I was once told that I am to write what I know, which means this past week has meant being pulled in numerous directions with work, but also attempting to learn how to mark 4-H record books. If I have some free time, especially when it's something like 4-H, I become conflicted as some say I need to learn how to say, "No."
The thing is, when it comes to different things, you make time for it and though others see you as being quite busy and needing to rest, there are some things you can't say no to. In truth when someone asked me to look the books over the first word that came to mind was, "time." But, I immediately said yes. There was nothing other than, "I was meaning to ask, would you judge our 4-H books?"
It's a small club and I remember being in 4-H when I was younger, so I feel it's important to give back as it kind of is like thanking those people who gave time for my club back in the day.
I've said it before, 4-H is a great program. I personally was in it for a number of years until high school when I became heavily involved with volleyball. I had decided to pursue that sport over continuing with 4-H because I always seemed to miss meetings both general ones and project ones for tournaments or games and had a tough time catching up.
It bothers me when I can't do something at least 90 percent, which is why missing meetings and having to catch up on projects and my record book became something I needed let go of. It wasn't that I was quitting, it was just that I was so busy something had to give.
I had been in it for seven years, I think it was, and I always enjoyed it, but with time becoming constrictive between school, volleyball, and helping on the farm it was just time. The program though had given me a good sense of community, helped me with public speaking, as well as working in a neat manner.
Ultimately working in a neat manner meant I had to use scrap paper for literally everything before I were to put it in my record book. If you've ever seen my scribbles you'll wonder how I can even read my own writing... if left for too long in fact I can't.
I can remember in my first year university I would take notes then forget about looking at them until it was time to do a project or study and it would nearly be impossible to figure out what I had written. In my subsequent years in Lethbridge I would take notes during class then head to the library to re-write them so they were legible, it was time consuming but my grades definitely reflected the added effort.
It was the same for filling out record books when I was younger. I would rush through it and be docked marks for it, so I later learned to add a little more effort which for me actually takes a surprising amount of concentration to have legible writing. It was 4-H though that taught me to put this little extra time into my work and that has stuck with me.
Record books promote creativity, organization, record keeping of finances, goal setting, analysis, and much more.
For the most part this group of kids took their time and put quite a bit of effort into their record books, some were unable to complete everything but overall they were all well done. As with most record books, from what I can remember, the most work was put into their covers, unless you're me and it was actually writing legibly. The cover though was the part where creativity emerged. A vast array of colours, pictures, and scrapbooking items were used to create fun covers which the youth's personalities were reflected in.
I hope I did an alright job, but I definitely realized how tough it must be for an English teacher grading projects and why some people even say no when asked to judge record books. It isn't anything like marking a math assignment, because there are so many other factors to look for than just if the answer is right or wrong.
It was an interesting experience though and I enjoyed looking through what the youth had done with their horses throughout the year.
