Early Saturday
Feb. 11th, 2006 05:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
baronessekatToday found my getting up and out the door earlier than I even do for work.
See I am a volunteer judge for the county's 4-H program and today was Public Presentations. For those not familiar with what 4-H look here here. I grew up in the program. But as a city kid. I didn't raise animals or grow stuff. I did the cooking and sewing and crafty stuff. I even got a collage scholarship for my photography work that I did through 4-H.
One of the programs that I highly support is the public presentations. This is where a kid stands in front of a group of people and two judges and gives a talk. It can be an illustrated talk where they tell about stuff with a few props (example is the one I did called "The History of Cameras"). There is also a demonstration where they actually show how to do something (example: How to make grandma's chocolate chip cookies). Kids are broken up into 3 groups. Cloverbuds (ages 5-7) who only get a green "I did it" ribbon. Jr's (8-13) and Sr's (14-18). Both Jr and Sr's are judged Blue, Red and White ribbons with blue being the best and white being the lowest.
I am not too modest to say that I used to give kick ass public presentations. I did everything from the History of Cameras to How to Bathe a Baby to Chocolate Chantily Dream Cupcakes (man I gotta find the recipies for that one again).
Anyway, when I moved back to Erie County I was asked to come and be a judge and I agreed. This year they changed the format of the scoring sheets so that they were the same as are used on the District and State competitions. This didn't bother me as I judged at the District level this year.
What bothered me was the callibur of the presentations I judged today. I judge seniors and hae become known as "The tough judge" which is only a step down from my mother who is "THAT Judge". I do reward with blue ribbons when they are deserved.
But today I judged 3 presentations. And my head hurts from it.
The first one was a 14 year old who was giving his 4th presentation. At that experience I fully expect them to not have to rely much if at all on their note cards, I expect eye contact, I expect to be able to hear them from less than 5 feet away, I expect to be able to read at the very least the title and sub-headings of their posters.
I did not get what I expected. In fact after scoring this boy almost got a white ribbon (one points away). there was no introduction, no summary, no citation of sources. He gave a talk on the steps in processing sugar. Great topic. something different. But he could have shown different types of sugar, told us why he picked the topic. Something. I could barely hear him, I never saw his eyes and he wore a baseball hat.
Then there was the presentation that wow'd me. 15 year old girl. Her 6th presentation and her topic was Valentine's day. The topic was different and timely for the month and date. She gave a on the dot 10 minute talk about the history of the holiday and what the various symbolisms are. She looked at her note cards once the entire time. I was impressed with her ability to give the history and background of the holiday and everything. I had to actually nitpick to find something to give her for rooms for improvement. She definately got a blue and was recommended for District competition. I hope she gets picked to go.
And then the last one. OMG. It's bad when the Jr. Judge (a 4-H'er there to learn and help) looks at you and goes "where do you start with what was wrong with that?" 17 year old boy, this was his 10th presentation and he comes from one of the BIG 4-H families in the county. I seriously toyed with giving him a white and almost did too. He did a foods presentation on making ground beef jerky. OK not the most original topic but ok. But that's all I could say was OK.
1. He set up his presentation in the room rather than utilizing the set up tables in the hall. And left the caps for bowls and spice canisters on the table.
2. He didn't use towels to cover his trays before or after the presentation (small nitpick but an important one)
3. No apron. Not even a towel to wipe his hands on.
4. Plaid shirt rather than white (I want to see white during food presentations), pants that barely fit.
5. He kept putting his hands in his pockets, pulling up his pants and touching his face AND then going to deal with the food.
6. He used the long handle of a wooden spoon as a pointer for his poster. (that in and of itself was not the problem. The problem was that he held it by the bowl of the spoon and then used said spoon to mix the food together.
7. He had no spill bowl over which to measure things like the soy sauce nor did he remove the shaker tops from the spice containers. Therefore he couldn't measure the onion powder and when he measured the soy sauce he overfilled the spoon and it splashed into the workbowl and he said "well that's about two tablespoons I guess".
8. No real conclusion, no citing of sources, and no introduction at all.
When I met with him I looked at him and said "You really didn't want to be here today did you?" he at least admitted to it. He knew he did really bad too. I told him that I realized that this was going to be his last presentation but he, being that experienced really is setting a bad example to the younger kids watching him, and in honesty, he has a big name to live up to when it comes to 4-H. I competed against his dad and aunts and uncles. I know. I was judged by his grandmother and great aunts. I know how tough they can be so I know how they would have been upset to have seen what I saw.
I let him know that I am not going to doctor the points for his presentation and that if it comes out to be a white, I am not going to fight for a change. It ended up being a red but it was DAMN close again.
all in all I was very disappointed with what I saw today. The judge I was teamed with also gave out all reds. The total for our room was 6 reds and one blue. And neither one of us was sorry for the grading. These kids were terrible.
I tried to tell them when we gave out the ribbons at the end that this was valuable experience that they were gaining through presentations. How learning to speak in front of a group of people is somethig everyone should learn and will come in very handy in the grown up real world.
Too bad that I don't think they really heard me.
See I am a volunteer judge for the county's 4-H program and today was Public Presentations. For those not familiar with what 4-H look here here. I grew up in the program. But as a city kid. I didn't raise animals or grow stuff. I did the cooking and sewing and crafty stuff. I even got a collage scholarship for my photography work that I did through 4-H.
One of the programs that I highly support is the public presentations. This is where a kid stands in front of a group of people and two judges and gives a talk. It can be an illustrated talk where they tell about stuff with a few props (example is the one I did called "The History of Cameras"). There is also a demonstration where they actually show how to do something (example: How to make grandma's chocolate chip cookies). Kids are broken up into 3 groups. Cloverbuds (ages 5-7) who only get a green "I did it" ribbon. Jr's (8-13) and Sr's (14-18). Both Jr and Sr's are judged Blue, Red and White ribbons with blue being the best and white being the lowest.
I am not too modest to say that I used to give kick ass public presentations. I did everything from the History of Cameras to How to Bathe a Baby to Chocolate Chantily Dream Cupcakes (man I gotta find the recipies for that one again).
Anyway, when I moved back to Erie County I was asked to come and be a judge and I agreed. This year they changed the format of the scoring sheets so that they were the same as are used on the District and State competitions. This didn't bother me as I judged at the District level this year.
What bothered me was the callibur of the presentations I judged today. I judge seniors and hae become known as "The tough judge" which is only a step down from my mother who is "THAT Judge". I do reward with blue ribbons when they are deserved.
But today I judged 3 presentations. And my head hurts from it.
The first one was a 14 year old who was giving his 4th presentation. At that experience I fully expect them to not have to rely much if at all on their note cards, I expect eye contact, I expect to be able to hear them from less than 5 feet away, I expect to be able to read at the very least the title and sub-headings of their posters.
I did not get what I expected. In fact after scoring this boy almost got a white ribbon (one points away). there was no introduction, no summary, no citation of sources. He gave a talk on the steps in processing sugar. Great topic. something different. But he could have shown different types of sugar, told us why he picked the topic. Something. I could barely hear him, I never saw his eyes and he wore a baseball hat.
Then there was the presentation that wow'd me. 15 year old girl. Her 6th presentation and her topic was Valentine's day. The topic was different and timely for the month and date. She gave a on the dot 10 minute talk about the history of the holiday and what the various symbolisms are. She looked at her note cards once the entire time. I was impressed with her ability to give the history and background of the holiday and everything. I had to actually nitpick to find something to give her for rooms for improvement. She definately got a blue and was recommended for District competition. I hope she gets picked to go.
And then the last one. OMG. It's bad when the Jr. Judge (a 4-H'er there to learn and help) looks at you and goes "where do you start with what was wrong with that?" 17 year old boy, this was his 10th presentation and he comes from one of the BIG 4-H families in the county. I seriously toyed with giving him a white and almost did too. He did a foods presentation on making ground beef jerky. OK not the most original topic but ok. But that's all I could say was OK.
1. He set up his presentation in the room rather than utilizing the set up tables in the hall. And left the caps for bowls and spice canisters on the table.
2. He didn't use towels to cover his trays before or after the presentation (small nitpick but an important one)
3. No apron. Not even a towel to wipe his hands on.
4. Plaid shirt rather than white (I want to see white during food presentations), pants that barely fit.
5. He kept putting his hands in his pockets, pulling up his pants and touching his face AND then going to deal with the food.
6. He used the long handle of a wooden spoon as a pointer for his poster. (that in and of itself was not the problem. The problem was that he held it by the bowl of the spoon and then used said spoon to mix the food together.
7. He had no spill bowl over which to measure things like the soy sauce nor did he remove the shaker tops from the spice containers. Therefore he couldn't measure the onion powder and when he measured the soy sauce he overfilled the spoon and it splashed into the workbowl and he said "well that's about two tablespoons I guess".
8. No real conclusion, no citing of sources, and no introduction at all.
When I met with him I looked at him and said "You really didn't want to be here today did you?" he at least admitted to it. He knew he did really bad too. I told him that I realized that this was going to be his last presentation but he, being that experienced really is setting a bad example to the younger kids watching him, and in honesty, he has a big name to live up to when it comes to 4-H. I competed against his dad and aunts and uncles. I know. I was judged by his grandmother and great aunts. I know how tough they can be so I know how they would have been upset to have seen what I saw.
I let him know that I am not going to doctor the points for his presentation and that if it comes out to be a white, I am not going to fight for a change. It ended up being a red but it was DAMN close again.
all in all I was very disappointed with what I saw today. The judge I was teamed with also gave out all reds. The total for our room was 6 reds and one blue. And neither one of us was sorry for the grading. These kids were terrible.
I tried to tell them when we gave out the ribbons at the end that this was valuable experience that they were gaining through presentations. How learning to speak in front of a group of people is somethig everyone should learn and will come in very handy in the grown up real world.
Too bad that I don't think they really heard me.
