Eagle Scout question

[Aquila calva]

Hello Bear12, Welcome to these Scouting forums. Your question and comments have really hit a nerve. Other posters have offered some good suggestions and examples.

 

First of all, congratulations to your son for passing his Eagle Board of Review. This is a major accomplishment and your son deserves a lot of praise.

 

And congratulations to your troop, too, Scoutmaster included, for helping to provide a Scouting program where your son can earn Eagle! Wow! This is a major accomplishment. From what you have said, it could be that it is overwhelming the Scoutmaster and other leaders. To put the question in colloquial terms: Now that weve got one, what the heck do we do with it? There is so much mixed tradition, procedure and protocol wrapped up in this, it can be confusing.

 

I also agree that it would have been best for the Scoutmaster, at the troop court of honor, to say congratulations to your son for passing his Eagle Board of Review. I can also believe that the Scoutmaster could have forgotten to do just that! Lack of experience in this matter could be a major contributing factor in this unfortunate oversight. Since this is his first Eagle, he may well not know what to do.

 

Here is another true story along this same line.

Last October, a Scout in our troop passed his EBOR. He is the third Scout to earn Eagle in our troop. His Dad is our Scoutmaster and he puts a lot of time and effort into the troop program. The day after the EBOR I got an email from the SM telling me that the Scout had passed his EBOR. I hadnt even known that the EBOR had been scheduled, but it was all taken care of by the Scout and our Advancement Chair who also attended the District EBOR. As Committee Chair I have the most complete email list, so I immediately sent out a short email to the troop saying CONGRATULATIONS to the Scout for passing his EBOR the night before.

 

At the next troop meeting I again announced to the troop that the Scout had passed his EBOR. The new Eagle wasnt able to make this meeting because of a school commitment. The scouts seemed pleased but there wasnt much of a response. Sort of like, Oh yah, we already know that and Why should we hoot or applaud because he isnt here anyway?

 

The troop Court of Honor was held in early December. (The Scoutmaster had told me that the family was planning an ECOH for a later date. They were still waiting for the Eagle packet to arrive.) The youth leaders planned the troop COR with the help of the Scoutmaster. I was sitting in back, taking it all in, feeling pleased I didnt have to do much at this COR because everything was taken care of by others. The patrol skits were done, the FOS presentation had been given, the advancements and merit badges had all been given out (by the SPL and ASPL), and it was about time to have the closing ceremony. I suddenly realized that the newest Eagle Scout hadnt yet been recognized. I got up, went to the front of the group (probably 70 people including scouts, parents and guests) and asked the new Eagle to come up front. I didnt have any idea what to say but finally just said, Here is the troops newest Eagle Scout. Immediately, the whole audience stood up and gave the Scout an extended round of applause. It took me by surprise! After everyone finally sat down, I congratulated the Scout again, shook his hand, and said that the family was planning an Eagle Court of Honor for a later date.

 

This Court of Honor could have easily ended without anyone saying anything about the newest Eagle Scout. I think the Scoutmaster had even forgotten it because he was so focused on all the others. And, I also think, that the Scoutmaster might not have known exactly what to say at that Court of Honor. Im just glad I got up and said something.

 

So it doesnt always have to be the Scoutmaster. In your situation the Committee Chair, or the Chartered Organization Rep, or the SPL could also take the floor to say CONGRATULATIONS!

 

A Scout troop is a group effort. Leadership belongs to all of us.

 

(In our Council) The Eagle Scout packet, including the pins and documents, is sent to the Council office. The Scoutmaster is notified that the packet has arrived and he, or someone else from the troop, should go and pick it up. I had picked up the packet for the most recent Eagle and then I gave it to the Scoutmaster for safe keeping. He brought it to the ECOH.

 

When your sons packet arrives at the scout office, this could provide another opportunity for the Scoutmaster to say his congratulations at a troop meeting and at a committee meeting. It would probably be good if your son was there to hear the congratulations.

 

Pick a date for your sons Eagle Court of Honor. Let everyone know. And have a great time! (And write out a script for your Scoutmaster. )

 

 

[Beavah]

Yah, yeh know, I was lookin' up somethin' else for that other thread and I found this in the Scoutmaster's Handbook:

 

All Scouts who have moved up to any rank except Eagle Scout, or who have earned merit badges since the last Court of Honor, should be recognized [at a troop court of honor]

 

So "by the book," the Scoutmaster should not be recognizing an Eagle Scout at a regular troop Court of Honor.

 

There's your answer Bear12. SM was following the manual and his training. No point in being upset with that.

 

Beavah

 

[Bear12]

Thanks everyone for all the insight. I can understand all the confusion on when and how to recognize a Eagle Scout. Every troop probabaly handles it differently. In the past we have kept up with the boys path well. It has been a learning experience for all the other Scouts on what it takes to get from Life to Eagle. The Scouts keep the Troop informed on his project and his paperwork to let everyone know where he stands. We've had a couple of boys get real close to Eagle and they just stopped. We tried everything we could to help because we knew they would regret it later and they did. You never know what kind of problems a youngster is going through. Maybe if we had encouraged them a little more it might have made a differece. I try to keep up with all the boys, some play sports and others are in the band, some have different interest. I talk to them every chance I get about how things are going in there life. It means a lot to young people that someone cares about them. The regulations in a book might say when is the appropiate time to congratulate someone but I firmly believe we should take every opportunity to pat a kid on the back. It's a big deal for a boy to earn every rank. Sometimes we get caught in a rut and forget the most important thing, the boys. I've learned a valuable lesson in all this, I need to do more to help. My son and I talked to the SM over the weekend. I apologized for not helping more, I ask to do more all the time. He told me it is hard for him to ask for help. He said he has a hard time remembering things and speaking in public. I told him any of us committtee members would be glad to help.I don't mind speaking in front of a group or writing a script. The bottom line is this we all as a troop let a boy down, me included. A valuable lesson is this; It is not Scoutmaster Scouts, Assistant Scoutmaster Scouts or Committee Member Scouts - it's Boy Scouts. They have to come first. Pride got in my way I could have easily stood up and said something about my son completeing his EBOR.If had been someone else's son I would have without hesitation. We are going to the next meeting, my son and I love scouting. There are no hard feelings and we are looking for a great ECOH. I wrote a script for the ECOH, Scout Motto - Be prepared. Since my first post the SM has received his certificate from the National Office. He is now officially an Eagle Scout.

[Ohio_Scouter]

Bear12,

 

Sounds like the best possible outcome. Once again, congratulations to you and your Eagle son. I know you are very proud of him.

 

Now, I have to get crackin' on my boy's Eagle COH, too. My keynote speaker dropped out on me due to health reasons, so I have to find a backup quickly.

 

Good luck!

 

[insanescouter]

I enjoyed reading all the stories about SM and how unaware so many are with what they take on. However many of the stories also left me thinking and where are the ASMs and the committee members ... why are they leaving so much weight on the sm and then complaining about what they caused ... we are after all -just volunteers putting in "an hour a week" ...

 

Salutes all the wonderful leaders out there...

 

great thread ...

 

 

Scott Robertson

http://insanescouter.org

Helping leaders one resource at a time....

[johnt0148]

Becoming your first Eagle Scout puts you and your son in a mentoring postion to lead and motivate future scouts to achivements in scouting and for some, but not all the rank of eagle. As an eagle, your son has promised to live with honor, to be loyal and to be courageous. Forgiving his scoutmaster should be the first thing on his agenda if he is to move on and be the leader in the brotherhood which he now belongs to.

John(This message has been edited by johnt0148)

[Gunny2862]

And I yet again thank my lucky stars for the excellent(but still shorthanded) Committee I have been blessed with who do allow me some time with the Scouts - to do the things I am supposed to be doing.

 

 

[OldGrayOwl]

Bear12,

Where was your troop's SPL during the Court of Honor?

It is "supposed" to be his program, not the SM's program.

So, if there is to be a "fault" to be had, it woyuld be with the SPL, not the SM.

 

Yuor SM said he forgot. Why not just leave it go at that and move forward?

 

Like many others have said in this thread, a SM's one hour/week is a pipe dream. He is very busy and I can see where he just forgot.