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Scoutmaster Podcast 30
In This Podcast
Troop meetings [2:44]
Planning for the future 4 [12:14]
Scoutmaster’s minute – Ernest Thompson-Seton and the fire within [20:04]
Podcast Notes
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Great job with the podcasts!
Keep them coming.
Steve B
Scoutmaster, Troop 68
http://www.melrosetroop68.org/blog
The very best Scouting happens when adults and Scouts are joined together in an activity and no one notices who the Scouts are and who the adults are. This can happen on extended backpacking trips (Philmont treks), certain events with older Scouts (Eagle projects), SeaBase cruises, etc.
However, this is almost impossible to achieve in the normal Scout meeting and also with younger Scouts. Younger Scouts will ignore youth leaders when an adult is directly inserted into an activity. They are trained over and over again in school how to defer to adult leaders.
I remember an Appalachian Trail Hike. Each morning I would get up, eat breakfast, pack up and hike out. Each morning I left my son Tim and his fried Carl sleeping in the shelter. Sometime later, usually before lunch, they would hike past me. Each day at the end of the trail they would walk out and meet me as I wandered into camp (usually with several other adult leaders, we always hiked in groups of two or three) checking to see if I was ok and if I needed any help. Once I got my tent set up and dinner going, my son would come over and say “Hi Dad. Are you doing ok? Can I help you with your gear?”
Sitting around the campfire each evening, they would read the trail guide, plan the next day’s hike, and review the days events. They could have easily done the whole without us. We were all part of a single team. Both my sons planned three day hikes in the Ocala Forest with a couple of Scout friends over spring break their senior year in high school. That transition from herding 11 year olds to fully self actualized young men is a marvelous thing.
Maybe I shouldn’t pick on one group, and I’m sure that the exceptions are wonderful, but in general, school teachers make poor Scoutmasters. Why? They are trained from day one to be in charge. “Take charge of your classroom!” They are in charge of the agenda, schedule, content, timing, everything. Untraining is much more difficult than training.
Your example of what Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters should be doing is spot on. Each of them was performing according their job description. Good example.
POPCORN…I agree!