Recently I have come across a couple of instances of rule making that have rubbed me the wrong way. You know what I am talking about – long lists of dos and don’t s with associated penalties and even a place for a signature. Basically a behavior contract. Rules and contracts can stifle the spirit of Scouting. As soon as a contract is drawn or a rule is established a compelling reason will arise to make an exception because Scouts are individuals and have individual needs....
Beyond the common positive physical effects gained from walking it may be that walking and talking heighten the effectiveness of counseling. Taking a short stroll (in plain sight of others) with a Scout and talking through a problem may be better than just sitting or standing while you talk. From an article on walk therapy: In some instances, physical activity can be as effective as medication for treating depression, he says, with none of the side effects....
Imagine you are watching your favorite sporting event as the game begins and the players take the field. They make a few mistakes and a few good plays as the game unfolds. No matter what happens during the game the coaches don’t leave the sidelines and begin playing. The players take the field and the coaches stay on the sidelines. Now imagine Scouting as a game. We have players, (Scouts), coaches (Scouters), we wear uniforms, we learn skills and rules, (the Scout Oath and Law, camp craft, etc....
My youth leadership sometimes plays a game of Scout Leadership Tag – for some sudden reason they cannot make a meeting or event and dump their responsibility on another youth leader; tag, you’re it! Most of the time they do this with a phone call or a quick word at school. They imagine that this is adequate – after all that’s how a game of tag works. Sometimes they just don’t show up; then we play another game called ‘talk to the Scoutmaster’....
From the CNN website: A 12-year-old Boy Scout missing for four days in North Carolina’s wilderness wandered away from his campsite because he was homesick and planned to hitchhike home, the boy’s father said Tuesday. Michael told his father he slept in tree branches during the night, drank river water and prayed he wouldn’t get sick. He said he got homesick because some of his closest friends had not gone on the camping trip, so he planned to walk to a highway and hitchhike to his home in Greensboro, North Carolina....
During a visit from a Webelos Den at our last Troop meeting one of my Scouts was available to speak with the parents of the visiting boys. We were in our second week of disabilities awareness merit badge; the older scouts were leading a discussion with our younger scouts about the badge. One of the parents was impressed that the older boys were leading discussions on the subject and asked the older scout: “How do you get the older Scouts to lead a discussion with the younger ones on such an important subject?...
The 1913 proof edition of the Handbook for Scout Masters is available at Google Books. This draft was distributed for comment to perfect the final edition. Here’s a (rather large) PDF version of the 1913 Proof of Scoutmaster Handbook To be an effective Scouter we ought to continually assess our understanding of first principles, and there’s much food for thought in this edition of the Scoutmaster’s handbook. It’s also an interesting glimpse into Scouting history....
Andy the net commissioner asks “Are we really that smart?” or are we smart enough to change scouting fundamentals? … before we start changing things around to suit ourselves, we’d better be asking ourselves, “Have we really come up with a better way of doing things, or have we just violated or depleted something that’s fundamental to why Scouting works in the first place?” In other words, are we really that smart, or have we merely found an easier (for us) way to do things?...
Night falls on the first day at summer camp; the big opening campfire is over, the troop has returned to the campsite, the Scouts are preparing for taps. Just after we end the Patrol Leader’s Council a young scout, at camp for his first time, is wandering around the edge of a pool of lantern light. I know exactly why he is there; he and his brethren have been there for twenty plus years – he is one of my homesick Scouts....
The Unit Leader Award of Merit may be earned by Cubmasters, Scoutmasters, Varsity Team Coaches, and Venturing Crew Advisors. Requirements1. Be a currently registered Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Coach, or Advisor who has served in that position at least 18 continuous months. Meet the training requirements for the registered position. Distribute a printed or electronic annual unit program plan and calendar to each family in the unit. Have a leader succession plan in place....
Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson’s bestselling book The One Minute Manager concentrates on brief, focused management through goal setting, encouragement and correction. One minute methods work well for Scoutmasters: (adapted from an essay by Winston R. Davis, author of Men of Schiff) There was a bright young man looking for a really good Scoutmaster. He wanted to work for one. He wanted to become one. He found some who said: “I keep my boys in line!...
We know about the Scout promise (or oath), but what about the promises made to Scouts? The 11th edition of he Scout Handbook begins with these promises: Scouting promises you the great outdoors. As a scout you can learn how to camp and hike without a trace and how to take care of the land. You’ll study wildlife up close and learn about nature all around you. There are plenty of skills for you to master and you can teach others what you have learned....
Scouters should maintain an ongoing awareness of how well they are applying the patrol method. The questions below, from the White Stag website is intended to evaluate how well we are doing our job. Give it an honest try, if you have more A’s than B’s your are headed in the right direction; otherwise it is time to work towards a stronger application of the patrol method. At troop meetings, do the patrol leaders- A....
Published in 1928 “Principles of Scoutmastership In Relation To Boy Development” begins by defining the development we seek for our Scouts, how Scouts think, how they develop, what Scouting does to effect that development and what the Scoutmaster can do to further the process. This nearly 80 year-old advice is a sound now as the day it was written; some things never change. I found the following excerpts particularly inspiring;...
Not the most efficient way to get the job done, but lot’s of fun! Strive to maintain the “inefficiency” of Scouting . It’s tempting to make things easier (for the adults, usually) and lose track of the goal. Patrol CookingIt is much more efficient to cook as a troop, but that denies a patrol an active and challenging opportunity for growth and learning. Make things less efficient, encourage patrol responsibility....
What’s your Scouter Mission Statement? Mission statements are a reference point, an expression of intentions and goals, they are useful reminders to stay the course. Here’s a starting point; Scouter Mission Statement As a Scouter I will; Create and nurture an environment for learning leadership and developing a sense of direction. Value the decisions and autonomy of the scouts and maintain the proper balance of advice and control between youth and adult leadership....
When I served as a camp director I got some complaints about our dining hall steward’s attitude towards Scouts setting or clearing the tables. Scouts rotate the responsibility of serving as a waiter at our camp. They go early to set the table, serve the food during the meal and clear up afterwords. At any given meal there are Scouts who are new to the experience and they make mistakes. My dining hall steward was growing increasingly frustrated with their inexperience and yelled at them making them even more jumpy....
Haze \Haze, v. t. To harass by exacting unnecessary, disagreeable, or difficult work. To harass or annoy by playing abusive or shameful tricks upon; to humiliate by practical jokes; — used esp. of college students; as, the sophomores hazed a freshman A Scoutmaster will do no greater service to his troop than to drive out every vestige of hazing. This includes initiations, teasing, compelling Scouts to humiliate themselves in any way....
I have known a troop who has a sign posted in their meeting place that reads “make good or make way”. They send letters to scouts who don’t attend regularly threatening them with removal from the troop. Part of Scouting is dealing with our prodigal Scouts who disappear from time to time without any explanation. When they reappear we do best to follow the model of the father in the parable and recieve them with open arms and kill the fatted calf, not drawing attention to their shortcomings in a letter....