I went to a great Jr High and I was in a debate class for social studies. It was a long time ago, but I can tell you the most valuable thing to me, was when I was assigned to argue a position I didn’t believe in. Being able to see the other side of an argument, understanding its strengths and weaknesses, helps you to plan your strategy for your argument. The post poignant argument was when a friend, an avid animal lover had to argue FOR euthanasia. She cried when she pulled that card because she was so passionately against it. By the time she did her debate, she actually had changed, or at least softened her stance. She was able to argue that in cases of severe suffering of animals euthanasia was the most humane thing to do. This was a position she never would have considered before because she was so focused (as jr high girls tend to be) on her hatred of anyone who would kill an animal. She won.