The Perfect Judge
Had to make a run to Shipwreck Beads this morning for my project and was contemplating the subject of judging. It's about time that I started contacting potential judges for the State 4-H Fashion Revue competition in September. It involves about 100 youth over 5 days of daily competition (a different group each day) and a final championship event.
Choosing judges is much harder than most people would believe. It's not a matter of finding people who have enough experience and knowledge - I am fortunate that I know many who fit this description. The problem is that it is very easy for anyone who works as a judge (and I am one of them) to become focused on 'finding the mistakes' rather than offering suggestions for improvement and encouraging sewing!
Then you have the youth element - not everyone relates well to kids or understands them, especially teenagers. Teens have a lot on their plate, mentally, emotionally and hormonally - and they don't call it the 'awkward stage' for nothing. It's really important - no matter how self-assured and confident they may seem to be - to handle their fragile egos with tact and delicacy.
When doing judges' training events, I like to say that the role of the judge is to "Encourage Excellence". You don't get excellence by being so critical that the person who submitted the item/activity to be judged never wants to do it again. You have to be encouraging, even as you're making suggestions on how to improve the rougher areas. A friend of mine says 'never criticize something you can't tell them how to fix." I think that is a good rule of thumb. I also think that a good dose of empathy doesn't hurt. I sew competitively, and it's not unusual for me to become physically ill before submitting something. It's just how I am. So when I am on the other side of the table I try to remember that the item I'm judging may mean just as much to the person who submitted it.
So, in short, I think the ideal judge would have:
A Critical Eye
A Knowledgeable/Experienced Brain
tempered by...
An Empathetic Heart
and a Tactful and Encouraging Voice (or Hand, as the case may be)
Tyger Update: He is eating now and seems much like his old self. Still wants to have his belly rubbed and shows no signs of discomfort which is pretty amazing. He's given up trying to be in my lap, since I'm working, and is napping in his basket instead.
Choosing judges is much harder than most people would believe. It's not a matter of finding people who have enough experience and knowledge - I am fortunate that I know many who fit this description. The problem is that it is very easy for anyone who works as a judge (and I am one of them) to become focused on 'finding the mistakes' rather than offering suggestions for improvement and encouraging sewing!
Then you have the youth element - not everyone relates well to kids or understands them, especially teenagers. Teens have a lot on their plate, mentally, emotionally and hormonally - and they don't call it the 'awkward stage' for nothing. It's really important - no matter how self-assured and confident they may seem to be - to handle their fragile egos with tact and delicacy.
When doing judges' training events, I like to say that the role of the judge is to "Encourage Excellence". You don't get excellence by being so critical that the person who submitted the item/activity to be judged never wants to do it again. You have to be encouraging, even as you're making suggestions on how to improve the rougher areas. A friend of mine says 'never criticize something you can't tell them how to fix." I think that is a good rule of thumb. I also think that a good dose of empathy doesn't hurt. I sew competitively, and it's not unusual for me to become physically ill before submitting something. It's just how I am. So when I am on the other side of the table I try to remember that the item I'm judging may mean just as much to the person who submitted it.
So, in short, I think the ideal judge would have:
A Critical Eye
A Knowledgeable/Experienced Brain
tempered by...
An Empathetic Heart
and a Tactful and Encouraging Voice (or Hand, as the case may be)
Tyger Update: He is eating now and seems much like his old self. Still wants to have his belly rubbed and shows no signs of discomfort which is pretty amazing. He's given up trying to be in my lap, since I'm working, and is napping in his basket instead.
posted by Katrina at
3:52 PM
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