You won't believe this.......

[dan]

It is a fine line we walk when signing off of requirements. We must make sure that we do not curb the scouts enthusiasm but make sure he understands the requirements. I would love to hear your thoughts on this, being a newer leader.

And how do you keep all of the leaders SM, ASM and CM on the same page on the requirements.

[eisely]

With difficulty.

[OldGreyEagle]

I am not sure if it was Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Rouseau or Churchill who said when its all done and said, you can NEVER over communicate

[OldGreyEagle]

I am not sure if it was Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Rouseau or Churchill who said when its all done and said, you can NEVER over communicate

[eisely]

Hey look at OGE! He too is posting twice now. How do you do that?

[k9gold-scout]

Our troop dose not require either JLTC or summer camp to become an Eagle Scout, but the experience seems to produce a better leader. My son finished all his badges, except one, before he was 13 and he was ready to do his project. He waited to take JLTC and serve as SPL for a year on the advice of out troop eagle advisor. He has now been on staff at 2 JLTC and is working on his secound silver palm. I think any 12 year old would be better to wait a couple of years to become an Eagle Scout. I think that AOL to Eagle in 18 months is not a good goal.

[MrScout]

IT seems to me that each of you have a certain scout who can fit the bill. My experience is that I judge each scout according to himself. I have some scouts who I know will have the work done by the time they are 13 or 14 and wouldn't mind passing them off on the other hand I have some who might have it done by that time but I feel they need more of the leadership part of the trail to Eagle. So, (imho) each scout is different and should be treated as such. Only you know your scouts and their abilities. Trust them and follow your gut. Don't be afraid to tell the scout that he is doing fine or that he needs to show you more. Everybody's different, handle them that way.

[shemgren]

As my troop's eagle advisor, I watch the progress of all the scouts in the troop. If I see a young man of 12 or so burning thru the ranks, I have a discussion with him about his goal and help him focus on his future after Eagle. While I have had the priviledge of knowing and work with some young Eagles, I strong disagree with paper eagles. I have encountered a few young eagles while serving on my district's Eagle Board and found that they either were very sharp or obliviously paper eagles.

 

Each troop must maintain the standards of the BSA and as such must ensure that today's Eagle Scout is the same as when I earned mine or the they first Eagle Scout. Character and maturity are the strongest factors I am looking for in an Eagle, and paper eagles cheapen and defame those who earn the rank the right way.

 

Young Eagles can very sharp or very stuck up or very uncaring about the whole thing due to the fact the were pushed the whole way.

 

 

[Chippewa29]

One thing that anyone who achieves the success of completing a long-term goal is to establish new goals, no matter what field you are in. In Scouting, we put so much (over)emphasis on the Eagle award that most Scouts see it as the absolute pinnacle of success and once they have it, they have "arrived". They don't realize that the journey is what makes the goal worthwhile. There are plusses and minuses to getting the Eagle early. There are also different ways for Scouts to get fulfilling Scouting experiences.

 

I made it to Life in 16 months (minimum time for the mid-1980's), then didn't get my Eagle for another five years and two months. However, it wasn't because I wasn't enjoying Scouts or wasn't active or growing. A month after I got my Life, I was inducted in the OA and another month after was elected a Chapter officer. Since I came from a young, small troop, I had never really been around older Scouts that were good role models. A couple of the older OA guys took me under their wing and helped me a tremendous amount. I ended up getting my Vigil Honor before I got my Eagle. Looking back on it, I'm really glad it happened that way.

 

We've all heard about 13 year old Eagles who become a nuisance because they are bored. A good friend of mine got his Eagle at 13 and was inducted in the OA about the same time. At the urging of his SM, he got involved on a couple of committees and was elected a Chapter officer the next spring. He eventually became a two-term Lodge Chief and section officer. He later told me that when he started in the OA, he thought he was hot stuff, always wearing his merit badge sash and telling everyone how he got his Eagle in just over two years. However, once he got in the OA, he was very humbled and realized just how much farther he had to go before he "made it".

 

There are plenty of ways to challenge Scouts and help them grow once they get their Eagle award. It is the job of the adult leaders to make sure those Scouts get challenged.

[mwhittington]

I think that Mike Long said it first in this thread..........HAVE FUN!! I started another thread about an Eagle problem and now I'm wondering if the whole thing could have been avoided by the troop doing more fun things. A lady that attends our sponsoring church and whose son is in another troop made the comment the other day that judging by the pictures in the paper, our troop does a lot of neat things. She then stated that her son's troop never does anything fun.

I want my sons to remember scouting for all the new things learned and tried. Kayaking, rock climbing, rappelling, USS Yorktown, battle reenactments, plus doing things to make the rank requirements and merit badges fun. You do not have to fly to earn the Aviatiion MB, but why not?? I honestly believe that I'm having as much fun as my boys and I know I'm having fun being with them.

Why rush it? Life is too short to miss out on everything. If you make it fun and very educational, the boys will not be in such a hurry to get through it.