The world of competitive speech is one driven by stories…stories that touch our hearts, challenge our minds, and tickle our funny bones. The goal of the NIETOC Board is to provide our tournament attendees with an “Experience” that reminds us why we do this activity and why words matter. We strive to bring both heart and humor into a weekend celebration of those who give so much of their lives teaching and sharing the power of the spoken word.
It is hard to believe that we will be hosting our tenth annual tournament in a few months. We are grateful for all of you who have joined the NIETOC family and helped us learn and grow over the past decade. We appreciate the wonderful conversations with fellow educators, the incredible performances by your students, and the memorable laughs with colleagues from around the country.
Please take a moment to read the words of wisdom shared by Conor Sherry, one of last year’s national champions about why, now more than ever, humor matters. After all, as the great American writer and humorist Mark Twain once quipped: “The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.”
