The Most Important Boy Scout Rank?

[SeattlePioneer]

Quite often I have men introduce themselves to me as former Boy Scouts. Often they say apologetically that they never completed Eagle.

 

 

I tell them that in my opinion, the most important rank in Boy Scouts is First Class. The promise of Boy Scouts is to make boys reasonably skilled hikers and campers and such, and the basic of that are completed by First Class.

 

If a boy really learns the values and requirements he should by First Class, he's done a lot. Star and life are basically polishing what should already have been learned.

 

Eagle has the addition of leadership training and experience. And most boys have to struggle to develope the courage to complete the regiman, which develops grit and detrmination.

 

But First Class! I see that as the real key to Scouting!

[UCEagle72]

Hear, hear!

 

When I served as SM, I always encouraged my Scouts to be "the best first class scout you can be." I had what most would consider a small Troop (started with 10, ended with 30 boys) but we were always the Troop that won the Camporee, or the Summer Camp contests. I had a handful scouts who were Star, Life, and actually never had an Eagle until the end of my tenure as SM.

 

It's not that we did not encourage advancement, it is that we encouraged the Scouts to enjoy Scouting, and to get the "full experience" instead of blowing through like a hurricane and leaving just as quickly. Be on camp staff, go to Philmont, attend a Jambo, participate in the Troop and Patrol outings.

 

My one and only Eagle was 17 (soon to be 18), and at the CoH, he talked about hiking, camping, summer camps, patrol outings, seeing military bases, and being up close and personal with Harrier jets, F16s, and Army Helicopters. About camping in the back property of military bases, and finding old Shaker grave sites (which would eventually lead to his Eagle project), Gettysburg, Appomattox, and Philadelphia.

 

He talked about being with his Troop and his Patrol -- and not about his own experiences going to Philmont as part of a Council contingent.

 

That's when you know they "got" Scouting.

 

[acco40]

I don't know how many times I've had the following conversation with Scouts during a Scoutmaster Conference.

 

SM Why did you join Boy Scouts?

 

Scout To get Eagle. (Rarely heard to earn the Eagle rank.)

 

SM Why is earning the Eagle rank important to you?

 

Scout It will help me get into college or find a job.

 

Yes, that is sad. Rarely did I hear to have fun or to learn Scout skills. Sometimes I got a few I like to camp. responses which I'll lump into the "have fun" camp. Of course, got a lot of I dunno responses too.

 

The best Scouts that I've seen enjoyed earning Eagle but that wasn't the initial purpose of joining a troop.

 

(This message has been edited by acco40)

[Eagle92]

Now I freely admit that once upon a time, I would have said Eagle, and whenever I met a scout I would ask "when are you going to get _______fill in the next rank_______?" Although that started from a troop joke as the BOR would always saw "We would like to see her in ____ Months for your (next rank) BOR, Congratulations, it was also used to see if the scout was progressing, knew what needed to be done, and had a gameplan. And then I would go on about getting eagle.

 

But soemthing has changed. Don't know if it was angin out her too much, reading some of the oler literature where 1st Class was the goal, or seeing some Eagles with weak basic scout skills. but it has changed.

 

1st Class means you have masterd the basic scout skills and can take care of yourself. That is very important. Eagle proves you have the motiviation to move on, set goals, take repsonsibility for yourseld and others.

 

 

[SeattlePioneer]

I was never one to badger boys about getting the Eagle when I was Scoutmaster. We actively trained boys through First Class, and I was certainly glad to have boys motivated to get higher ranks.

 

But if boys got First Class and they didn't want to get the higher ranks, that was there business. Of course Star and Life are pretty easy to get, and many boys get those. The Eagle is the tough one, and that was always fine by me.

 

I've never been much impressed by boys who are dragged to the Eagle rank by a parent or parents.

 

Those boys who are SELF motivated to get their Eagle, now THAT I respect!

 

I have no objection to parents who do some coaching along the way. When we go snow climbing we have someone breaking the trail for us and some guidance on how to complete a complex program is fine with me. But I prefer to see a boy who has made the decision to pursue Eagle himself for his own reasons.

 

And I used to do that kind of thing myself. I juust didn't have much interest in badgering a boy if Eagle was not something he was interested in pursuing.

 

 

 

 

[Venividi]

I am going to be contrarian and say that the most important Boy

Scout Rank is Scout. A boy has joined a troop with the anticipation of adventure in the outdoors. For those that are interested in the adventure, that provides the motivation to try new things and develop the skills necessary for those adventures.

 

Ranks are the device used to measure the development of those skills. Focus on developing the skills of the scouts and the rank awards come along on their own. Focus on the rank, and there can be a tendancy to value the measurement itself more than the skills that they are representing.

[acco40]

Venividi, agree almost completely - but I'll be a killjoy and point out that Scout is not technically a rank.

 

One of my best SPLs was not that interested in earning rank and "retired" from Boy Scouts as a Tenderfoot. I think he it at an Ivy League school right now. Rank is important to about 65% of the boys and 90% of the parents.

[BadenP]

 

Some great posts here and I agree wholeheartily with what has been said. As far as earning Eagle only to "get a job or get into college" you have to believe that its the parents and not the boy that really want it. The same reasons kids want to excel in sports in high school to earn a college scholarship and a chance at the pros, even though 90% will never make it.

[CalicoPenn]

I think the most important Boy Scout Rank is the one you're working towards at the time - even if "working" is defined as not working towards it at all. By that I mean a Tenderfoot who has no desire to advance in rank any further but remains active and becomes the SPL could be said to be "working" towards Second Class even if he never achieves it (through his own choice or not).

 

I think this way because I don't believe possessing a rank should be a goal. Rank advancement is just one way to encourage boys to be active in Scouts - and whatever is keeping one active in Scouts - even if it's "working towards Second Class" for 6 years, is what's important.

[Horizon]

Tenderfoot - the first Rank they truly earn. That huge grin when we recognize them.

2nd Class - shows that they are still trying, still going, still moving. An in-between rank, much like Life in my opinion.

First Class - they are now the source of answers, instead of questions (that is what I tell them during the First Class Scoutmaster Conference). I love Scouts with this rank, they are the ones that I get to respond with "Shouldn't you already know the answer to that question?"

Star - They have completed their first POR, and are starting to give back to the Troop in an official capacity.

Life - Oh so close...Like 2nd Class, it feels like an in-between Rank that only serves to be the rank before Eagle.

Eagle - the Rank that the world knows and usually respects. The two-edged rank, as more will be expected of you while at the same time anything you do wrong will be seen as "oh, so THAT is what your Troop calls an Eagle."

Palms - shows that Eagle was not enough! Wahoo!