And debater Bryce Brady thinks high school debaters have a higher level of civility than many politicians.

“I definitely think politicians today could get a real lesson from a high school debate team.”

Deanne Christensen believes some of these award-winning debaters will be the leaders of tomorrow.

“They’re very smart and they want to see this country be successful because they are that future of our country.”

Your “Confessions”

We take a look now at some of the comments you shared with us on our blog, “Confessions of an English Learner.” Many of you provided advice about how you learned English. We welcome the helpful information. Thanks to everyone who has joined the discussion on the blog.

One web visitor described his difficulty with two English language words that sound similar but are very different in meaning. Moises wrote from his home in El Salvador. He described a mistake he made on his first visit to the United States.

Chicken soup for eating...

At the time, Moises was working on a cruise ship. It was his second day. He was organizing some of his belongings when a co-worker came into the room they were sharing. The co-worker asked, “Hey, my friend, do you want soap?” Moises wrote that he was surprised by the question and excited to use his English. He answered, “No thanks. I am not hungry.”