THE COACH~PARENT~STUDENT TRIANGLE

Most people would agree that success is easier to achieve when we receive support and encouragement from those who love us. Speech and debate is no exception. The MOST successful children have involved parents.

But what constitutes involvement? Is it the willingness to buy the books, the suit and the dress shoes? Is it driving our child all over town? Is it going to tournaments and spending money on hotels, gasoline and restaurants?

It’s all of those things. And it’s more than all of those things.

The definitions of involvement are many. For our purposes we will define involvement as "to combine inextricably." We expect the parents to become inextricably combined in the process of educating, training and sharpening their student’s speaking and debating skills. We believe a parent’s commitment to this process is as vital as the commitment of the student and the coach.

Picture a triangle in your mind, with the labels of STUDENT, COACH, and PARENT at each angle. The triangle illustrates the desired and required relationship of the parent, student and coach. Each corner is a necessary element in the structure of the triangle. The perimeter of the triangle is fused – INEXTRICABLY- at each angle; without ALL THREE angles, the triangle would cease to exist.

[Insert Student-Coach-Parent diagram]

The triangle model illustrates the STUDENT/COACH/PARENT relationship we expect in STAR Forensics. We expect parents to do more than finance and drive. We expect parents to learn alongside their student and to have a working knowledge of speech and debate because it will be the parent who enforces club requirements and reinforces what the coaches teach at club meetings.

The parent will be required to monitor the student in his assignments and to ensure that the student is completing club assignments. A parent’s knowledge of speech and debate will greatly facilitate the student’s education. Communication between coach and student will be supported and augmented by the parent. Participation in club and reinforcement of club activities/discussions in the home by the parent will create a first-class learning opportunity for the student. This club is meant to be an extension of the student’s academics, not a fun extracurricular activity where the parent is not obligated to be involved. We believe the student will learn best with the support of a parent. This is the model the Lord has laid on our hearts to lead.

Homework

The parent will be expected to monitor their student's homework, assisting if needed, and holding their student(s) accountable to complete the assignment. The student will be accountable to the coach for completion of student assignments. If a student has a legitimate reason for being unable to submit the homework assignment by the deadline, then the student is responsible to communicate this information to the appropriate Coach prior to the stated deadline. The parent needs to hold their student accountable for communicating with the appropriate coach. Grace may be granted by the Coach on an individual basis depending on the legitimacy of the extenuating circumstance.

Communication

A critical component to a successfully run club is good communication. This responsibility is shared between the Board of Directors, Coaches, parents and students. In order to facilitate prompt, accurate communication between all parties, STAR Forensics website is the chosen preferred format. The parents and students will be held responsible to check the website frequently for updates in schedules, homework assignments, facility changes, announcements, tournament dates and anything else pertaining to the club and its activities. Parents and students will be expected to respond promptly to any deadline given when requested. If a student or parent fails to respond to a deadline, natural consequences will occur. For example, failure to respond may result in a student being unable to participate in a debate round, attend a round robin or give a speech. Likewise, lack of parental response as needed to judge may also result in a student being unable to debate or speak. Consequences will be communicated and will be up to the discretion of the Coaches and/or the Board of Directors. The overall goal is to have accurate, prompt communication.

Club Attendance

At least one parent is required to attend all STAR Forensics club meetings with their student(s), unless other arrangements have been pre-approved by the Board of Directors. If there are extenuating circumstances where a parent cannot attend weekly, the parent needs to communicate this to the Board of Directors. Parental involvement is crucial for the success of one's own student(s), as well as the club itself. Parents will learn the skills necessary to critique public speaking and/or debate rounds and will share in the responsibility of overseeing breakout groups. Every family will be responsible to help clean the facility after club meetings on a rotational basis if needed. If an emergency arises which makes attendance impossible, it is the parents’ responsibility to find a replacement to assume their club duties for that meeting and to inform a Board member as soon as possible.

Younger Siblings

1. Due to the academic nature of the club, there will be no provision made for younger siblings of participating students.
2. There will not be a Junior Track or playgroup on a playground. However, as time permits, individual arrangements can be made with coaches prior to club time for a coach to gently critique a Junior speech (under age 11) prior to club time.
3. If a parent should bring a younger sibling or a nonparticipating sibling to the club, it is the parent’s responsibility to have the child with them at all times. The child will be expected to sit quietly,watch and learn during club time.
4. The child can have fun learning to time, flow and observe.
5. If the child becomes distracting to others, the parent will need to take the child out of the room until he/she is quiet.

Transportation

Parents must provide transportation both to and from all club meetings, club functions, and tournaments. Directions to individual tournaments are usually provided along with their registration forms.

Parent Meetings

It is mandatory for at least one parent to attend Parent Meetings which will be held infrequently. These meetings will be held either during club time or at a previously agreed upon time for the purpose of discussing club-related issues. This is the time to discuss administrative and organizational ideas, ask questions, seek help, make suggestions, instruct parents, and so forth. During this time, club parents will also learn NCFCA rules and judging skills required to effectively judge debate and speech tournament rounds.

Tournaments

Parents will learn NCFCA rules and the judging skills required to effectively judge debate and/or speech tournament rounds. Instruction will be provided at weekly club meetings or at Parent Meetings. Parents will also learn debate and/or speech timing methods used in tournament competition. If a local tournament is hosted by STAR Forensics, at least one parent is required to participate in the organization and management of it by fulfilling the various responsibilities required.