kira had to overcome during her sessions. One significant challenge she encountered was teaching debate in a small school where students couldn't opt out of the class. The school chose to incorporate RuDI’s curriculum as part of an existing mandatory elective; this meant that the five students in her class, spread across multiple grades, initially had little interest or common ground. 

Being a virtual teacher, there seemed that there was little Kira could do to build the enthusiasm and foster a connection between the students until a random conversation sparked between a couple students about SpongeBob. 

Noting their interest, Kira created a Spongebob themed workshop about logical fallacies. This creative idea was well-received by students, making learning both fun and relevant. Kira tailored the curriculum to her students' interests, incorporating clips from SpongeBob SquarePants to illustrate logical fallacies. Students were tasked with identifying fallacies in the clips and learning how to avoid them in their arguments. This engaging approach not only captured students' attention but also deepened their understanding of critical thinking concepts. It also demonstrated to students that the fundamentals of debate are present in everyday life, especially in the media. 

Coaching debate in rural settings comes with its unique logistical set of challenges. From communication issues with schools to logistical problems like power outages, Kira recalls a week when students didn't show up for sessions, highlighting the need for persistence and adaptability. Despite these hurdles, the rewards are significant.

Kira tailors her coaching approach to accommodate the diverse backgrounds and needs of her students. She adjusts the amount and depth of material based on students' interests and abilities, balancing realistic goals with lighthearted content. This flexibility ensures that all students, regardless of their starting point, can benefit from the program. Kira's understanding of the skills required for effective debate allows her to provide a well-rounded education that meets each student's needs.