One thing you need to understand is that back then, I really wasn’t that very outspoken boy and I was pretty much shy, and getting roped into a school debate felt both scary and exciting at the same time because it involved trying out something new. And like most children of my age at that time, I had forgotten about the debate, or maybe I thought I could walk through it like every other thing; of course, I am smart, so how difficult could it be convincing my mates that being a farmer is better than being a teacher-the proof being our wicked teachers. Plus it afforded me the chance to use the catch line, ”I believe I have been able to convince and not confuse you that a farmer is better than a teacher”
So as the day drew nearer, I did realize maybe it wasn’t just as easy as it seemed at the first. I had been opportune to watch 2 classes have a go at each other on the podium and all of a sudden, it didn’t seem so easy anymore. I knew I needed to be prepared, both in talking points as well as being able to deliver the said talking points without missing a line.
So on that day, I got home, got a note and started thinking up talking points and writing out my debate. I got help and it felt like it was going to be an easy win the next day. An easy win if I can take it to mind. the 2 pages talking points I made in time for the debate the next day, as well as being able to handle the pressure of speaking in front of the whole school. So I started going over the talking points over and over again, one word at a time. I have always been a child good with words, his words, which meant I had issues cramming other people’s words line for line, or even mine if written out, but yet, somehow, I felt I needed to do just that to succeed.
It did feel like a disaster waiting to happen, but I kept at it, running through the entire talking points over and over and over again till I was sure I could confidently run through it without any issues. Anyone who has been in this situation before and done this same thing would know the biggest evil is not when you are trying to cram all the lines, but when you finally feel like you have it all and get to school the next day.
I woke up on the day of the debate and went through my daily routines while trying to run through the lines in my mind. I struggled with it a bit, but I still had some time to smoothen things before the debate. So all the way to school, I held the sheet of paper that had my lines and I kept running through my lines till I got to school and all through morning devotion on the assembly ground. I was bent on not forgetting anything, even if it meant not saying anything that isn’t my line till after the debate. So I kept my distance from my friends and went on a no-talking spell for the entire time before the debate
It was now time for the debate and the part that no one tells you about started. My heart began to race, I got tensed and nervous and felt like disappearing. I tried to run through my lines one last time before I get called up but it seemed the lines had flown away. I was left almost blank, repeatedly mixing up my talking points and I started panicking. I am a sore eye for losing and it looked too glaring that I was going to make my class lose the debate. I could live with losing a class football match, but losing a debate felt like an all-time low for me. I quickly pulled out the sheet of paper I had earlier folded out of my pocket, and I was still unfolding when I heard my name being called out, alongside the names of other debaters. I found my way out as I kept staring at the open paper in my hand, making a final attempt at saving. my soul from failure and embarrassment.
I was called up to make my case and walked up to the front of the entire school, looked up and I could see everyone on the assembly ground, and they could do the same too. I stuttered for a minute, and then it felt like someone tampered with my eyesight as everyone suddenly went blurry and I could only see people, but no actual faces. I summoned all the courage in me and started ”without food, a nation cannot grow or function. Every human depends on food from the farm for life and sustenance. Without further ado (I am not even sure what this means in reality but it sounded nice, so I said it. Don’t blame the player, blame the game) I will like to give honour to whom honour is due, by saying good morning Mr Chairman, Panel of Judges, Accurate timekeeper, my co-debaters and fellow student, my name is ***** from primary 4 yellow and I am here to support the motion that farmers are better than teachers” It was a bit of something like
I hit a pause after this and realized it was working, the entire assembly ground was silent, eager to hear what this boy had to say, if only they know somewhere in my head, I was looking for the next word. I had started well, but now I just have to figure out how to end it. I spent the next figuring out the next line and as I opened my mouth hoping the right next line would drop, the word that came out sent me 3 talking points away and I thought, I can work with this, I just have to run this to the end and hopefully I’d remember the first 2 talking points I skipped. So I ran with it, literally as it sounded like the words were rushing out with enough speed that it would be relatively impossible for most to keep up with. I really didn’t care about that. I just wanted to be done anyways. Anyone who was going to base their life choices on what they hoped to hear me say was on their own and I wasn’t going to be liable for any of that. I just needed to be off the stage without embarrassing my local government chairman and family lineage.
This however felt like a plan, one that was working until it no longer did. I had run through 2 talking points and got stuck and blank. Almost immediately, I could see the faces of everyone staring at me, waiting for me to say the next word and I couldn’t, my village people had been out to publicly shame me and they just succeeded to do that. I looked down almost like I was searching for the missing word and looked back up and I knew there was no hope as nothing was forthcoming. It was almost a minute since I had stopped speaking, but somewhere there, it felt like a much longer time. I summoned up courage and skipped to the part where I gave my closing.
So I went with the famous closing remark, ”With these few points of mine (it was indeed few points), I believe I have been able to convince you and not confuse you that a farmer is better than a teacher” I really didn’t care if they were convinced at this point and pretty much wasn’t bothered if they weren’t. I just wanted to be done and with that, I was done. I quickly walked away from the stage as the moderator of the debate came up and the school clapped their hands off.
I felt bad that it didn’t all play out the way I had hoped and because I wasn’t a good loser, all that was left was for me to pray that the opposing team does worse. I needed my village people to come through for me on this and make the poor boy fumble and as though they really heard my prayer and felt bad for how I felt, the opposing team came up and immediately went blank in front of the entire school. Whatever the issue was, he wasn’t getting out of this because, and the more he tried to force the word out, the more he was caught up with his own word and he finally gave in.
We won the debate and I was glad that even though I did forget my lines in front of the entire school, there was someone else who did much worse and took my place in being the subject of discussion for the entire school day. I strolled back into my class lines amidst hailing and it felt good. It was time for us to go back to our classes for the day’s work, and as I marched towards my class, I was pulled out of the line by the English teacher of the senior class. I began to wonder what I had done wrong to get pulled out, but she looked at me with a broad smile and she said,
WELCOME TO THE SCHOOL DEBATE TEAM
