Two of the effects physicists describe apply to our work in Scouting: The Observer Effect Changes that the act of observation makes on the phenomenon being observed. A tire pressure gauge releases air from the tire thus changing the pressure we are testing. The Proximity Effect When two atoms come into proximity, the highest energy, or valence, orbitals of the atoms change […]
Scout Leader Skills
The Twain Effect
Young sons generally revere their fathers. At some point, though, they begin to suspect that the old man is out of his mind and can’t stand to have him around.
Adultism in Scouting
‘Adultism’ can be a loaded term but I think it would be useful to consider it in the context of our work in Scouting. Adultism is the broadly defined as valuing the ideas, initiatives and direction of adults over that of youth. If Scouting is to stay true to its foundational principles we ought to make an effort to […]
Ineligible Volunteer Files Released
As the contents of the ineligible volunteer files released recently come to light Scouting volunteers and the families that they serve will be justifiably upset and unsettled. They will ask questions. They will want to know that their children are safe. The files record reports of incidents of abuse and served as a database of people deemed ineligible […]
Working with Scout Parents on Bobwhite Blather
Frank Maynard is a blogging troop committee chairman, he recently published this excellent article outlining how to work with Scout parents; Parents who aren’t as involved in Scouting as you are sometimes don’t understand the program as well, and can see a unit working normally as being dysfunctional. Friction can also develop among parents, or even between […]
Scouting is a Verb
On my honor, I will do my best To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight Be Prepared Do a good turn daily How do Scouts advance? By doing the things […]
Transcendent Values
To stay afloat organizations , like ships on the ocean, are designed to be reasonably impenetrable and inflexible. Safety and stability is important to ships and organizations but that same safety and stability create drag when it comes to evolution and change. This drag is commensurate with the size and scope of the organization. The […]
Troubleshooting the Patrol Method
This is a self assessment tool to help gauge how well a troop applies the patrol method. It may be a good idea to have several adults and youth troop members complete the assessment and discuss the results. This is not very scientific but it will at least give you an idea of where you […]
A few thoughts in divisive times
These are divisive times. We are in the midst of a hotly contested presidential election and the Boy Scouts of America is working through major controversies over past practices in reporting child abuse and challenges to excluding gay leaders (and now apparently) Scouts. These are touchy issues to write about here but I have been asked […]
Scouter’s Sunday Phone Call
(Historic fiction inspired by comments on this post – have you ever had a call like this?) After a weekend camping trip a twelve year-old Scout throws his pack into the trunk and gets in the car. His parent asks, “So, what did you do this weekend? Did you get a lot of work done? Was it […]
Are You a Safety Net or Nursemaid?
Priceless! Dear Andy, I returned from Scout camp after spending six days with my son and his troop a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say is I’m shocked. I was there with the Scoutmaster, and he never lifted a finger to help the boys. All he did was sit in his lawn […]
Scout Parent Problems
Most Scout parents are supportive, encouraging and make a positive contribution to their son’s experience in Scouting. If you volunteer long enough you will eventually run into Scout parent problems. Some are minor irritations, some are very upsetting. Questions and challenges from parents usually come from honest misunderstandings. When parents raise concerns it can feel like a […]
How Scouts Grow
Think for a moment how Scouts grow, about the way a Scout-aged-boy’s mind develops – He is becoming increasingly able to think abstractly. He may be sharply self-conscious thinking that he is constantly being watched and judged by others; believing no one can relate to his personal experiences. He is beginning to think systematically about morality, […]
Why Most Smart People are Bad Teachers.
Burak Kanber is an engineer with a blog. He recently posted an article titled Effective Teaching is a Long Con; If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. – Carl Sagan The above Carl Sagan quote is why most smart people are bad teachers. Smart, impassioned people know the […]
What is Wood Badge?
Wood Badge is Scouting’s premier adult leader training. It was a mystery to me before I took the course, but it turned out to be simple to understand and very useful to my work in Scouting. Wood Badge is much like any modern corporate leadership course but it does not cost $3000, it is outdoors, […]
Scouting Jargon
Jargon is an Old French word meaning “the chatter of birds”. At it’s best Scouting jargon encapsulates a complex idea or definition for easy reference. At it’s worst jargon can become unintelligible, pretentious, convoluted vocabulary of the initiated. Scouting has a lot of acronyms and initialization: ‘ We talked about EDGE at the PLC and encouraged them to use […]
10 Ways to Support the Senior Patrol Leader
The senior patrol leader is in charge of troop meetings from beginning to end. He chairs meetings of the patrol leaders’ council as they plan troop activities and programs… To help the senior patrol leader achieve that leadership goal, you as Scoutmaster should work with him before and after troop meetings to mentor him, encourage him, and provide him with the tools to succeed. […]
Scouters from the Scout Perspective
Enoch is an active 17-year-old Scout and blogger at Scouting Rediscovered I asked Enoch to write about his experiences with adult volunteers in Scouting: When I first joined my Troop, I really didn’t know what to expect; I was never a Cub or Webelos, and my family had not really been involved in Scouting. All I […]
Peace Corps Lessons
Willy Volk succinctly describes how he applies his experience in the Peace Corps to his work. I have known several Scouts (all Eagles) who went on to serve in the Peace Corps and gained a great deal from it. Volk outlines five excellent lessons to apply to any leadership challenge – ones I think are particularly accessible to youth leaders: I joined […]
A New Scoutmaster Makes Changes
At some point a new Scoutmaster be trained, and will have studied the resources. Once that’s happened a new Scoutmaster will be reasonably confident that some changes need to be made. These may just be changes of style or they may be fairly systemic. Bear in mind that all change can be challenging, Scouts and adults are typically resistant to it and it can […]
Resources for a New Scoutmaster
A new Scoutmaster needs to be trained but that training needs to be supplemented by your own reading and study. Most of the time when Scouting goes awry it’s because adults are ignorant of the program. You’ll learn how the program works fairly quickly and spend as many years as you like perfecting your skills. It’s like […]
A New Scoutmaster Needs Training
You have been asked to take on one of the greatest, most challenging roles in Scouting; you are a new Scoutmaster. What next? Get trained! Here’s the steps; Be prepared for training by being teachable. A new Scoutmaster may have a strong, determined personality. While this is desirable in some respects it can also make us less […]
The Aims of Scouting
‘Aim’ is a particularly well chosen word to describe our focus as adult volunteers in Scouting. Scouting has three specific objectives, commonly referred to as the “Aims of Scouting.” They are character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. One definition of ‘aim’ is “A purpose or intention toward which one’s efforts are directed”. As a shooting sports […]
Reporting Child Abuse a Moral Obligation
As an adult volunteer in Scouting how would you react if you were made aware of suspected abuse? As the Penn State investigations proceed they reveal more about how the administration of the school handled reports of abuse for which the perpetrator now stands convicted. Administrators chose not go to the authorities with reports of […]
