Eagle Scout - how big an emphasis?

[UCEagle72]

The only push I ever received was from my SM through my mom. He went to the store where she worked and "ran into her." Ah yes, that Cooking MB partial was finished in two weeks. (And it was the ONLY thing left to do.)

 

As SM I never pushed or prodded. Simply indicated the virtues of completing the program. Of course, that was back before the T-2-1 programs, so I was always most happy when my Scouts made First Class.

 

My son made 1st Class and decided it just wasn't his "thing." If he could have, he would have stopped sooner, but I made 1st Class his goal, as that was the original top Scout rank. He still likes to camp, cook outdoors, etc., and he's the only one of his peers who knows what to do when something comes up while they are camping. He's almost 29, and every once in a while I have heard the old, "wish you would have pushed me more." Told him, you got the basic skills, you were Patrol Leader, the rest was up to you!

 

[desertrat77]

Encourage, support, frank feedback? Yes.

 

Drag by the collar across the goal line? No.

[John-in-KC]

It was amazing. My son dragged his feet forever on starting to set up his ELSP ... he thought (emphasis thought) he wanted to follow in the footsteps of another Eagle in our Troop.

 

We did a course correction ... he loves music. Making music a major part of his ELSP was akin to a jolt from a car battery. He was energized, enthused, and had his plan together and presented to everyone inside 60 days.

 

Sometimes, helping them learn that one particular path is not the path to success can help...

[VigilEagle04]

Here's my take on it, and some of it has been said already, but these are just my 2 cents.

 

When/if I have a son, surely he will be joining Scouting. I hope my son would get the same out of Scouting that I did, but if it's not in the cards for him, it's just not. I will do what I can as a parent to insure the best possible experience, but once he hits Boy Scouts, that cord is cut. If I were to be asked for assistance, sure I would lend a hand, but part of the task for achieving Eagle is being motivated to do it.

 

As a Scouter, I would do my best to insure a safe and fun program. Something that would provide the necessary knowledge and resources that I could provide for moving along the trail to Eagle. But when that Scout is Life, it is up to them.

 

This is how it was done for me, at least with the adult leadership in the troop for most of my tenure. At the tail end of it, I had leadership that hindered my progress and I had to seek assistance from someone on the District level. Anyway, the Scouters of my youth didn't push at all. They were there if you had a question, they may ask every couple of months or so about how things were going with it, but mostly they just stayed out of it. The reason given, when I asked a couple of them recently, was that because the Eagle rank is an achievement for the boy. He has to really want it for it to mean something. There was only one eagle amongst them, but one was a Life Scout before he aged out. Those two came up with this little plan they had. They knew what the pressure was like, and they knew the regrets, and they wanted to make sure every Eagle they produced earned it because they wanted it.

 

 

[Stosh]

I'm kinda of the opinion that if a boy has to be pushed or dragged across the finish line of Eagle, he's a good follower, but hasn't learned anything about leadership. I'm thinking boys that get Eagle under these circumstances may be missing the point of what Eagle is all about. I'm also thinking that parents and/or SM's who do the pushing/pulling also miss the same point.

 

Stosh

[desertrat77]

Stosh, I concur--parents and scouters that drag/push often have some serious ego on the line if Johnny makes Eagle or not.......

[Mr. Boyce]

Just some thoughts on the subject:

 

(1) I HATE to see parents push young Johnny to "make" Eagle. Sure, it is a practical way to get this to happen. . . but I'm not sure if it's better to have forced someone into Eagle Scout status than to have him, of his own accord and decision, pursue this goal.

 

(2) My personal experience with this comes from being in a troop that only modestly got into group advancement efforts. This wasn't a bad way to go; not a great deal of pressure (which can seem foreign to a boy when he believes he is in a youth program in which he is supposedly in charge). The whole merit badge system appealed heavily to me; the elective system is very engaging, and a young person grows in his interests as he gets older.

 

(3) The prestige of Eagle Scout counts for a lot in generating advancement initiative in youth. I grew up believing Eagle Scouts were exemplary, All-American boys, competent, able to do all sorts of neat things.

 

(4) The more Eagle Scout status is pushed upon youth, the more sensitive other youth will be toward adult pushing, and perhaps this detracts from the program.

[desertrat77]

Mr. Boyce, you raise good points--especially how adult pushing detracts from the program. I've seen Life scouts, fully capable of making Eagle, purposefully stop advancing because of mom/dad/SM driving them, or they are overshadowed by an overachieving older brother who made it.

[IM_Kathy]

the real question would be what does your own scout think is pushing?

 

I wouldn't say I was pushy at all, but I'm not sure what my son would say. The only time I really mentioned it was when he recently made Life rank, I looked and said "hey if you do want to keep up the great work and reach Eagle then all you need to do is _________ (mostly just the rest of his eagle required merit badges)" He looked at those and then asked when he should do them. He just started FR. year, but he has a very early birthday so he'll be 15 within a week... and he's in an accelerated math/science program which will make is SO. year a tad insane... so I suggested that he do 1 at a time this year and would probably be finished with them by the time his "insane" year starts and then he'd be able to focus on his project

 

otherwise I don't think I've ever brought up the word "eagle" - instead I'll discuss merit badges. Which badge are you working on? who are you working with? etc...

[Engineer61]

My thought is if you push to the point that ANY part of the experience is no longer fun...then you've pushed too much.

 

That is true for ANY endeavor that our kids may take.

 

They have a whole adult lifetime to deal with the "push".

[evilleramsfan]

I try to tell the parents of prospective members that if we create and keep a successful program, the Eagles will take care of themselves and there is not a need to push for it.

[jhankins]

I try to focus my committee on the fact that we're working towards the Vision of Scouting, to instill the morals and values taught by the scout oath and law more than anything else. Yes, Eagle Scout is a worthwhile goal, but a boy doesn't have to make Eagle to learn the life lessons he needs to succeed in life.

 

If a boy wants it, we'll be there to support his efforts in any way we can, but I ask every committee member, merit badge counselor and ASM to not push the boy unless the boy asks for it.