cheeringbutterIssue № 01 · 2026
A new class · 新开课程 · Summer 2026

A class I'm teaching
this summer.

这个夏天我开的一门课

Speech & Debate with Emily: a four-week intensive on extemporaneous speaking, eight evenings online, for ages ten and up. Fifteen dollars a session. Written and taught by me.

When
July 7 – 30, 2026
Days
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 7 – 8 pm CST
Ages
10 and up
Format
Online, eight sessions
Tuition
$15 per class
Reserve a seat
tinyurl.com/SpeechWithEmily
Hand-lettered flyer in blue marker on lined notebook paper: SPEECH AND DEBATE WITH EMILY. Speech bubbles describe the class: grow your speaking abilities, learn to think critically, improve your confidence; ages 10+; $120 total tuition, online; class dates July 7 to July 30, 2026; four weeks, twice a week Tuesday and Thursday, seven to eight PM Central. A QR code links to registration and more information.
Poster · hand-lettered, May 2026. Please share it.

A note from Emily一封简短的话

I've been competing in speech and debate since seventh grade, and extemp is the event I love most. I've had some real wins: qualifying for state and national tournaments, and bringing home a few medals I'm genuinely proud of. I've also lost a lot of rounds, which is most of why I think I can teach this. Losing well is a skill, and so is the part where you stand up the next morning and try again.

I wrote this class for every kid who's curious, secretly chatty, and a little terrified of a microphone. We'll go back to basics together: what extemp actually is, how to use thirty minutes of prep without panicking, and how to sound confident even on the days you don't feel it.

I'm eighteen, a rising college freshman, headed to the University of Texas at Austin's Moody College of Communication this fall to study public relations. I've competed at the district, state, and national level, and since 2024 I've taught more than forty middle-schoolers extemp through an online debate academy, writing the slides, homework, and rubric myself. This summer, before I go, I'm teaching this as my own class, online, because I think the kids who need it most are the ones whose schools don't have a team yet.

我从七年级就开始参加演讲与辩论比赛。即兴演讲是我最热爱的项目。我赢过一些真正让我自豪的比赛，拿到过州赛和全国赛的资格，也捧回过几枚珍视的奖牌。当然，我也输过很多场，这正是我觉得自己能教这门课的原因。输得体面是一种本领，第二天还能站起来再来一次也是一种本领。

这门课，是为每一个有好奇心、私底下爱说话，却害怕麦克风的小孩准备的。我们会一起从最基础学起：即兴演讲到底是什么，怎样用好赛前的三十分钟而不慌乱，以及在并不自信的日子里也能显得从容。

我今年十八岁，是一名即将入学的大一新生，今年秋天将进入德州大学奥斯汀分校 Moody 传播学院攻读公共关系专业。我曾在地区、州与全国各级赛事中参赛。自 2024 年起，我还独自为一所线上演讲与辩论学院设计并教授即兴演讲课程，课件、作业和评分标准都由我亲手编写，至今已为四十余名初中生上过课。这个夏天，在离开家上大学之前，我想把它做成自己的课，放到线上来教。因为我相信，最需要这门课的，正是那些学校里还没有演讲队的孩子。

Emily, in a burnt-orange University of Texas shirt, standing and smiling beside the engraved campus sign reading: The University of Texas at Austin, Moody College of Communication.
Moody College of Communication, UT Austin, where I start this fall.

What we'll actually do我们会做些什么

This is a back-to-basics class on extemporaneous speaking, "extemp" for short. In a round you're handed a question about current events and get just thirty minutes to research, write, and memorize a speech before delivering it, up to seven minutes, with no notes. It sounds impossible; it's learnable. Over eight classes we build it from the ground up. 这是一门回归基础的即兴演讲（extemp）课程。在比赛中，你会拿到一道关于时事的问题，只有三十分钟来查资料、撰写并记下一篇演讲，然后脱稿讲述，最长七分钟。听起来几乎不可能，其实是可以学会的。八节课里，我们从零开始，一步步把它搭建起来。

  1. Class 1

    Foundations, part one基础（上）

    What extemp actually is: the structure of a speech and the rules of the event.即兴演讲究竟是什么：演讲的结构与比赛规则。

  2. Class 2

    Foundations, part two基础（下）

    Using the thirty-minute prep well, and what to expect in a round.如何用好三十分钟的准备时间，以及一场比赛会是什么样。

  3. Class 3

    The intro · explained开场 · 讲解

    How a strong opening works, taken apart piece by piece.逐步拆解一个有力的开场，看它是如何构成的。

  4. Class 4

    The intro · practiced开场 · 练习

    Writing and delivering your own openings, with feedback after each.亲手撰写并演练自己的开场，每次都有反馈。

  5. Class 5

    The body主体段落

    Building the middle of the speech: explanation and practice together.搭建演讲的主体部分，讲解与练习并行。

  6. Class 6

    Delivery · explained登台 · 讲解

    Memorization, body language, sources, tone: everything that makes a speech land.记忆、肢体语言、引用与语气，正是让一篇演讲真正打动人的一切。

  7. Class 7

    Delivery · practiced登台 · 练习

    Full run-throughs, with personalized feedback after each one.完整演练，每次之后都有针对性的反馈。

  8. Class 8

    Putting it together · a mini tournament综合演练 · 迷你比赛

    Everyone gives a full speech under real extemp rules. This last session runs longer than an hour so every student gets full time. Details closer to the date.每个人在真实的即兴演讲规则下完整演讲一次。这节课会超过一小时，让每位学生都有充分的发挥时间。具体安排临近开课时公布。

Why trust me with your kid关于这位老师

A shelf of speech-and-debate awards: gold trophies and plaques, a blue crystal engraved Extemporaneous Tournament of Champions Semi-Finalist, a silver University Interscholastic League UIL State medal on a red-white-and-blue ribbon, a purple sign reading I qualified for the 2026 National Speech and Debate Tournament, and around two dozen medals on ribbons hanging behind them.
The shelf: qualifications to the Extemporaneous Tournament of Champions and NSDA Nationals, a UIL State silver medal, and first- and second-place finishes across the Texas circuit.

I keep the trophies on a shelf and the lesson plans in a Google Doc. 奖杯放在架子上，教案放在云端文档里。

The details详情

When时间
July 7 – July 30, 2026. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7 – 8 pm CST. Eight sessions over four weeks. 2026 年 7 月 7 日至 30 日，每周二、周四晚 7 – 8 点（美中时间）。四周共八节课。
Where地点
Online. Every class's slideshows, recordings, and homework are posted to a shared Google Classroom, so students and parents can always review or catch up. 线上授课。每节课的课件、录像与作业都会发布在共享的 Google Classroom，学生与家长可以随时回看或补课。
Who it's for适合谁
Students ages 10 and up, pitched at middle-schoolers, but anyone 10 or older is welcome. No prior speech-and-debate experience needed; this is a back-to-basics class. 10 岁及以上的学生，课程主要面向初中年龄段，但只要满 10 岁都欢迎。无需任何演讲或辩论基础，这是一门从零开始的课。
What you'll need需要准备
A laptop or tablet with a working microphone and camera, a quiet spot, and something to take notes with. Slides, recordings, and homework all live in the Google Classroom. 一台带麦克风和摄像头的笔记本电脑或平板，一个安静的环境，以及用来记笔记的东西。课件、录像与作业都在 Google Classroom 中。
How much费用
$15 per class, $120 total for the eight-session series. 每节课 15 美元，八节课全程共计 120 美元。
The last class最后一节
Class 8 is a mini-tournament and runs longer than an hour so every student can give a full speech; your student may need to join a little earlier or later that day. More details closer to the start. 第八节课是迷你比赛，时长会超过一小时，让每位学生都能完整演讲一次；当天你的孩子可能需要稍早或稍晚加入。更多细节会在临近开课时公布。
Missed a class?错过了课？
Every session is recorded and posted to the Google Classroom, so a missed class is never a lost one. 每节课都会录像并发布到 Google Classroom，错过一节也不会落下。
Parent contact家长联系
Parents with questions can write to hello@cheeringbutter.com and I'll answer the same day. 家长如有疑问，欢迎写信至 hello@cheeringbutter.com，我会当天回复。
Reserve a seat
tinyurl.com/SpeechWithEmily

立即报名

See you Tuesday. 周二见。