A Scout’s parents have written me about a Scoutmaster who is making an Eagle Scout Candidate’s life miserable for no good reason.. I’m not going to go into all the particulars here. It’s really all too familiar. A Scoutmaster with a diseased ego browbeating a Scout. The district advancement chairman won’t stand up to the […]
All About Advancement
What is Scout Spirit?
A reader asks: I would like to get your thoughts on how you evaluate Scout Spirit. Is it standard practice for a scoutmaster to ask a scout to write out what the scout’s interpretation of Scout Spirit is? Each rank in Scouting requires that a scout “Demonstrate scout spirit by living the Scout Oath (Promise) and Scout Law […]
Forms and Scouts
Here’s an exchange from Ask Andy about forms and Scouts. Hi Andy, I’m a relatively new Assistant Scoutmaster. I’ve been instructed that Scouts seeking ranks beyond First Class, in this troop, are required to complete a “Scoutmaster Conference Worksheet” before their actual conversation with the Scoutmaster, which they then submit for their board of review. […]
Avoiding Eagle Scout Problems – Part 4 -The Eagle Project
Open the Eagle Scout Project Workbook (opens PDF file) and you will find about 2 1/2 half pages of instructions about conducting the project written in less than 1000 words (966 to be exact). Google the words “Eagle Scout Project” and you’ll get about 1.4 million references. Avoid Eagle Scout problems by reading only the 966 […]
Last Minute Eagles
CA Scouter comments on last minute Eagles: It would be interesting to hear your reflections on Scouts putting off Eagle til they’re 17.5 years old and then trying to get their project and missing merit badges done in the small amount of time left. … in a perfect world, the SM has been counseling boys not to let […]
Avoiding Eagle Scout Problems – Part 3
So far we have determined that needless Eagle Scout problems can be caused when a Scoutmaster seeks to impose his ideal vision of an Eagle Scout on the advancement process. In addition we have discovered Baden Powell founded Scouting on the idea that it would offer Scouts a way to challenge themselves towards achievement on an individual […]
Avoiding Eagle Scout Problems – Part 2
Scoutmasters need to understand what makes Scouting different from everything else – why young men and women have been Scouts all over the world for the past century. If they take the time to do this they’ll avoid most Eagle Scout problems. Scouting’s founder Baden-Powell envisioned a movement that would give everyone the opportunity to […]
Avoiding Eagle Scout Problems – Part 1
During my tenure as Scoutmaster I have worked with 50 Scouts who have earned the rank of Eagle. Becoming an Eagle Scout is supposed to be challenging. Unfortunately these normal difficulties are often compounded by totally unnecessary Eagle Scout Problems. All too often this drama is caused by the Scoutmaster. Somehow there are a number […]
Merit Badge Thoughts
After summer camp our Scouts arrived home happily tired from having a great time and I have these merit badge thoughts to share. Merit Badge work is a big part of summer camp so there are usually some conversations about the quality of instruction and the effort extended by Scouts in completing requirements. There is […]
Linear Versus Interactive Learning
In his essay The Impending Demise of the University Don Tapscott defines linear learning; In the industrial model of student mass production, the teacher is the broadcaster. A broadcast is by definition the transmission of information from transmitter to receiver in a one-way, linear fashion. The teacher is the transmitter and student is a receptor in the learning process. […]
Scout Rank Requirements and Policies
Our nationwide organization of some 2.8 million youth and 1.3 million adult participants is defined by written Scout rank requirements policies and procedures. Individual understanding, subject to an individual point of view, can lead to some misinterpretations if we do not read requirements, policies and procedures with an open mind. As an example look at these Scout […]
Evaluating Leadership Tenure
Star, Life and Eagle rank all require leadership tenure. For each rank the requirement states: “serve actively (x) months in one or more positions of responsibility ” The word ‘actively’ can be a pinhead on which many angels dance. In my experience Scoutmasters often read this word and start instituting metrics to evaluate the term. […]
Scouting Courts of Honor
Scouting courts of honor are crucial elements of a good troop program. Understanding the intention behind them and shaping the presentation to reflect these intentions is crucial to their success. Here are some ideas on the subject; Andy at “Ask Andy” writes in the post More Eagle Scout Thoughts; On “coronations”… A Court of Honor recognizes advancements that […]
Is your Advancement Program Aimed at “True North”?
Is your Troop’s advancement program aimed at ‘true north’? Here’s some statements derived from Andy’s (at Ask Andy) answer to a Troop where the Scoutmaster is seriously off course: Every Scout can advance in rank according to each Scout’s preference for velocity, and no one will attempt to either slow him down or speed him […]
More Eagle Scout Thoughts
Andy at Ask Andy shares these Eagle Scout thoughts: In 1931, Jane Addams, founder of Hull House, received the Nobel Peace Prize; she was 91 at the time.Former US President Jimmy Carter is also a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize; he was 78 when he received it. Theodore Roosevelt, the only US President to receive this recognition while in office, […]
The 13 year-old Eagle?
Ask Andy answers a question about the 13 year-old Eagle and “delaying the earning of Eagle till Scouts are older and more mature… ” A bit of ancient history: I made Eagle at 15; my brother at 14; both of us stayed active in our Troop and in Scouting right up to 18, and then […]
Scouting Standards
In the past I have been guilty of griping about Scouts who ‘don’t know their skills’ and troops that were ‘Eagle Factories’. This put me on a mission to fix whatever I saw as wrong, to tighten things up and be darn sure that my Scouts earned their way. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I […]
Realistic Wounds for First Aid
Making realistic wounds for first aid instruction is great fun. Here’s a set of instructions that will give you professional and reusable results. LINK via MAKE Texas Troop 502 has a great page with instructions on how to do first aid moulage – Lectures are boring. Providing a complete picture of an accident scene improves […]
Scouts Earn all 122 Merit Badges
Every once in a while a Scout reaches the extraordinary achievement of earning all 121 merit badges. I can imagine few other ways to gain experience in a crazy quilt of interests like American Business, Archeology, Bird Study, Cinematography, Dentistry, Entrepreneurship, Farm Mechanics, Genealogy, Geology, Journalism. Music, Nuclear Science, Pottery, Railroading, Surveying, Textile, and Whitewater. Here […]
What’s an Active Scout?
How do we determine if we are working with an active Scout? Here’s the answer from Ask Andy: In the advancement arena, one of the BSA’s most practical, intelligent, realistic, compassionate, and youth-sensitive decisions was to not attach percentages, numerics, or any other sorts of rubrics to the term “active.” Instead, the underlying principle of “active” […]
Keeping the Trail to Eagle Clear.
Reaching the rank of Eagle Scout is a laudable and challenging goal for any boy, and we ought to keep the trail to Eagle clear. In many instances the process has been clouded by a self-appointed priesthood pledged to ‘maintain standards’ and ‘the integrity of the award’. They most often do this by unethically and incorrectly […]
Instructional Methods For Scouts – Who Instructs?
The basis of developing instructional methods for Scouts begins by determining who instructs. If adults are doing all the instruction they are denying their Scouts the opportunity to develop some important skills. Our role is to empower our youth leadership to instruct by training them in the methods of Scout instruction. All of the skills […]
Instructional Methods For Scouts – Preparing
Good instruction is based on good instructional methods for Scouts and the preparation by of instructor. Instructors should begin with a clear goal, a thorough understanding of the subject and the resolve to keep the session active, focused and brief. An instructor with a plan can always adjust to discoveries made during the session. Without a […]
Instructional Methods For Scouts – Circle Up!
Good instructional methods for Scouts are based on where the instructor stands, and what the Scouts are doing. Neither the Scouts nor the instructor should be seated unless absolutely necessary.Keeping everyone on their feet in a circle, has several important advantages Standing requires more alertness than sitting. Scouts all have the same perspective when they are […]
