Jaggard Williams

Background

About Jaggard Williams

When I was a student, I had the most life-changing experiences in speech and debate. Education provided me a safe place to express myself when it felt like the world was falling apart around me, and I have made it my mission to provide that kind of environment for today's children. Others perceive speech and debate as simply a competitive activity, but in our classroom, we know it has the ability to change the world, one performance at a time. By graduation, students from my classroom will gain the following skills- empathy - critical thinking - public awareness - civic engagement Though I am an educator because of the profound power of speech and debate, I can't lie and say I don't love winning. As a lifelong learner myself, I have earned bachelors degrees in Political Science and Theatre and masters degrees in Teaching and Communication (pending) to further my goals of winning. When prompted, coworkers have called me hardworking, passionate, and driven. This never-ending tenacity has helped me reach several professional milestones and accomplishments, including the following- became a one diamond coach in the National Forensics League - coached a team that has grown in size by 300%- coached over 6 state and national finalists - coached national champion in Extemporaneous Debate Reflecting, speech and debate is one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and I'm sure all of my students would say the same thing. They say that education is the great equalizer, but a speech and debate centered education can propel these children to greatness. Whether you're a former competitor, had the pleasure of judging a tournament, or even if you've never heard of the activity before, I implore you to find a way to support speech and debate. My students know words matter, but they only matter if someone is listening. Lend an ear, and who knows, maybe you can be part of the change.