My daughter, Ms. 8, has recently decided that she would like to run for student council at her elementary school. She’s noted to both of her parents her reasons for doing so, and they make sense enough; I’m glad she wants to take on more formal leadership roles, and I’m glad that she is confident enough in herself and in the regard her classmates have for her that she feels she has a chance of being elected by them. Too, she is willing to do the work to make that kind of thing happen, or at least to position herself where such a thing can happen, and I endorse my daughter pushing herself by actually getting out and doing the work to get something she wants and that is fit for her to have.

One of the requirements to run for office is for each candidate to submit to school administration an essay that articulates the candidate’s reasons for running and qualifications for office. It’s not a bad idea, in itself; any candidate for any position ought to know why they are running and why they deserve to have the position, and it’s hard to convince others of either without being able to state it clearly and convincingly. (Yes, I know well that much electoral politicking moves entirely aside from that ideal. There’s a reason I use “ought,” here. I’ll also note that there are decided restrictions on the kind of campaigning that can happen at my daughter’s school; while I’m certain that there’s more as goes on than the staff realizes, I’m also certain I’m glad that what rises to the level of official attention gets regulated. The kids don’t need to be sniping at each other, with words or otherwise.) And, as someone who has been solidly invested in being able to put together essays, I found myself pleased that there was suddenly a call for such skill-set as I can reasonably claim to have.

Ms. 8, being young and having the educational background she has, was not entirely sure what to do in her essay–or even what an essay is. So that was a point of discussion for us, but she seemed to take in the information well enough, and we structured her argument together. Doing so, I walked her through something very much like my processes in putting together a formal essay (something I’m amid doing, given an upcoming presentation for me), and the two of us got a fair bit of text (for an elementary school student) roughed in. She still, as of this writing, has work to do on the essay; there’s more material to develop in the argument, proper, and both introduction and conclusion need to be drafted. I’ve already offered to review and proofread the work for her, and I hope she’ll avail herself of my services in those regards.

It’s a small thing, of course, the composition of a one-page essay for an elementary school student council application. I don’t know how the election will go, but even if it goes against her, it will not have much effect in the world–certainly not as compared to the many other things going on on campuses and outside them. But it has been a joy to share a bit of what I trained for many years to do with someone whom I value and who actually stands to see some good from the exercise of that training, and I am reminded in at least a tiny way of what it was that drew me to my field of study to start with. For so much, as for many other things, I thank Ms. 8.

My daughter’s not the only one whose writing I’m happy to review; send yours along, and I’ll help you make it show you at your best!

Or send along your patronage to https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/elliottrwi