Standards

In the past I have been guilty of griping about Scouts who 'don't know their skills' and troops that were 'Eagle Factories'. This put me on a mission to fix whatever I saw as wrong, to tighten things up and be darn sure that my Scouts earned their way.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

I spent a few years discouraging Scouts by throwing every possible impediment in their path. I was the worst kind of Scoutmaster- a self appointed guardian of an unattainable standard of perfection. What I became was a grumpy old man ready to swat any hand that reached for my holy awards.

Thankfully things have changed. Scouts need only encouragement, empowerment and a bit of kindness to reveal the potential they have within. Once they catch on there is really no stopping them. I have ceased to worry about the quality of their skills, their commitment or their honesty. My job is to put them in the right place at the right time - the rest they do themselves.

Dictating a standard of behavior, of skill, commitment or honesty to Scouts is frustrating. Getting them to find these things within themselves is a piece of cake.