One way to get our teenagers to learn more about a subject is to assign them the task of writing a report. Depending on the subject, that route will only take them "so far". Want to turn them on to a way that will truly spark their interest? Help them have a deeper understanding of controversial issues? Get their friends involved so that they might spur each other on to better things? Squelch those socialization naysayers?

Have you ever considered debate? I know, you feel like you get enough of debate from your teens already! But this is something different and constructive. Chris Jeub, of Training Minds Ministry, has taken his love for speech and debate and has created a ministry for homeschoolers that not only stretches their knowledge and intellectual creative juices, but also draws them closer to their Savior.

TOS: Chris, thanks so much for joining us at TOS. You have certainly filled a great need in the homeschool community. What did you see in homeschoolers that caused you to begin the Training Minds Ministry?

Chris: I started homeschooling my own children when I was an English teacher in Minnesota and North Dakota. My favorite field of study -- as a teacher and as parent -- was academic speech and debate. In the public schools, funds to build a league and a club were ample, but when HSLDA started the homeschool speech and debate league, I sought to start a unique ministry to be of service to homeschoolers.

When I coached debate in the public schools, I would often say that I had the cream-of-the-crop students. Coaching homeschool students is better yet: the cream of the cream of the crop.

TOS: What does the title of your ministry mean?

Chris: Training Minds Ministry comes from I Peter 1:13: "Train the mind for action", a modern translation of the KJV, "Gird up thy loins". The "loin" in this verse is the brain, historically seen as a muscle rather than an organ, a muscle in need of exercise. To "gird" means to strengthen and tone, in essence, train.

Training Minds Ministry specializes in the art of speech and debate in the homeschool league, the National Christian Forensics and Communication Association. The NCFCA provides the perfect arena for young people to "train the mind for action", and speech/debate is the activity that does the training.

TOS: As homeschooling parents, we are always dealing with the socialization issue. Do you think debate is a good way to open the eyes of both our children and our critics as to how capable they are to “hold their own�? Help us understand just how debate helps homeschoolers with socialization.

Chris: The NCFCA hosts a national tournament every year in June where over 1,000 homeschool students attend and compete. Thirty states have their own qualifying tournaments, and the nation is divided by the league into five regions that also have qualifying tournaments. Colorado, where I coach and teach, hosts many nonqualifying tournaments throughout the year. If you have the chance to attend a tournament and see these kids speak and debate, there won't be any question as to the socialization of these homeschool students. These kids -- as a direct result of what the speech and debate activities teach -- are the sharpest young communicators you will ever meet.

TOS: What about the educational element? How much do students learn in debate?

Chris: I ask many parents what they want most out of teaching their children. Most include leadership skills, speaking skills, discernment and wisdom, research skills, critical thinking skills, and many more. As an educator and parent myself, I say with full confidence that academic debate weaves all of these skills into a student unlike any other activity available. There are many good activities students can choose to get involved in, but, in my opinion, debate tops them all.

TOS: How important is the "art of communication"?

Chris: Communication is the criterion for success in any discipline, isn't it? Take, for instance, the 3 Rs: reading, 'riting, and 'rithmatic. All three are required for effective leadership in the world, but if you are a poor communicator, you will be crippled in your effectiveness. In any field (business, government, ministry, family) students' success hinges on their communication skills.

TOS: Many homeschoolers are already busy with sports, church and community activities, and school itself. How demanding is the commitment to academic debate?

Chris: First off, let me reiterate: homeschools that teach debate cover more educational ground than any other activity I have ever seen. Debate students do more reading and researching, are more up-to-date on current events, are sharper and more studious than most other students. It's the element of competition, really, that makes students want to study hard -- they're usually preparing to win a trophy at a tournament or go to Nationals. I meet many parents who struggle to get their kid to want to learn. Not so for parents of debate students. These students have a blast, learning a ton, much more than if Mom assigned a research paper or something.

Second, debate should be seen as more than just an academic activity. It is a sport. students perform in front of a judge (or sometimes a panel of judges) for the sake of persuading the judge logically and rhetorically. I often refer to a student of mine many years ago, Chandler, who went on to receive a debate scholarship at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. As a ninth grader he quit boxing (a glamorous sport for a young man) to give it his all for debate; he told me, Mr. Jeub, debate is boxing with the mind. Chandler, now a graduate from USAF and serving our country as an Air Force lieutenant, recognized at a very young age what was important in his academic career.

Lastly, I must admit that debate is a demanding sport, but for all the right reasons. Students don't drag their feet in debate. They want to study, they want to speak, and they want to persuade their next judge so that they may inch closer to the winning award. My family is among many families who make debate and speech, for that matter a central family sport in which they participate whole-heartedly.

TOS: You have several great books on debate. Which book would you recommend for the homeschool parent who is interested in not only helping their child develop debate skills, but also might be interested in starting a debate team?

Chris: We have two books that are popularly known as the Blue Book and the Red Book: brands homeschool students came up with for no better reason than one is blue and one is red. The Blue Book focuses on policy debate, and the Red Book on value debate, the two formats offered in the homeschool league. Our flagship book, Jeub's Complete Guide to Speech and Debate, gives parents a solid perspective of the homeschool speech family. Vance Trefethen, a debate coach in North Carolina and co-author of the Blue Book, just published Strategic Debate, an incredible in-depth look at competitive debate.

For starting a debate class, we have curriculum for both the Blue Book and Strategic Debate. Check our website www.trainingminds.org for free curriculum downloads, as well as ordering information on the resources.

TOS: Who seems to benefit more, boys or girls, from the public debate … or is there even a difference?

Chris: Both, of course, but only when debate is seen for what it is. Debate skills—and by that I mean critical thinking, objective researching, constructive listening, and case building -- are the most sharpening skills anyone can master. But the skill alone can be deadly. Some of the worst people in history were some of the sharpest orators and debaters (Hitler, for example, was known for being incredibly persuasive). Training Minds Ministry works hard to couple debate with the character of Christ. Much can be said of Jesus' debates with both Jews and Gentiles, and countless leaders in the church since then.

TOS: Now that you have our interest, where do you recommend that we begin?

Chris: Families can begin by visiting our website at www.trainingminds.org. We have some informational articles that will help kickstart their research. We also have some great resources that will fill the academic needs. Our ministry offers significant group discounts for teachers who are teaching ten or more students. We also have a page of links to other resource websites that will help equip students and teachers.

I have to say that I have yet to meet a student or a parent who has regretted getting involved in forensic competition. I think it is the best activity (likely the best kept secret) in teaching the leadership skills we want to pass on to our kids.

TOS: You have my vote. You're quite convincing yourself! Thanks, Chris, for all your helpful information and opening our eyes to a subject many of us may not have considered before.

Chris Jeub is the author of numerous speech and debate textbooks. This article is excerpted from Jeub's Complete Guide to Speech and Debate. He and his wife Wendy have 11 children -- two of whom are homeschool graduates. Cynthia, who is referred to in this article, is now in her first year of debate. You can find out more about the Jeub family's ministry at www.trainingminds.org.