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But there
is much cause to be cheerful and optimistic. This is a great time of year!
I have been visiting county fairs and have had the privilege to judge at
State Fairs. It is always very rewarding to experience the enthusiasm of
the exhibitors and to see the hard work that families have put into the
livestock and other projects.
There is no
question that today’s kids are brighter and more goal-oriented than ever
before. One day in the near future our food sources will be in their
hands, and they will provide the leadership and the skills needed to grow
and supply the world with food and fiber. And we are reminded that good,
strong 4-H programs – where families and communities partner together
with Extension staff – continue to provide Alabama’s young people with
the new skills and abilities to lead our state and nation during this
exciting new century.
Fairness
Over the
past several months, I have been writing about one of the most important
values that we seek to impart in Alabama 4-H: character. A cornerstone of
our "4-H: Leading With Character" program is Fairness. Fairness
is something that every young person should learn and every honorable
adult should demonstrate in their lives and in their dealings with others.
We should
never forget the instructions we "learned in kindergarten" and
in Sunday School. We should always play by the rules, take turns and
share, be open-minded, listen to others, not take advantage of other
people, and not carelessly blame others.
Justice,
justness, fair treatment, fair play, square deal, fair shake - these
are all words or phrases that have similar meanings to fairness. Fairness
means being equally good to everyone. Fairness involves being consistent
in the application of rules and standards.
We all like
to be treated fairly, but do we always treat others fairly? The Golden
Rule — Do unto others as you would have others do unto you — is a
standard measure of fairness. This is the kind of treatment that a fair
and ethical person will display in all areas of their life, including when
we are working with their livestock.
During the
many months of work that a livestock project takes, there are many
different ways to demonstrate fairness. I hope that 4-H kids can recognize
which of the following actions demonstrate fairness and which demonstrate
unfairness?
*
Accurately recording the dates your animals were born and/or purchased
*
Giving other exhibitors adequate space to properly position their
animal in the show ring.
*
Doing all the fitting and clipping on your animals yourself, or accepting
help with some fitting from your brothers or sisters, but no one else.
*
Teasing a new exhibitor whose fitting and clipping job on their animal
needs a lot of improvement.
*
"Hogging" the wash rack, using it for two hours for one or two
animals.
*
Saying that Suzie, who you don’t really like, won the Market Steer show
simply because she flirted with the judge.
*
Gracefully accepting that you have to show your Angus heifer in the
Commercial class because you don’t have registration papers.
*
Turning in your animal ID forms by the deadline.
*
Having someone else feed, water and train your animals throughout the
spring and summer, except for the week before the show.
*
When you didn’t win showmanship, blaming the judge and saying he/she was
unfair without ever asking the judge how you could improve.
You should
recognize statements 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8 as fair behavior. Statements 4, 5,
6, 9, and 10 are examples of unfair behavior.
It seems
that for any activity in which we participate there are RULES to follow,
and 4-H livestock projects are no different. When we don’t follow the
rules, we are not playing fair. In order to be fair, the same rules must
apply to everyone involved.
Some of the
rules that apply to nearly every 4-H show are discussed in the previous
examples.
*
4-H members must own their animals by specific dates and must accurately
report those dates.
*
4-H members must do their own fitting and clipping of their animals,
possibly with some help from family members.
*
Specific information, such as registration papers may need to be provided
to participate in certain classes.
*
4-H members need to turn in accurate animal ID forms by a specific date.
*
And, 4-H members should be responsible for and do their own work with
their animals.
If you are
an experienced exhibitor, teasing a new exhibitor isn’t fair to them -
they haven’t had the time to learn all the things you have learned.
Making assumptions about people without checking the facts is unfair to
those people.
When you
demonstrate fairness in dealing with people and in making decisions, you
will earn the respect of other people. There are many important things
that both exhibitors and parents can do to demonstrate fairness to other
exhibitors. Some of these things are:
*
Treat ALL people fairly; regardless of their age, background, or previous
successes or failures with their projects;
*
Consider all the facts and information, including opposing opinions,
before making a decision;
*
Make fair decisions by using the same rules for everyone;
*
Record animal birth and purchase dates accurately;
*
Share time and the use of limited resources; for example, don’t spend
more time than necessary on the wash racks, as other people also need to
use them;
*
Admit your own mistakes and work to correct them;
*
Accept that people are different and don’t pass judgment simply based on
the fact that someone or something is different;
*
Follow guidelines and show consideration of other exhibitors when
positioning your animal in the ring;
*
Accept winning or losing with grace.
Unfortunately,
too often we have seen grown-ups who don’t seem to remember the Golden
Rule! What terrible examples one or two bad apples can be for our young
people. But if we remember that we really should "do unto others as
they do unto you," then fairness will always be a natural part of our
lives and the lives of our children.
Until next
time, God Bless!
James
Shropshire is the Alabama 4-H Regional Extension Agent for the Central
Alabama Region. |
