Scoutmaster

Scouts have enough obstacles - don't be one.

Jerry at the Scoutmaster's Minute blog encourages us to encourage autonomy in our Scouts;

And so it goes with everything in Scouting. Let them do it. Parents...Leaders... Get out of the way for a minute and let your Scout set the limit...pass the limit... find a new limit... and challenge himself to great things.

Your son is a perfectly capable young man that wants to prove to you that he can do it. He is used to having everything handed to him and is not used to earning his way. He needs to be challenged and allowed to conquer those challenges without mom and dad hovering with a first aid kit and kid gloves. It does not hurt him to get a little dirty..or tired..or cold..or hungry... he learns from those conditions. He wont starve on a camp out..get the flu.. or learn to shoot craps on a Scouting outing. He will learn to be a part of a team, develop life long skills, and habits for life with value.

Our kids have enough obstacles in their lives, we don't need to be one of them. Rest assured the Adult leaders of the troop have nothing but the best intentions for your Scout. We want them to develop Character and Citizenship, and to be physically fit. We want them to leave Scouting with a set of skills that they can pass on to their sons, Scouts, or friends.

Read the full post here

Scoutmaster Award of Merit

The Scoutmaster Award of Merit is offered by the National Eagle Scout Association for Scoutmasters who meet these requirements:

1. Be a currently registered Scoutmaster who has served in that position     for at least 18 months.
2. Have achieved the Quality Unit Award at least once during the period      of service.
3. Have completed Boy Scout Leader Fast Start Orientation, New Leader      Essentials, Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific      Training, and Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills.
4. Have a record of proper use of the Boy Scout advancement program,      resulting in a majority of  Boy Scouts in the troop attaining the      First Class rank.
5. Have a record of 
   • Development of youth leadership through the patrol method
   • Positive relations with the troop's chartered organization
   • An extensive outdoor program including strong summer camp attendance
   • A positive image of Scouting in the community
   • A troop operation that attracts and retains Boy Scouts

The chair of the troop committee has the responsibility of nominating the  Scoutmaster on behalf of the patrol leaders' council and the troop committee. (Click here to download the nomination form.)

The nomination is certified by the unit commissioner and forwarded to the  local council service center. The nomination should be approved by the Scout executive and either the council NESA chair or the council commissioner. The Scout executive will forward the nomination to the director of the  National Eagle Scout Association at the national office.

The Scoutmaster Fallacy

Andy's latest (at Ask Andy) is an excellent analysis of one of Scouting's biggest problems-

If you’re a regular reader, you already know about the tyrants and tin gods, renegades and recalcitrants, bullies and belligerents, dictators, martinets, and “world’s oldest Patrol Leaders” masquerading as Scoutmasters. Thank goodness that, for every one of them, there are a thousand or more dedicated Scouting leaders who get it right!x

But how did this happen? How did we get so far away from True North? Aside from warped mentalities seeking out this position in order to foment their brand of meanness, is there some sort of cultural error or acquiescence that has abetted this? I think there may be. Read on…

A hundred years ago, while Baden-Powell was formulating how the Boy Scout movement would be structured and organized, and what nomenclature would be used, one of the decisions he needed to make was this: What designation do we use in referring to the adult volunteer who guides and mentors the boys and young men in the troop? Since he considered “Scouting for Boys” largely a system of education, it was a natural and small step for him to borrow from the educational system used in Britain at the time. This would aid in understanding the role of that (male, at the time) adult volunteer. So, to parallel the role of the male teacher, who was commonly referred to as Schoolmaster, the very natural choice was Scoutmaster. Its meaning in the time and country of origin was straightforward: “Scoutmaster” = “Teacher of Scouts.”

When the Boy Scout movement crossed the pond to America, some things remained intact; others changed, including the Scout Oath and Law. But the term, Scoutmaster, remained, even though, in America, there was no educational equivalent: Teachers in America were and still are called teachers; not schoolmasters.

The decision to use “Scoutmaster” instead of a designation appropriate to American culture proved unfortunate because “Scoutmaster” was not instantly translated into “Teacher of Scouts.” Instead, it was translated as “MASTER of Scouts,” and, to Americans, “Master” meant and still means “The One In Charge,” “The Boss,” and so on. The true meaning became lost in both translation and time.

Even Webster’s gets it not quite right: “Scoutmaster n. The adult leader in charge of a troop of Boy Scouts.”

In fact, the United States is the only English-speaking country in which the now-anachronistic “Scoutmaster” remains. The Scout Association in the United Kingdom, and Scouts Australia, both have for many years referred to the position as “Scout Leader.” In Canada, it’s “Scouter” or “Troop Scouter.”

On top of this, two movies very popular in their times reinforced the notion that the adult is “in charge” of the troop and direct leader of the boys in it (in effect, an “adult patrol leader”). The first, in 1953, was “Mister Scoutmaster,” starring Clifton Webb as a “Mr. Belvedere” fussbudget personality type. The second, produced in 1966 and currently enjoying a resurgence, at least among Scouters today, is “Follow Me, Boys!” starring Fred MacMurray, of the later “My Three Sons” TV show fame. In this latter film, somebody did pay attention to accuracy, but the non-initiated will still come away with the impression that the Scoutmaster is the day-to-day leader of a troop of Boy Scouts.

On top of these, we had the popular one-panel comic, “The Little Scouts,” by cartoonist Roland Coe, featuring a rotund (and clueless) “Scoutmaster” and his bunch of “Little Scouts.” This comic thrived in the 1930s and though most of the ‘40s, and although it did much to popularize Boy Scouting, it did little to dissuade folks from the notion that Boy Scouts are led by adults. Speaking of comics, we can’t overlook Charles M. Schulz’s Snoopy, of “Peanuts” fame, who became the “Beagle Scout” leader of Woodstock and his little friends way back in 1974! Again, a depiction of one “large” leader and a bunch of little followers.

Bottom line: Just about everything in American culture that’s referenced Scouting has done son by depicting the Scoutmaster as master of the Scouts. Is it any wonder, then, that we
perpetuate this fiction in troop upon troop around the country.

So, what to do…

Let’s begin, first of all, by throwing the rascals out. That’s right: dump ‘em. Got a Scoutmaster that just doesn’t get it? Get rid of him. Oh, you’re worried about hurting his feelings? Just stop and consider how he’s hurting the lives of boys and young men—sometimes permanently. If that doesn’t tell you what needs to be done, no words of mine are likely to help you grow a spine and do what’s right. Worried about who will take his place? Maybe, by your taking action, another parent will realize somebody has a spine, and, on this basis, step up to be counted, too.

Second, let’s from now on put foremost in our minds that “Scoutmaster” doesn’t mean “master” of anything. In fact, if we substitute “servant” for “master” we’ll be a lot closer to the truth of the matter. Even better, let’s substitute “teacher” or “mentor” or “guide”—This is what Scoutmastering is all about. As B-P himself put it, “It’s being an older brother to the boy…find the best in the boy and bring it out.”

My Comments

Andy has hit the nail right on the head with this one.

His advice to "dump 'em" seems harsh but consider the source. Andy has many years of experience as a Commissioner. Commissioners are there to sort out problems and the first thing they earn, by hard experience, is that the problem folks do not change - they have to go. They can't be trained, threatened or cajoled into changing - they simply have to step aside or be "dumped". Sad but true.

Most Scoutmasters are valuable, wonderful people who do he best they can. It takes an experienced eye about three minutes to tell the difference between Troops that are functioning well from ones that are in trouble.

Competition

Some bemoan the lack of competition in Scouting and the tendency to make everyone a winner. When did a major component of Scouting is competing with other scouts and that there should be clear winners and losers?

Boys are naturally competitive, they like to win they hate to loose. Competing is not a bad thing in itself but misapplied competition can be corrosive. Winning is not always good, loosing is not always bad.

Scouting is designed to recognize not only achievement but effort. Competition is a tool, a means to an end, not an end in itself.

The level of achievement is not as important as the effort extended. What one person can achieve easily may take another great effort to match. We want to encourage effort and confidence in individuals and the group.

"Boys are especially sensitive to measures of achievement and failures. It is the Scoutmaster’s job to put these things into perspective for his boys. The boy whose inferiority complex has been born through many failures can have his first win or two made easy for him so that he is led to intensify his efforts. If he extends the effort no matter how clumsy, he can earn the Badge. This generally inspires the boy to go on trying and the sense of inferiority fades quickly."
Baden Powell

We are all not equally talented and gifted, but we can all extend equal effort in attaining a goal. When we are young we need to learn to deal with dissatisfaction and disappointment by assessing the effort we extended, recognizing how we can improve and redoubling the effort.

Scouts need to compete, they will compete and trying to stop them is fruitless. A scoutmaster should show them that it is not whether you win or loose, but how you play the game, how to develop resilience and the ability to encourage themselves. A scoutmaster should create an environment that doesn't fetishize achievement but recognizes effort.

The Benefits of Benign Neglect

It may be that the most difficult thing to get about Scouting is figuring out what it isn't. It is not a boys club, a baby sitting service, an academic system, an ideology or a program.
The Scouting movement was born as a simple response to the inherent need of boys to have some direction and structure to their lives as they go about becoming adults. That the most fundamental ideas of Scouting has been adopted to vastly different cultures and locales witnesses its universality and genius.

Scouting, as I have said before, is more gardening than management. Provide the right elements for Scouts and they blossom with potential. One element we often miss is a sort of benign neglect that allows them to do the work demanded of them;

• Neglect the imposition of regimentation and rules - but encourage Scouts to discover the necessity of both.
• Be indifferent to achievement and advancement - but foster the challenges that create them.
• Forget that you have answers to their questions - let them develop the habit of finding their own way.
• Take a step back and let Scouts lead Scouts, then take another step back - maybe even two or three more.
• Overlook the opportunity to criticize and heap on the encouragement.

We must maintain a safe, secure environment for all this to work. We must guard against both excess and inaction. We must maintain focus. But other than this our Scouts benefit from a wide latitude to find their own answers, set their own standards and live their own lives.

From Webelos Den Leader to Scoutmaster

I was a Webelos Den Leader for eighteen (!) boys. The next year I became a Scoutmaster. It took some time and mentoring to get me to stop being a Den Leader and start being a Scoutmaster.

Working with Webelos is fundamentally different than working with Scouts. Webelos den leaders are required to do most of the planning and leading that become the responsibility of youth leadership in a Scout Troop. Making the shift from Den Leader to Assistant Scoutmaster is an important step. We do all we can to help new Scouts transitioning from Webelos - let's not forget that Den Leaders stepping into new roles will need some help too.

A formal sit down with all of the adult leadership is in order when a new leader joins the Troop. Here are a few points that I share with transitioning Webelos Den Leaders:

• In becoming an assistant Scoutmaster your role in Scouting has changed significantly. It is my job as a Scoutmaster to help you make the transition from Den Leader.
• The Scouts who were once members of your den are now under the leadership of a Patrol Leader. They are now his responsibility. If this responsibility is to have any integrity he must be given plenty of latitude to do the job as sees fit. Both the Senior Patrol leader and I will be monitoring his performance and would appreciate any concerns being expressed directly to me rather than the Patrol Leader.
• Your Scouts will naturally look to you for direction. When they do direct them to their Patrol leader for answers even if you know the answer.
• It is likely that you are going to feel uncomfortable or antsy and doubt the ability of our youth leadership. Welcome to the club. It is a natural reaction that all Scouter's experience. The best thing to do in this instance talk to the Scoutmaster or another Assistant Scoutmaster.
• Our youth leadership is very respectful and responsive of any direction or comment given by an adult. They also respect a chain of command - talk to the Scoutmaster before you talk to a Scout.
• If you see a situation that is an immediate danger to propriety or safety you have permission to step in and correct it. I have to do this once every four or five years.

Some frank talk, good humor and empathy will go a long way towards easing the transition for everyone.

Ten Things Scoutmasters Can Do For a Senior Patrol Leader

1. Let him own the program.
SPLs are actually responsible for the Troop program, meetings, outings, the whole megillah. If he is receiving a written plan from you he is not actually responsible for the program, he is responsible for running your idea of what the program should be.
2. Praise publicly, criticize privately
Never ever holler at or criticize your SPL in front of other Scouts. No other action will undercut his authority more completely than this.
3. Give him some direction and boundaries.
Always keep him focused on what Scouting promises Scouts. Show him where the boundaries are and point out the vast possibilities.
4. Be polite, ask permission.
Can I take a moment to say something? Do you need any adult support for that? What can I do to help you with this?
5. Encourage him
There will always be problems - challenge is good. He is responsible not to prevent problems but to lead the Troop through them.
6. Set the proper tone for leadership.
Scouts are not soldiers, you are not the captain, the SPL is not you drill sergeant. You are the coach, your SPL is the team captain, the Scouts are the players.
7. Use your authority sparingly.
When circumstances demand step in quietly (with permission) and ask questions that will lead to a course correction. Don't grab the wheel out of his hands unless the wreck is imminent.
8. Keep your distance.
Let the Scouts live their own lives, go fold a tent, conduct a Scoutmaster's conference, have a cup of coffee or watch quietly.
9. Guard the playing field.
When other adults interfere quietly redirect their attention to something else. One direct, clear statement about the role of adults is usually all that is needed.
10. Give him plenty of feedback.
Plenty is two minutes a meeting.

Taking Direction from Youth Leadership

Sometimes the goals of youth leaders and adult leaders diverge to the point that we may be duplicating efforts or working at odds with one another. In the interest of aligning forces these goals should be examined periodically.

Maintaining the integrity of youth leadership means they have the opportunity to plan and act independent of adult micromanagement and coercion. This exercise will help define the roles of adult and youth leaders while balancing the oversight and involvement of adults.

1. Ask everyone in a leadership position to write down three personal Scouting goals for themselves and three goals they have for the Troop. Writing the goals down is a crucial step in the process. Writing requires more thought and commitment to an idea than other methods. In a group setting Scouts will often latch on to someone's idea to the exclusion of their own so the goal setting exercise should be done individually.

2. Adult Leaders meet to share and discuss their goals. Identify shared personal goals and work on the next immediate steps to achieve them. Discuss the Troop goals and identify those aspects of them that should be worked on by the adult leadership and which to suggest to the Scouts for action.

3. Interview each youth leader individually and discuss their goals.
- Help them identify the immediate next step to achieve their personal goals.
- Discuss their goals for the Troop. What they see, hear or experience in their leadership role is often very revealing.
It is important to interview youth leaders individually because they may have a perspective on things that they would not express as fully when they are in a group of their peers. This process has revealed several things that may have never come to light otherwise. Scouts are at an age where they are very sensitive to the censure of their peers. These individual interviews are casual discussions with myself and my Assistant Scoutmasters. If the Scout in question has a father serving as a ASM his dad is not a part of the interview.

4. Meet as a group and identify the shared goals and those that may represent new ideas or directions for the Troop.
- Develop a prioritized list of shared goals. Identify the next immediate steps to reach them.
In all probability the group will have common goals for the Troop; some will be new - all deserve discussion and consideration. Understand that there may be a youth leader or two who comes up with a goal that is simply unattainable or irrelevant. They may do this to show how very witty they can be. Do not simply gloss them over - give each serious and sober consideration without being censorious or dismissive. If, indeed, someone is just joking around they will understand that their ideas are being taken seriously and may decide not to make light of the situation in future.

At the end of the process both youth and adult leadership will be on the same track, have a common set of goals with associated tasks to achieve them. As an added benefit differences of opinion may be resolved, rivalries quashed and those on the fringes brought into the mix.

Associated posts at Scoutmaster
Scoutmastership, Leadership, Management
Scoutmaster's Mission Statement
Promises to Keep

Age Appropriate Leadership

Scouting is built on the idea of bringing a boy along by degrees through a progressive program of developmental stages. Tiger Cubs work hand in hand with their parents, Wolf Cubs build on the relationships with their family, Bears build on the concepts of community, Webelos on self-reliance and independence. The Scout Troop and Patrol builds on all these skills as Scouts progress through the ranks.

Every so often I come across a situation where some overheated leadership has taken it on themselves to depart from the age appropriate activities and blaze their own trail. The most common offenders are Webelos leaders.

I can understand an eager father excited that his boy is approaching the age of those great outdoor adventures dad has been anticipating. But this eagerness sometimes blinds him to the actual instead of perceived abilities of his son.  Projecting aspirations on a son is an almost inevitable fault of fatherhood. However pure the intention it often stresses the father-son relationship to the breaking point.

Scouting's progressive program is not intended to hold boys back, nor to quash their enthusiasm. Its patient, scaled, time-tested approach respects the growing ability of boys individually and as a group. When leaders respect this concept boys progress happily. If leaders ignore these incremental steps boys ultimately become discouraged.

Nearly any seven to fifteen year-old boy probably has an irrepressible desire to drive a car. We curb this ambition because they lack the physical and mental development to drive responsibly. Arguably there may be a few twelve year-old driving prodigies but a parent who encouraged them would be guilty of questionable judgment.

Webelos (and especially their eager dads) would like to do everything that a fifteen year-old Scout does but they would miss out on the benefits of being Webelos. Some Webelos leaders almost seem to look at the program as purgatory; not really cubs, not yet Scouts and decide to amp things up. But those two Webelos years, properly led, are as full and exciting to a boy as the next seven years in a Troop.

Sitting my  teen aged  Scouts down to do an Webleos Activity Badge is as absurd as taking Webelos on a five day canoe trip. Good leadership measures and responds to a Scout's ambition and may be challenged to keep up with them. But our response must be bounded by the concept of age appropriateness described in the program.

Scouting is not a list of experiences to be ticked off as quickly as possible. Scouting is not a foot race to the finish line of achieving Eagle. Scouting is a progressive journey that leads a boy from stage to stage with his parents, his family, his fellow Scouts, his community, and (perhaps most importantly) himself.

Expect a great deal of your boys.

IN a small camp so very much can be done by example. You are living among your boys and are watched by each of them, and imitated unconsciously by them, and probably unobserved by yourself.

If you are lazy they will be lazy; if you make cleanliness a hobby it will become theirs; if you are clever at devising camp accessories, they will become rival inventors, and so on.

But don't do too much of what should be done by the boys themselves, see that they do it --  "when you want a thing done don't do it yourself" is the right motto. When it is necessary to give orders, the secret for obtaining obedience is to know exactly what you want done and to express it very simply and very clearly. If you add to the order an explanation of the reason for it, it will be carried out with greater willingness and much greater intelligence.

If you add to the order and its explanation a smile, you will get it carried out with enthusiasm -- or, remember, "a smile will carry twice as far as a snarl."

A pat on the back is a stronger stimulus than a prick with a pin.

EXPECT a great deal of your boys and you will generally get it.

B-P's Outlook September, 1911