Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 5, The Power of Persuasion (7th-8th)
Hello, all you persuasive people!
I am feeling such a mix of emotions today as we wrap up our Power of Persuasion course. I am sad to see everyone go, but I am so incredibly proud of each and every one of our students. Persuasion classes can be challenging, especially for a large group, because there are always going to be differences of opinions and approaches to learning. However, all your young persuaders were so professional, kind, empathetic, communicative, and diplomatic throughout the week. I hope your young persuader learned a lot and had a ton of fun – I know I sure did! I cannot wait to see what great things these young people achieve in their lives. I fully expect we will see some of them out there inventing, innovating, running businesses, going into law or politics, as doctors or journalists, and hopefully some teachers too! Wherever they end up, I know they will be able to use their life-long persuasion skills to better their industries and the world.
Today, we prepared for our final “mock” activity/project. Because many of our students with a theatrical bent enjoyed the mock trial, I allowed them to hold another mock trial to build on their new familiarity with persuasive opening and closing statements, interviewing witnesses, cross-examinations, and redirects, and serving as a witness. Our mock trial participants would also become the White House press corps for our other final project: a multi-step mock political campaign event where our three candidate teams would give a persuasive political campaign speech, hold a press release introducing the formation of three new parties into American politics, and then hold a debate where they were asked tough questions on their policy platforms on hot button issues like education, healthcare, immigration, gun control, international intervention and foreign policy, income inequality, tax policy, and the criminal justice system. To clarify, these parties each had to bring something fresh and new to the table and had to think about how they would create some bipartisan platforms to appeal to the many American voters who feel frustrated with polemic politics. Surprisingly, our parties developed very similar platforms in several areas, but they had subtle differences that they had to defend in debate and through the press debriefing held by their press secretaries. All our candidate teams did an excellent job, even though we were pressed for time, and I couldn’t believe how rigorously they thought through the issues and created plans for the future! Please ask your young, savvy persuader about their campaign platform and some of the things they learned about the debate, the workforce and the innovation industry, the legal profession, and political engagement, and the role of the press!
Have a wonderful end to your summer y’all! I will miss all your bright, intelligent, unique minds! *Mini-tear*
Until next summer,
Ms. Rho