Scoutmaster Podcast 63

And now it's to you, Scoutmaster. ["The Star Spangled Banner"].

So a couple scouts get together. They think they're going to do something nice for their scoutmaster. They're going to get him a gift. They decide let's get him a puppy. He likes dogs, It would be great.

So they go to the local animal shelter. They go to the attendant. They say, hey, we'd like to get a dog for our scoutmaster.

The attendant looks at him and says: I'm sorry, boys, but you know we don't do trades anymore And we found that it's really hard to get scoutmasters adopted out anyway. ["The Star Spangled Banner"]. Hey, this is podcast number 63.. ["The Star Spangled Banner"]. ["The Star Spangled Banner"].

Welcome back to the Scoutmaster Podcast. This is Clarke Green.

Well, this week we finally moved into the new home for the Scoutmaster blog and the podcast and the newsletter. That's right, we sure did.

We have a new URL, new place online that's called scoutmastercgcom, And if you try and go to any of the old web addresses, you're going to find yourself at scoutmastercgcom. Because of some clever webby thing that's happening, that redirects you to the new spot, And I've gotten a couple of nice compliments about it and I sure do appreciate it. We put a lot of work into it and hopefully it will be a growing resource as time goes by. I wanted to point out a couple of things.

First of all, there is a high adventure destinations map and there's going to be a growing database of different places that you can take your scouts for high adventure. I mean, we all know about the Big Three, We know about Philmont and Seabase and Northern Tier and sometimes we can make it there and sometimes we can't.

But every troop should have a good, strong high adventure program and there are ways to make that happen that don't cost a mint of money or take a whole lot of messing around and planning, and we're going to make a commitment to bringing you resources and destinations to make exactly that happen. Greg wrote in and said this. He said I really appreciate having the show to listen to as an aspiring scoutmaster for my troop.

Well thanks, Greg, It's good to have you out there listening. Kevin Smith wrote in and said this: wrote in with this story.

He said we were on a day hike in the Superstition Mountains near Phoenix. That gives you an amazing view of the entire Valley of the Sun. One of our young scouts had slipped a few times and finally he took a spill where he slid about 10 feet.

Now he wasn't hurt, but he was a little shaken up. So we got him up and dusted him off and then, with no prompting, two older scouts took his pack to make his journey a little easier.

We talk about character building, but when you witness acts like this, you know you're going in the right direction. I absolutely love your podcast and make a point to pass it on to all the leaders that I bump into. Your insight and experience as a scoutmaster has helped me guide our scouts. Sir Robert would be proud of your efforts, And that's from Kevin Smith. Thanks very much, Kevin. I sure do appreciate it, and thank you for the kind words and a good story too.

Mike Stock, who is an assistant scoutmaster in Troop 620 in Liverpool, wrote in and said: I just wanted to shoot you a quick note to tell you two things. Number one, the new site looks amazing.

Well, thank you, Mike. Number two, you've proven to be an amazing resource for me as I transition into my new role as an assistant scoutmaster. My son is completing his first year of scouting and I'm not sure who's having more fun, him or me. Your podcasts and newsletters have been invaluable, and I wanted to say thank you. Some of the topics make it seem like you're attending some of our meetings and your advice is helping us get through some difficult situations. We're currently implementing the patrol method as it was originally intended.

It's rocky times, but worth every bump. Thank you for doing what you do. I wanted to make sure you knew how much I appreciate your work and commitment to what you do.

Well, thank you so much, Mike. I sure do appreciate your kind words. The reason it sounds like I'm at your troop meetings is because every troop meeting is pretty much the same. Boys aren't all that much different, Scoutmasters aren't all that much different, Places aren't all that much different. We all deal with the same thing. It's pretty amazing.

We have a small international audience, but I would bet that it's pretty much the same, not just all over the country, but throughout most of the world. To tell you the truth, Last time around in podcast 62, we talked about no shows and scouts kind of showing up at the last minute for camping trips, and that was through a call-in question from Todd Grady, And you know that you could call in too, and you're going to find out about that towards the end of the podcast. Scoutmaster Jerry, who has the SMM podcast, was kind enough to write in and he says the way our troop handles the no shows is pretty simple. If you say you're going, the money for your share of the patrol's food automatically comes out of your scout account. If you don't show up or you bail out at the last minute, your food is covered and your patrol just gets to eat more. That's a pretty good plan, actually I like that plan.

So you say you're going, you know your name gets put on the roster. Hey, then you know your money comes out of your scout account. It pays for your food.

How about that? I think that's not a bad idea.

If we have somebody show up at the last minute, we don't turn them away, we make room and it always seems there's enough food to go around amongst the patrols. That's a good plan.

Jerry Todd, did you hear that one? Because Todd had called in with the original question about this and he and I did a little back and forth over email in the ensuing week. He wrote first and said thanks for the advice. I appreciate not excluding boys from events, but I also have trouble completely letting go and taking a whatever happens, happens attitude. If there's no accountability.

I can pretty well guarantee that we'll see more of the same. Well, you know, Todd, I know that my advice that I gave you on last week's podcast was a little fuzzy and indefinite, So let's talk about this for a moment. We do need to have a practice and a policy, That's right, But we also need that policy and that practice needs to be infinitely flexible. 80% of everybody will get it and they will do what they're supposed to do, and 20% will be a bit of a problem and that'll make you crazy, because it makes me crazy too, But you learn to live with it.

So it's not just, you know, basically totally thrown up your hands. It's kind of throwing up your hands 20% of the time, which really isn't all that bad on average, to tell you the truth, And I did remind Todd to talk to his patrol leaders council about this and he wrote back and said he was absolutely going to do that.

He said that I think the problem we have is usually with just a few scouts- one or two consistently and one or two additional at each event. We need to address the problem with those who consistently abuse the generosity of their fellow scouts.

Well, yeah, yeah, I agree We need to watch trends like this. If it's happening month after month, there's a problem.

It's just once in a while, You know, that's kind of anomalous. And this is where you know I like Jerry's solution.

And the reason that we're going on and on and on and talking about what should be a relatively simple thing is because I think it gets at the heart of some very broad, basic, underlying concepts of scouting and the ways of inclusion and making sure guys get to do things and dealing with kids who are, you know, 13,, 14,, 15 and have no brain, and parents who are sometimes disconnected, and things like that. These are things.

Well, you know, you would think, well, we just make a rule and that's the end of the matter. Well, you know, rulemaking doesn't take us very far And that's why we do talk about this and that we carry on about it.

So, Jerry, I really appreciate your input on the question. Todd, I appreciate you sending the question in the first place and sticking with me through the discussions we're having about it.

So this week, in just a moment, in Scoutmastership, in seven minutes or less, we're going to talk about Scoutmaster conferences And then after that we're going to talk a little bit about some basic ideas for new Scoutmasters. Basic ideas for new Scoutmasters.

That's going to fill the podcast this week and I think we had better get started, shall we?

Scoutmastership in seven minutes or less. Once a Scout has completed all the other requirements he needs for a rank, he is left basically with two. One of them is a Scoutmasters conference and the other one is a Board of Review.

Now, we've talked about Boards of Review and things like that, and as a Scoutmaster, you don't get to participate in Boards of Review, but you do get to do Scoutmaster conferences. As a matter of fact, you get to do Scoutmasters conferences and then you get to participate in the Board of Review. As a matter of fact, you get to do just about all the Scoutmaster conferences.

So it's an important piece of the job that we do need to discuss from time to time. Now, why do we engage in this kind of one-on-one review?

Well, the relationship between a Scout and a Scoutmaster is important for the troop's health and for the troop's success. The Scoutmaster needs to watch the troop dynamics to see who's showing leadership and who's holding back, who might be a little shy with the younger Scouts, who's skilled in outdoor activities, etc. Further, the Scoutmaster is watching the individual Scout to determine whether he's advancing, whether he's having fun and whether he seems eager or uneasy.

Now we always emphasize that this is not an opportunity for a Scoutmaster to sit and retest a Scout's skills. I think that's the greatest single misdirection experienced in many troops.

Once we are disabused of the misconception that we should be retesting or testing a Scout during a Scoutmaster's conference, we can move on to more important business. A Scoutmaster conference is really just a chance to talk to a Scout about how he's doing, about how he feels about the troop and his patrol and his role in it, how he's advancing and how he's striving to live up to the ideals of Scouting. Most importantly, the Scoutmaster conference can be a way of encouraging the individual Scout.

The Scoutmaster conference is the most personal method in Scouting to assess the needs and desires of a Scout and then to encourage and support him to learn of his hopes and his fears and to help him see himself in the greater context of Scouting and to encourage his personal growth, both in skills and in living up to the Scout oath and law. There are a couple of things that I commonly end up assessing at a Scoutmaster's conference. One is Scout spirit and one is active participation in the Scout's troop and patrol.

And there's a very simple way of doing this, and one that has never failed me, and that is I simply ask the Scout to assess themselves. You know, we look at the requirement that says this requirement here says: you know, you must show Scout spirit. Give me some examples about how you've done that.

Tell me, if you were going to sign this for yourself, would you be able to? Do you think you've completed that requirement? I do the same thing with the active part.

I just say: you know, do you consider yourself to be an active Scout? Why do you consider that?

Can you defend that proposition to me there? And that usually is a way that we can jump off into talking about other subjects, talking about other things. I don't necessarily confine the subject of my questions or of the conference itself to Scout stuff. I like to ask about family. I like to ask about school.

You know what's your favorite subject in school? Is there anything that you really struggle with?

What did your grades look like last time? Were they pretty good, You know, get along pretty good with your brothers and sisters, little things like that. A lot of younger Scouts are a little more cowed and tasked to turn at Scoutmaster conferences.

Frankly, you know, I know that they're kind of scared of me. I asked my senior patrol leader about this several months ago and you know I just said, why are the younger Scouts scared of me? And he didn't skip a beat.

He said: well, you have a big beard, a loud voice and an off-putting manner. Yeah, So I try to be nice and personable.

I don't holler and scream or, you know, act badly. But for some reason the younger Scouts are a little frightened of me and we just try and work it out as best we can. Sometimes it's hard to get them to speak, but if you ask lots of good, open-ended questions they will calm down.

You know you have to remember that most boys who are Scout age are not going to have regular informal conversations with adults outside their family. When you think about it, you know that's not going to happen all that often, So it might take them some time to get comfortable.

I think a lot of times Scouts are looking for the right answer, as if they believe I'm trying to trip them up, and it often takes two or three conferences before they understand there aren't any right answers involved. I've found that if I begin the conference by asking about subjects outside of Scouting, they're more likely to open up when we start talking about Scouting things.

Conferences really need to last about as long as they ought to last- Five to ten minutes, I think that's plenty, And you should be able to develop a good idea of what a Scout is thinking and how he's experiencing his troop and patrol and how he's experiencing Scouting in general. You should be able to suss out if there are any real difficulties. You should be able to get a profile of his skills, interests and abilities And you can do that within five or ten minutes.

I find my briefest conferences are for those Scouts who are, you know, Star, Life and Eagle. To tell you the truth, Eagle is usually a very brief conference because by the time a Scout has reached that point in his Scouting career, not just because of age or experience, but you know, if he's going to be a Star and a Life Scout and then become an Eagle Scout, he's going to spend a fair amount of time invested in the leadership of his troop and patrol And that means that he and I are going to talk on a pretty regular basis And I'm going to know an awful lot about what he's doing and thinking because we're going to have pretty much an ongoing conference during those years that he's part of a troop. It's hard for me to sit and ask questions. I already know the answers to.

You know for the most part. So, finally, the last part of the Scoutmasters Conference, before I sign the book and send them on their way, is: do you have any questions for me And is there anything that you need to know about or you're uncertain about as far as the troop or your patrol is concerned, or how things work?

And you know, let me know if there's anything that you need me to help you with, And it works very well that way. So let's just review quickly. A Scoutmasters Conference is a good informal conversation in which you get a profile of the Scout and his experience and his patrol and his troop and his scouting in general. You can find out a lot about them. You can find out a lot about their interests and what they're thinking. You can find out about what's going on within their patrol.

You can find out what's going on in the troop. That way, It's usually a pretty enjoyable time.

Younger Scouts will be a little cowed, They won't know exactly how to deal with this and, you know, despite every explanation and reassurance that you give them, they will continue to be that way, Maybe for a conference or two, until they settle down a little bit and it becomes somewhat easier for them. So, and then end the conference by asking the Scout if they have any questions. Five or ten minutes should do it. Don't make it a big official, difficult thing. No forms, no papers, please. No tests, no quizzes.

I think you'll find that it's one of the more informative and more enjoyable tasks that you have as a Scout leader. Hi, this is Dr Paul Auerbach and you are listening to Clarke Green on the Scoutmaster Podcast.

Well, if you're listening to this, you probably have a teenage child living in your home, Maybe a couple. My sympathies. No, it's an exciting time of life. It sure is a lot of fun and it goes by very quickly.

My teenage child is now 28 and you know, moving along, doing great, But every once in a while I want to look at him and I want to say: you know, if you just knew what was going to happen in the next 15 or 20 years. And if you just listen to what I tell you, Yeah, it's a yeah, that's never going to work. It's never going to work, but I'm going to give it a try anyway.

I'm going to give it a try with you because I hear from a lot of people who are becoming new Scoutmasters- you know, becoming new volunteers and scouting- And I want to tell you- and I sometimes look at the things that you're thinking and you're saying and you're doing- and I say, yeah, you know, if you just knew, if you just knew what it was going to be like in five or ten years, you know. So here's a try.

I'm really honestly going to give this a try Because if I could speak to myself 27 years ago when I became a Scoutmaster, here's what I would say. I'd say this: learn as much as you can from training and reading. Study the Guide to Safe Scouting and the Advancement Committees and Policies and Procedures Manual and the Insignia Guide, the Scoutmaster's Handbook Especially. Look at Baden-Powell's AIDS to Scoutmastership and memorize the Introduction to the Scout Handbook, Because that's where all of the promises that are made to a Boy Scout when he becomes a part of our organization are enumerated right there in that first chapter. I would tell myself that you will encounter any number of cynical old Scouters, loads of misinformation and a few real renegades who've recreated Scouting in their own image. Don't admire them, don't imitate them, do not believe all that much of what they say.

I would tell myself that the culture will change but the basic motivations, desires and needs of my Scouts are going to remain the same, And that the real genius of Scouting is that it recognizes and addresses those basic, unchanging needs. Whatever new form they have to take on, the fears and concerns and criticisms of fellow leaders and parents and committee members will remain the same.

Almost every imaginable conflict and problem in Scouting has already been met and resolved by someone, So lean on the advice and direction of experienced help. As much fun as it is for you to play the game, remember that you are the coach and you're not allowed to get in the game. You have to let the Scouts play it on their own. I would tell myself that Scouts will advance and participate at their own speed and in their own time. As they learn to lead, they'll make a lot of mistakes. Your personal standard of performance can't be applied to them, only the standards that are written into the program, And every other standard is kind of suspect.

You do not need to protect the integrity of Scouting, as much as you may think. Most of the protections are built in. All you have to do is stick with the program. If you do that, the integrity of Scouting will take care of itself, just as it has for the past century. Thank you very much. I'd tell myself that ranks and merit badges and various recognitions aren't mine to bestow on the deserving, That I can't set standards above or below what's already written, And that I should not throw up roadblocks or otherwise try to hold a Scout back, And I shouldn't force them to move forward either, Because it's his time in Scouting, not my time.

I would tell myself that whatever you do, don't try to make things easier. Scouting has a lot of inherent inefficiencies And each has its own purpose. I'd tell myself not to take things too personally, That there's going to be a lot of difficulties and setbacks. They're not all my fault- Some of them are- And the successes and triumphs are not all to your credit either.

And finally, I would say, 25 years from now, you're going to be happy that you're stuck with it. So there you have it. My advice to you, if you're a new Scoutmaster, whether you're going to listen to it or not, hey, that's up to you, But that's what I would have told myself 27 years ago.