Application Education

I'll admit, perhaps I've been a little too "hands off" in my approach to my girl's educations. They are both self motivated and responsible about getting their work done. I don't now, and never have, had to check that assignments were completed, or they had "read for 20 minutes" a night. If  they had read for less than an hour it would've been unprecedented. Instead, it is mostly me saying "time to stop reading", or "you need to put down the book and pick up your room".  I'll even admit if they shove something under my nose in the early morning dark and say "sign this". I make a cursory effort at making sure I'm not signing a note "Eldest has my permission to miss school today, or really any day she feels like it." But it is dark, and honestly, she points, I scribble.
When Eldest was in seventh grade, her Newly Minted Teacher had the idea that we should observe our children reading for a half hour each day. We were to watch them read (I imagine sitting across from her, on the couch, drinking a glass of chardonnay, and seeing if her lips move?)  and then sign that we had observed them reading, to be sure they'd done so.  To be fair, this is perhaps a wonderful idea for some students and their chardonnay swilling lucky parents. But, as Pride and Prejudice was already in the rear view mirror at this point for Eldest, and weekly trips to the library yielded the daily diet of a novel, I felt my time was perhaps better spent in other pursuits. I signed the entire year of observations with a signature, a time line arrow to infinity and sent it back to school, satisfied that I'd fulfilled that obligation. Newly Minted Teacher was unhappy.  He and I had one more tussle a bit later in the year over a Composition Book (he assigned one to be brought in the following day, I emailed that I would be sure to acquire one the next time I was in town, he emailed back that they are on sale in S. Bloomfield, I responded that S. Bloomfield is a 37 minute drive each way from Cowfeathers, and I was unwilling to buy a $0.99 Composition Book with $12.00 in gas, but that I was planning to drive to town later this week. He replied that it was a shame Madeleine's mother didn't believe in her education. This was an error.) But, still, she finished 7th grade quite handily despite my lack of  educational support. And by the time Middlest made it to New Mint's class, he had learned to give us lead time on acquiring supplies. I also never saw a sheet requiring me to watch her read. But it may be that it just didn't make it into her possession.
I point this all out, because, I have found my hands.
This week has been an effort in "hands ON" approach with Eldest. Not with schoolwork. That still goes quite well ( I assume. She waves her report card under my nose in the dark, and I sign it.). This new approach is for Applications. "Applications" is a word that deserves a capital. For, the annoying beasts are, in truth, quite important. You have to learn how to do Applications, just as you need to learn how to take a standardized test. And, as Eldest is a high school junior these days the real hour is near when Applications will be taking center stage and the vehicle for taking her on into the great big world.
So, it is certainly time to learn this skill. Now, our victim this week has been the Achievement Record Application for 4-H. This is how you apply for certain recognitions, camp and trip scholarships and awards from your accomplishments in 4-H. It is a wonderful difficulty, causing consternation, exclamations and great drama. It even includes the dread Essay.
It is a suitably pig headed Application, with inflexible word processing rules known only to the Application, thus things will randomly be in BOLD, or  the lower half the words will become invisible. Wonderful stuff. Also, seemingly, there is no "cut and paste" from other sources. Eldest has done this Application twice before, but you have to retype everything! Delicious.
I must mention that the previous two attempts at this Application have been done under my tradition educational principles. So, Eldest has had some experience at slogging out Applications solo.
This time, it was time to crack my knuckles, pull up a chair next to her and try my new approach.
"Instead of 'Helping teach' write 'Coached'."
"It says 'Chairperson Member Mentor Committee' but what did you do? That is what I want to know. So, after that what can you write? Use action words like, 'developed, organized, coordinated, created...'."
Line after line. Eyeball roll upon eyeball roll.
And, perhaps she finally understands the value of revision? Her essay, first attempt, was a good first attempt. As something to actually hand in for an Application? Rubbish. But that is what revision is about! Huz, who reads A LOT of applications as part of his job, as well as writes Applications as part of his job, sat down with the essay and did a lot of fancy computer stuff that sat off to the side with suggestions on what to clarify, and how to arrange paragraphs. Kind of like using a red pen, but without the pen. This incensed Eldest. I think she felt insulted that what left her fingers was not, originally,  a final product. After she did some excellent stomping, I explained to her that successful Applications are revised, even her Dad doesn't hand in an Application without having other people review and revise it. Ever. She managed to slog her way through revisions, and even admit it is a better essay now.
So, this Application is submitted today. The torture is over for a bit. Application Season is just around the corner. But, for this, I don't suppose by the time she is accomplished enough at the skill to just wave it under my nose in the dark to be signed, my signature will be needed at all. Brilliant and terrifying.