Rachel Brooks

Teaching Experience: Pre-K, Kindergarten; College: Certification Examination Preparation; Middle School: Language Arts, Reading; High School: English 1, English 4, Debate 1-4, Yearbook 1-4, Archery

Education: B.A. English, B.S.E. Secondary Education, M.Ed. Curriculum and Instruction, Cert. in Women and Gender Studies, Cert. in Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies

Judging Expectations: I coach and compete in the UIL circuit so I mostly adhere to UIL guidelines and UIL handbooks. That means I will be looking at time limits, speaking abilities, sources and documentation, dress/appearance/nonverbals/posture, and topic/prompt/category representation/adherence.

All speech events: Speech is an art. I will notice and judge pronunciation, enunciation, pacing, projection, breath control, inflection, affectation, tone, etc.

Extemp: My background is English, so I like standard formats. I love road maps and theses, topic sentences and transitions. You should include an introduction which states topic/purpose/claim, a body which presents points/contentions and research/sources/citations, and a conclusion. I do not like the extemp triangle - I find movement distracting.

Interp: My background is English, so I will recognize tone shifts and semantic choices. I expect you to have identified these things and use vocal cues and variations to emphasize them and enhance your reading. You must connect the piece to the prompt and explain that connection. Please consult UIL expectations regarding binders.

All debate events: Your job is to convince the judge and attack the problem, not to convince or attack your opponent. Stay on topic, stay on message, stay on goal. Be kind, be respectful, and be civil. There had better be some solid research with reliable sources, that is non-negotiable. Aggression is not inherently a problem, but if it's personal or rude, I will deduct. Speed reading is not inherently a problem, but if it sacrifices clarity, I will deduct. Jargon is not inherently a problem, but if I do not understand, I will deduct.

LD: I better hear some philosophy and you had better explain it.

CX: I better hear some good questions and you had better use your time appropriately.

CX- I will listen to almost everything you give to me. Prefer to vote as a policy maker. I would prefer every other argument except Ks but if that is all you have to run, I will vote on it. Please don't spread. If I can't understand you, I will not vote on the argument. If you need to speed through the information emphasize the taglines and analytical arguments. SIGNPOST SIGNPOST SIGNPOST.

LD- I will vote on just about anything. I prefer traditional debate but will go for anything, ultimately it is your debate, I'm just judging it. It would help me out tremendously if you are running something that is super progressive then please try to spoonfeed me. I am not as well versed on these arguments. I don't mind some speed but slow down on taglines and analytical arguments. If I don't understand you, I will not flow you.

PF- I want good line-by-line argumentation and heavy signposting. The more you keep in order on the flow, the better your chances of winning the debate. Good impact calculus will go a long way.

Congress- I like good refutation. I do not like repeated arguments and will vote you down if you are not adding to the debate. If the PO keeps an orderly chamber and commits few errors (I get the error every now and then especially with questioning) they will rank high on my ballot. I am also not opposed to ranking the PO first if they are #1 in the round. Questioning should not be a shouting match. If you are rude to other debaters during questioning I will not rank you. I understand some competitiveness but not allowing someone to answer the question and constantly interrupting will not be tolerated on my ballot.

Extemp- Humor goes a long way with me. Keep it old-fashioned and stick to the book. Be sure to emphasize your sources because I do keep count. My count won't affect my ballot much but if I'm stuck between two speakers, this will help me decide a little easier.

HI- Comedic timing is everything. If you're going to land a joke, it must be timed perfectly.

DI- I hate screaming. I deduct the most points from people who scream. I like a good build-up and tear-down during most DI pieces. It shouldn't just be sad, sad, sad, sad, sad. I should go through a whirlwind of emotions. I don't mind the heavier pieces.

Duet/Duo- Relationships, relationships, relationships. You and your partner need to be in lockstep and be timed together.

All other interp events- It is an acting exercise, not a reading exercise.

My email for the email chain is justin.holland2019@gmail.com

Policy and LD- I was a policy kid in high school. I am fine with spreading when done correctly. I am okay with almost all arguments as long as you run them properly, and explain to me why they are important and why it matters. I am on the flow judge so if you are winning the flow your most likely going to win the round. I love signposting and road maps it helps me as a judge to know where I am going. Please give me voters, and show me why your argument is better. Don't make a claim without giving me evidence to it and explaining why you are right.

Congress- I was also a congress kid in high school, I will never forget about the PO because as a former PO I really apprentice them. Advice for the PO I want to never notice you because that means you are doing your job. For speakers I want clash. If you clash with people it helps with your score in congress as well it just helps with debate. Make sure you stay on top of everything and always ask questions. Also make your speeches fun I love quirky attention devices.

Extemp- I was an extemper as well in high school, I love attention devices I find them fun. Make sure you have background info. It is really easy to get lost in your points, but try and keep them to the point and clean. I love good previews of points and I heavily believe in having 7 articles one in intro and two in each point. Make sure to have fun in this event we want to see your amazing personalities.

Interp- This is one of my favorite events to compete in and judge.Remember your emotions and show me why this piece matter. Remember your emotions you do not have to be yelling all the time to show you are mad. Make sure I can see you climax and you have a good beginning middle and end to your piece. Of course have your intro memorized! Show me why your piece matters and show me what your characters or character is going through. Take me through the world of your piece.

Platforms: Knowing your script is the most powerful thing. If you can get through a full 10 minutes without a hiccup in your fluency you're already doing an amazing job. I think in these events it's important to use your tone as a weapon. Emphasizing what needs to be emphasized to inform or persuade your audience and draw them into the world of knowledge that you want to share with them.

Experience: Teacher and Coach of Speech & Debate! Although I have a few years of experience I am BIG on public speaking skills!

What I look for: A speaker who keeps the audience in mind by applying speaking techniques that keep the listener interested. (Eye contact, non-verbal communication, body language is important to get an overall perspective of the speaker).

Each speech or performance needs the basics: intro, body conclusion.

For extempers, I love to see the waltz during your delivery.

I am always open for the speakers to find their own unique ways to make their topics interesting and purposeful! I am all about the persuasion and emotion behind a performance (THINK ethos, pathos and logos).

*Treat the round as a "communication experience" and remember to have FUN!!

For debaters, DO NOT spread during a round. I like to flow during rounds and understanding your arguments is most important.

I enjoy clash during CX and voter reasons! (Remember part of a debate is in the art of persuasion)

Please add me to the email chain: hstringer@princetonisd.net

CX Philosophy
As a judge, I look to you to tell me the rules of the round. I try to be as fluid as possible when it comes to framework and argument. I only ask that you make sure you explain it and how it impacts the round.

I enjoy topical affirmatives and unique arguments from the negative that link to the affirmative case. If an argument applies to any topical affirmative, I tend to not vote for it (provided the affirmative shows that it is non-unique). Really good impact debate is my happy place.

In regards to speed, I would say I am comfortable with mid-high, however it would be smart to think slower on procedurals and tag lines. Go ahead and add me to the email/flash chain and then do what makes you happy.

My facial expressions are pretty readable. If you see me making a face, you may want to slow down and/or explain more thoroughly.

I don't count flashing as part of prep, but prep for flashing/sending files (organizing files, trying to find the right speech, deleting other files, etc) are. It shouldn't take more than about 30 seconds to send files. Going on 5 minutes is a bit excessive.

In terms of critical debate: I am not opposed to it, but I am not well versed, so be sure to really explain any kritiks and how they impact the debate. One of my students called me a lazy progressive judge. That fits. I don't read the literature or envelope myself in the K. Do the work for me; I don't want to.

Counterplans, disadvantages and solvency/advantage debates are great.

I think topicality is necessary to debate, but tend to skew to the aff as long as they can show how they are reasonably topical.

All that being said, I will flow anything and vote on anything until a team proves it isn't worthy of a vote.

LD Philosophy

I have been near LD Debate for about 20 years, but have never been trained in it. So, I am knowledgeable about the event, but not about the content within it. You will probably need to explain more to me and why I should vote on a particular issue. As a policy debater, I tend toward evidence and argumentation. However, I will vote on what you tell me is important to vote on unless your opponent makes a more compelling argument for me to vote on something else.

Public Forum Debate Philosophy

My favorite part of public forum debate is the niceties that are expected here. I love to watch a debater give a killer speech and then turn to politeness in crossfire. Polite confidence is a major selling point for me. Not that I won't vote for you if you aren't polite, but I might look harder for a winning argument for your opponent. In PF, I look more for communication of ideas over quantity of argumentation. I don't coach public forum, so I am not well versed in the content. Make sure you explain and don't just assume I know the inner workings of the topic.