What Would You Do? Promoting Advancement Without Being Pushy

Scouting Magazine's current question for "What Would you Do?"

Our troop has many boys who have just crossed over from Webelos Scouts. Some of their parents have their eye on the Eagle Scout Award from day one; others give no thought to advancement. How do we help parents find a healthy balance between the two extremes, so they can encourage their boys on the trail to Eagle without pushing them off the trail?

J.T. Charlottesville, Va.

Parents should understand that advancement is only one of many goals in Scouting. Scouting is unique in that Scouts advance individually at their own speed. There is no slow or fast there is only what a Scout individually chooses to do when he chooses to do it. The only time limit is his eighteenth birthday.

Scouts that are driven outwardly to advance may do so. Scouts who are allowed to develop an internal desire to advance can't be stopped!

Comments

[Michael S. Malone]

That sounds good, but in my Scouting experience there are two truths about advancement:

1. If a boy doesn't reach First Class within two years there is a very good chance he will quit Scouting. This failure is sometimes the fault of the boy, but more often it is because the troop leadership -- boy and adult -- isn't keeping tabs on the young Scout, offering to help, and creating venues for the boy to pass rank requirements. This may be a moment for an adult leader to step in and focus on that boy, set goals and help him along. Too many potentially successful Scouts drop out because no one paid attention.

2. I've written this here before: nobody gets to Eagle easily. Everyone hits a wall -- whether it is in the lower rank requirements or the upper rank merit badges or the distractions of school and sports or the monumental Eagle service project. This happens even to Scouts with "an internal desire to advance." Once again, this is often a moment for some kind of intervention - older Scout, parent, Scouter -- to work with the boy, egg him on, and regularly check in for updates. It doesn't mean you do the work for him, but it also doesn't mean you abandon him during what is a kind of personal crisis, in hopes that he will somehow turn it around before his 18th birthday.

As for the parents who push their Webelos towards Eagle: I wouldn't worry too much about it. It almost never works. I can't tell you how many 13 year old Life Scouts I've known who still finished their Eagles at 17 years and 11 months . . .

[Clarke Green]

I've had a number of Scouts who took two or three years to get to first class and then went on to Eagle. All appropriate encouragement notwithstanding.

Pushy parents don't produce Eagles, just aggravated Scouts. Our average Eagle finishes up in his 17th year after weathering a few crises.

[Michael S. Malone]

Clarke:

I have no doubt that is the case. And I've seen the same thing myself -- I was just part of an Eagle CofH for a young man who was still second class at age 15. But the anecdotal is not the general . . .and I think you will agree that a boy who hasn't reached first class by his 13th, or worse 14th, birthday is at high risk of dropping out of Scouting. And to simply abandon them to their own devices seems a pretty high punishment for what could, in fact, be a structural problem in the troop.

[Clarke Green]

I think that you have misunderstood me. I don't advocate 'abandoning' any Scout. Naturally there is mentoring and encouragement (often more from their fellow Scouts than adults).

What I am attempting to point out is that Scouts who decide for themselves generally go further than those who are compelled outwardly.

[Larry Geiger]

"What I am attempting to point out is that Scouts who decide for themselves generally go further than those who are compelled outwardly."

That's true and it's good wisdom.

[Chad]

You know, we have the same problem only our Webelos are actually 7 Life Scouts. They have been sitting at Life for almost 18 months. Until the Scout, with the help and slight nudge from parents, decide to make this a priority they will be (as we learned to call it at Wood Badge) a Life for life. We have read Mike Rowe's letter twice at Court of Honors with the same glazed over look. I know the boys want it (Eagle). I know the parents want it. It must be though, at their age and at their current rank (we can't really do anything else to help them EXCEPT do it for them--and I won't EVER do that for them. It lessens the pains I went through to earn my Eagle.) done at home! The motivation must come from the home! A good parent will always be better than any good BSA leader.

Scouting isn't only about earning the rank of Eagle though even if they are "sitting" at Life. We can always help them be better men! And enjoy their fellowship in Scouting. And have fun with them. And play the game with them!

A BSA Varsity Scout Coach in Little Elm, TX

[Larry Geiger]

You know, Chad, maybe that's why young men who have earned the Eagle Scout rank are given certain advantages by some organizations. People recognize that for most young men, being an Eagle Scout represents something about that young man. He is, somehow, slightly different from his peers.

Most of us are regular guys. We do regular stuff, and often do it quite well. But each of us recognizes that special something that we see in a few folks around us. That pastor, business leader, creative person or volunteer leader that just stands out. Somehow. Most of us don't know how to do what they do. We can't recreate it but we know it when we see it. Many of those folks are Eagle Scouts or would have been Eagle Scouts if they had been in Scouting.

I heard once that BSA looked at the demographics of Scoutmasters. They found that the most common rank achieved by Scoutmasters as a youth was Life rank. Followed I think by First Class.

[Tim Western]

In the troop I had growing up, at some point they introduced a 'contract' of source. It was pretty general, but the gist of it was that by registering with the unit, we agreed to be active in meetings and on trips (except for certain excuses that were permitted), and that we would try to so show 'significant progress' to the next rank.

That 'significant progress' wasn't defined as a # of Requirements or merit badges, but if I recall correctly was left a bit to interpretation. I went to Tenderfoot at our first camping trip. Second Class took a bit longer. Back then you had to wait so many days, now not so much. When the new year started, they changed requirements and books, and I basically started over relearning things that got spread into all the ranks. I basically ended up redoing tenderfoot and had every requirement for both 2nd and 1st Class completed except for the swimming part. At that time in my life, I had developed a bit of fear about water, namely getting my head 'wet' while swimming, and I because of it I had difficulty keeping my wits about me when I tried at camp to do the 50 Meter Swim. Missing that 2nd Scout Camp opportunity, It was some time before my parents asked me to ask if it could be waived because they weren't sure I'd ever be able to complete it. I was the tiniest guy in the troop, which made back packing probably harder for me than most others, and honestly, I don't know why I found the swimming so difficult. It could be that I wanted to play in the water more than actually do it I dunno, but I lacked the will power to do it with out fear.

A bit of time later and I finished up a the last couple dangling requirements for First Class, and I was advised to try again to see if I could do the 50 Meter swim (since 1st Class was now 100 m but it used to be 50 m at First class as I recall). So My parents arranged for me to take swimming lessons again at the YMCA.

It was there that the instructor told me my problem. I knew techniques, but I was flailing around trying to keep my head above water, when many strokes, especially, the breast and freestyle strokes rely on getting your head wet. He said I was expending more energy trying to keep out of the water, instead of working with the water and having an efficient stroke. This guy's advice changed my view of the water, and with it helped break my fear of it. I swam 50 meters there in the pool, and probably could have done 100 meters, if not for the fact that I was tried from a long day of swimming. The next Canoe trip, I told them I wanted to try for my swim to earn the badge. I knew everything else and had completed it. So there I was swimming well beyond what they thought were 100 Meters.

So yeah I can attest that every boy eventually runs into something they don't know how to handle, and sometimes its difficult to ask for help if you don't know you've hit that wall. Young boys, myself included at the time, think we are able to do whatever is thrown at us by ourselves, and sometimes we need to realize that we do not know it all.

Moral of the story, once I got over that hump, things came consistently for me because I had gained a self confidence I would not have if I had not worked so hard for it.