Comparing Notes on EBORs

[Beavah]

Have any others here sit on EBs? I would love to compare notes.

 

FireKat requested it, so here it is. A place to compare notes. I reckon we've got everything from youngsters who've done a couple to old codgers with 20-30 years or more.

 

For my part, I think EBOR's are one of the great paycheck moments in Scouting. It's rare that yeh don't have a candidate that makes yeh walk out of an EBOR and say "That's why we do this Scouting stuff." I wish I'd had a video recorder for many of 'em, just to play quietly for their parents afterward. Or to use in a Scoutin' commercial.

 

Gotta say the paperwork and regulatory shenanigans have reached ever increasin' heights, though. Gets folks all tied up in knots unnecessarily, IMO. Too easy to lose sight of the scout in front of you when you're spendin' too much time lookin' down at the forms on the table. .

 

Beavah

 

[FireKat]

I waited a bit for someone else to start ....... I decribe on of the difficult days which I hope we handled well.

The usual end-of-year rush of kids wanting to be done before christmas or age was sneaking up on them. We ran them past 10pm (last scheduled to start at 10). Just before we started it was brought to our attention that two of the candidates had very reciently lost a parent. I think things went ok (walking on eggs might have been easier) but was wondering if anyone has some helpful suggestions if that happens again.

[FScouter]

Id acknowledge the boys loss, and bring it into the discussion. Talk about the boys experiences with adversity and overcoming setbacks that he has experienced as a Scout, and how he can use what hes learned to help him this time. Ask how the boy can demonstrate some leadership with his siblings, and how he can provide support to them as they move forward.

 

Part of earning the rank of Eagle is learning to be prepared for the tough parts of life. He can honor his parents, alive or passed, by living his life following the principals of the Oath and Law.

[FireKat]

I was extremly proud of both of their composure even when the adults fumble a bit. They will be good eagles. I hope they can stay and pass on their wisdom. A moment I will not forget.

[evmori]

Sitting on an EBOR is a great experience. I have sat on many & have enjoyed each & every one. They are all different and they are all the same.

 

One of my favorite moments was when we convened the EBOR, the Scout was asked to lead the Pledge, Scout Oath & Scout Law. The Scout got all confused, started with the Pledge, about 1/2 way through recited a part of the Law then stopped and said "Crap" & sat down. The three of us on the EBOR sat down & the chair told the Scout, "It's OK. We aren't going to hurt you. Take a minute, calm down & start again". The Scout did, and from that point, he was excellent!

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[OldGreyEagle]

Have been on quite a few EBOR's since I have been a member of the Advancement COmmittee for the Disitrct for 7 years now. Of all two stick out.

 

I scheduled a BOR with the Troop Committee Chair. A few weeks later I get a phone call from the chair asking if I was comming. I said I thought it was next week, no says the Chair it's tonight. The site was close so I throw on my uniform and get over, takes about 15 minutes. I walk in there is laughter and applause, I turn red and apologize and we begin. In the middle of the proceedings I always ask if they had to change one attribute of the scout law, what would it be and then ask as a follow-up what would they replace it with. I think the scout said kind, because he didnt see how a scout could be friendly or courteous or helpful without being kind. Then I asked him what would he replace it with. And without a second hesitation, he says "Punctual". The other members gasp, I turned as crimson as could be, closely followed by the scout. I was shaking, trying not to laugh, I let go, the other adults let go and the scout sits there, now he is the one shaking. So, I looked at him and said "I guess you owed me that". After order was restored we went on.

 

That was 5 years ago, the troop leader and I still laugh when we talk about it.

 

A couple years ago I started asking a new question, "Do you have a MySpace or Facebook page?" and if they answer yes, I ask if I looked on it would I be able to tell if you are a scout? Certainly gives fuel for discussion. One night I had my laptop with me. I have it open as I was trying out a new way to do EBOR, since abandoned. I asked the scout if he had a MySpace page, he said yes and then I asked if I looked on it would I be able to tell he was a scout. The kid turned ashen. All blood gone from his face, I guess he thought I was going to look him up right there. He muttered no, but he would as soon as he got home.

 

For successful EBORs I always have them say the Oath and Law and then congratulate them as the Districts newest Eagle, although I have had to help a few along the way(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

[Lisabob]

The first EBOR I sat on was a little uncomfortable because a) I didn't know the scout very well and b) it was the first or maybe second BOR I had ever been part of and c) after the fact, it became clear that some folks in the troop were looking to the EBOR to say "not yet" to this scout (which really meant "no because he was a week from turning 18). The board passed the scout anyway, a decision I still do not know whether it was right or wrong. It left me wondering whether the person compiling the EBOR members chose me knowing I was not experienced, in the hope I'd be easier on the boy (I thought I regret having to entertain, but there it is). That was not fun.

 

But every single EBOR I've been on since then has been simply a delight. Each one has been different in reflection of the boys' personalities and strengths, but Beavah is right that this is really the "pay off" moment for us Scouters. One of the ones I particularly enjoyed included a boy's favorite high school teacher and the head of the organization for which he had completed his service project. Having these folks present helped highlight the fact that Eagle is for life, not just for life in scouting.

 

OGE shared a humorous moment; has anybody else had a question backfire on them? One question I've decided I wouldn't ask again: I asked a scout what the difference between those who were Life scouts and those who were Eagle scouts was. He promptly answered "The Eagles are better individuals." One of the other adults in the room, a man I respect greatly, is a "Life for Life" scout. I wouldn't ever think about him as "less than" anybody for it, but it probably sounded that way. This wasn't what I was trying to elicit from the scout, for sure!

[FScouter]

"Eagles are better individuals". You get a lot of unexpected answers sometimes. Here's a great opportunity to expand on that topic. WHY is an Eagle better than a Life? Is it possible that a person never involved in Scouting could have the same character as an Eagle? Certainly an Eagle Scout or a college graduate has demonstrated a great achievement. Could a mere Life Scout or a HS grad have the same characteristics of an Eagle without having earned the rank? Are there other measures besides Eagle rank?

[eagle90]

I was doing a SM conference for Tenderfoot last week for a boy who has an older brother in the troop. I was explaining what will occur at his BOR, and I asked him what his brother had told him about the BOR's. The boy looked straight at me and said, "He said it was a bunch of old men sitting around trying to scare the crap out of me". I couldn't help myself and burst out laughing. A Scout is honest????

[FScouter]

Eagle90 brings up a good point. Sometimes we do that and I wonder why we do so.

 

Ive always seen the obligatory opening recitation of the Oath and Law as a trite exercise with little value and the potential to humble and embarrass a very nervous boy right from the start. The thought I get from the old geezers that like to do it is that it is some kind of icebreaker. More often it results in the boy getting frozen in the floe and doesnt set a good tone for the discussion that follows.

 

If done at all, I prefer to ask to the boy to stand and recite the Oath and Law just before being dismissed. By that time he will have gained a little more confidence in conversing with the board and will have a better chance of presenting a strong recitation.

[Eagledad]

I have not been on the EBOR board, but I have attended many as a Scoutmaster. One that sticks in my mind was the EBOR for a deaf scout. Our scouts personally set up their EBOR dates with the district EBOR Chairman, but I called the chairman to remind the board members to look strait at the scout so he could clearly read their lips. I guess I started the conversation wrong because the 91 year old chairman cut me off and said that he didnt want any information that would give the scout an advantage even if he was deaf, and he hung up without giving me a chance to give another word. OK, that was fine by me and I admired him for his stand to be fair.

 

After the brief converstation with the chairman, I felt comfortable that the board was prepared for a deaf scout, but I was wrong. When the scout gave an answer that was completely off topic to their first question, the board members sat with a deer in the headlights look. Even after the earlier introductions and usual small talk to calm scouts, they had not realized he was deaf. The chairman must have forgotten as well because it was obvious he hadnt told the board. Realizing what just happen, I stood and explained to the board that the scout could read lips very well and that he will be fine. I then got my scouts attention and repeated the first question, more to calm the board members then to get the scouts answer. But the board members were so shook up that they only asked three more questions. I was disappointed because this scout worked hard to prepare. The scouts family was so excited when the board announced that their son was an Eagle, they spent the next 15 minutes taking pictures of their son posing with the board members. One member told me later that was the first time he was ever asked to pose for pictures. He still laughs about it even today.

 

I talked to the board members a few weeks later and explained that I had tried to prepare them for a deaf scout. They understood and said they needed to figure out a better protocol to prepare for scouts with unusual circumstances.

 

I love this scouting stuff.

 

Barry

 

[Beavah]

Yah, EagleDad points out one of the pitfalls of district-level EBORs. Not just for kids with special needs, but for kids with various personalities - really shy, etc. The unit committees know the lad in ways the district folks don't. When doin' a district EBOR, I always like to have the CO's representative as a board member (lets 'em see what they've been supporting), which helps. I also like to have the SM come in first to give his endorsement and a brief background on the boy before retrieving the lad for a formal introduction.

 

That's saved us on many occasions, from "his sister was killed in a car wreck last month" to "you can't really tell, but he has Autism Spectrum Disorder and here's a couple hints about how to ask him questions."

 

Beavah

 

[evmori]

WOW Barry! My son is deaf & had just the opposite experience with a district level EBOR. I was the SM at the time so my ASM took my son & sat in his EBOR to watch. I was told by him & the EBOR later that this was one of the most memorable EBOR's they had sat on. They said in the beginning my son was so nervous he was hyperventilating! One they calmed him down, he was fine! And the ASM that was there only had to clear up a couple things the EBOR couldn't understand that my son told them.

 

It sounds like the problem was with the 91 year old chairman more than the district.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[Eagledad]

>>It sounds like the problem was with the 91 year old chairman more than the district.

[John-in-KC]

Barry,

 

I'm glad that Eagle Board came out well.

 

As for me, the best Eagle boards were the ones where the Scout asked to go someplace special to him. We've done several at Scout Camp... out of season... because something happened. It's exciting to hear those stories.

 

I've also seen Boards where the Scout asked the CC for persons X, Y, and Z to sit the board. Guess what? From my experience, those are often the more challenging boards.

 

I've also heard young men debate kind...

 

I heard one young man say every Scout should do both Swimming AND another activity (hiking/cycling) MB, because it was a demonstration of fitness.