shortest time to Eagle?

[Eagle007]

One thing I just don't understand is a scout's reluctance to complete the Eagle requirements until time has almost lapsed. Case in point. One of our scouts is just dragging his feet! Every week the SM asks for the scouts to give an update on their eagle projects and when it comes to this lad's turn he just says that he doesn't have things ready. If I'm not mistaken, he has already received an extention for whatever reason and he's still dragging his feet. Although it is not the adult scouters responsibility to hold this scout's feet to the fire, I just don't get it. I received my Eagle when I was 14 and I could assure anyone that I wasn't going to allow the time element to get me.

 

Can someone please explain to me what these scouts that are a week or two away from turning 18 and have not completed their projects are thinking?

[Twocubdad]

I guess the 90% who don't make Eagle have to come from somewhere.

[nolesrule]

"Can someone please explain to me what these scouts that are a week or two away from turning 18 and have not completed their projects are thinking? "

 

They are probably wondering why all these adults care more about Eagle than they do.

[Lisabob]

Good question. I think a lot of young men are a bit torn. They know what other people want them to do, and they know it would mean a lot to those other people for them to finish. They love/respect/don't want to let down those important people in their lives.

 

I know one boy who is almost 16 and his whole image of himself has been that he'd be an Eagle because his dad/uncles/male cousins were also Eagles. He sure doesn't appear to enjoy scouting very much, but ever since I met this guy at the age of about 6 getting Eagle has been just about all they ever talk about. (For the longest time his dad would boast about having been the youngest Eagle ever in his council and how his boy would earn Eagle by age 12 for sure.) Hey, no pressure there! I wonder if this boy can even imagine himself as an adult who did not make Eagle, although he is usually miserable - and miserable to be with, too - when he is at a scout event.

 

But all that external pressure aside, maybe some of those young men also really don't want to do what's necessary to get to Eagle, whatever the reason. Once you get past childhood, most people need a pretty strong internal motivation - not just an external one - to overcome significant hurdles in their lives.

 

Recognizing that you lack that internal motivation and then actively choosing not to pursue something in the face of perceived or real external pressure can be really unpleasant and even scary (will they still love/respect/care for me if I don't do this thing?). So people drag their feet to avoid confronting difficult choices. Procrastination can be a painless (and self-delusional) option for a really long time, until all of a sudden it is too late to do anything about it.

 

And anyway, choosing NOT to act is really a very effective decision-making strategy too (heck, results are 100% guaranteed! no guesswork involved!), even though we might not recognize it as such when we're doing it.

[Eagle007]

Nolesrule, my point was this. If a scout does not wish to do what it takes to earn Eagle then so be it. There will be no pressure from any of the scouters but please, just say so. Don't wait until a week or two from your 18th birthday and expect hoops to jumped through by the scouts, scouters and council just for you. As far as wondering why the adults care more about earning Eagle than the scout does, the scouters are there to encourage the scout and to guide him along the trail to Eagle. If he doesn't give a rat's rip about scouting then why waist everyone's time including his own? No, we are not an Eagle mill as some have termed it but we also encourage the scouts "to do their best" and not settle for mediocrity nor laziness.

[resqman]

"As far as wondering why the adults care more about earning Eagle than the scout does, the scouters are there to encourage the scout and to guide him along the trail to Eagle. If he doesn't give a rat's rip about scouting then why waist everyone's time including his own? No, we are not an Eagle mill as some have termed it but we also encourage the scouts "to do their best" and not settle for mediocrity nor laziness."

 

Maybe the boys idea of scouting is not tied to rank advancement. Maybe it is more about hanging out with friends, learning new skills, going on high adventure trips and enjoying the out of doors. As a boy I was in scouting because it was fun. I got a chance to participate in activities that most other boys my age did not. I got to camp and hang out in nature. Rank was something that happened because I was active. Required Eagle merit badges were mostly school work and were a chore to be endured to appease the adults. Eagle was always something to do off in the future. I never had a burning passion to become the next Eagle. Most of my patrol earned their Eagle 3-4 years before me.

 

The boys are not waisting [sic] everyones time. They are getting out of the program what they want, not the adults version of advancement equals success.

[Eagle007]

I guess I just look at things a lot different because I am an Eagle and I know what being one has done for me and what I am giving back. And also that there are the haves and the have nots. There are the ones that have fun and are go getters on the trail to Eagle and those that just want to have fun. There are those who just want to be with their friends. And they do get out of the program what they put into it - for most in my troop it is 110%.

[GernBlansten]

True story.

Dateline: 3 weeks ago.

Our district assigns a representative outside our unit to review the project and sit on the EBOR.

While waiting for the EBOR of one of our scouts, I was chatting with this district rep. He stated that he had to do this EBOR, then meet with a scout later that evening to review his project proposal. This was a Wednesday night. He said the scout was turning 18 on Sunday and already had the project ready to go after he got approval that night. So, I guess, the if the scout's project was approved that night, he had the weekend to work on the project and get it written up and turned in by Sunday night.

How's that for waiting until the last minute?

 

Postscript: I never followed up to see if that scout made Eagle.

[upnorthmn]

I've read of an Eagle project that entailed painting the curb by the fire hydrant at a church, adding one single bench by the ball field at a church, even of 'helping' the Lions club with their always ongoing old eye glass collection. All required minimal time and effort, all were LDS Troops, and all somehow passed muster for the Eagle requirement. So it would appear a project could be cobbled together in a few days time if you know the right people.

[Basementdweller]

So why do you guys take it so personal? At lot of we's and I's in this discussion.

 

 

Why are you panicking over a young man who blows 7 1/2 years to get to Eagle? It is sad grant you, but I will not get upset over it. From my brief experiences in such situations it is just one of many opportunity's lost by these procrastinators.

 

Get over it and let them fail, it was their choice.

[pohsuwed]

This is a real interesting group. Most complain about "Eagle Mills" and then there is the post like this regarding a "last minute Eagle" where it appears as though the general tone is to let the scout fail because he waited too long. If anyone were to state the best practices of a scout troop and Eagle advancement timeline, my guess is that you would all state something like a 15-16 year old Eagle is "optimal" with leaders along the way helping with sufficient motivation to avoid this last minute scenario. (There was actually a silly thread recently about holding scouts back until they are 17 to make sure they were ready for Eagle! Since when is age a requirement?) You would probably also state that every scout should become Eagle. You probably wouldn't say that there should be a percentage of the scouts who are filler scouts who shouldn't make Eagle just to make it a more true to life scenario. So how is does this differ from the insinuated definition of an "Eagle Mill"? My guess is that everyone's definition of the Eagle Mill is a troop that has more Eagles than their own! Which is why I just wish everyone would admit that although the program will never be implemented perfectly whether by leaders or scouts, there is a lot of value that can be and will continue to be had with the program in the lives of scouts!

[Lisabob]

Hang on there. I think you may have misunderstood the motivation behind my original question (and thus, people's responses).

 

I asked this question because a couple of adults I know appear to be of the opinion that every boy should get Eagle, and that we (troop committee) should be expecting several of our late-17's who haven't been active, have shown little motivation in the last couple of years etc., to suddenly appear on the doorstep with Eagle projects in hand.

 

I am skeptical of the utility of that. Not only am I unenthused about rushed projects of little value like curb painting, I also don't believe that Eagle is or should be the point of scouting. That is not always a popular view in some troops though. (On the other hand, the artificial minimum age requirements for Eagle are silly too.)

 

So my question was a skeptical, scratching the head, asking those with more experience than me, sort of question. I have a hard time imagining that a truly last minute project would be very fulfilling or worth while. I have a hard time too, imagining that these boys are likely going to pull it off. And frankly, I have a hard time (as a potential BOR member) imagining myself being happy to sit on such a BOR.