About youth leading....

[sctmom]

In another thread someone mentioned how we remember the teachers who pushed us the hardest. I wanted to share a memory I have of a few teachers who let some of us do something on our own.

 

When I was in the 5th grade (10 or 11 years old), due to a series of events, a handful of us kids were left in the classroom with the teacher while everyone else watched the high school drama club do a one act play. We had all seen it the night before because our siblings were in it. The teacher made some remark about how why didn't we do our own play. What? We can do that? So, we did.

 

We wrote our own scripts (a who-dunnit), practiced during morning break time and at lunch, designed our own simple set, improvised for props, etc. We later performed for a few other classes. It was such a hit, we did sequels. Another class talked their teacher into letting them do the same thing. They did a sci-fi play complete with "crashing" spaceship (rock back and forth in your chairs). The teachers trusted us enough to let us use an empty classroom to have meetings during class time. Wow, were we grown up or What? The feeling of power was great! We never played around or goofed off during that time because we had been trusted to do the right thing. Our little drama club lasted over a year.

 

I had not thought much about it until my son moved to Boy Scouts about a year ago. One day I sat down and thought "what was I doing at his age?" and boom I remembered the plays. I remembered the great feeling of being trusted. That was also the year the whole class was involved in a play about Robin Hood. Again the teacher let us write the script, do the simple scenery, come up with our own costumes, and find our own props. These were probably the worst plays ever done but we learned so much, worked so hard, and were so proud of what we had done.

 

When I start to have my cubs or my son do something on their own, I think "what is the worst that can happen?" and then decide if I should do more for them. If there is a true safety issue, I step in. If it means we will eat burnt toast, oh well, so be it.

 

Talking to my son about the possibility of a new troop where the boys will decide what to do and when to work on merit badges, I see him stand taller, a gleam in his eye and am hearing wonderful ideas of what he wants to do. "Mom, can we do something like junkyard wars? Mom, can we have some of that stuff in the garage? Mom, can I have that wood over there to build something with? Can we visit a junkyard? You mean there IS an aviation badge and an engineering badge?"

This from the boy who over the past year has never asked about a single merit badge is asking about merit badges.

 

Oh, one troop is trying to teach the Personal Management merit badge to the 6th graders in troop meeetings. Sorry, I don't get that. I know my 6th grader is not ready for it. Let the ones who are ready for it, work on it outside of the troop meetings.

 

Sorry this is so long.

Dutch, wished you lived near me so our sons could have the troop they want and need.

 

[LauraT7]

Memories....

 

when I was in grade school - 4th grade? my family took a week long trip to California and I wanted to pack my suitcase myself. After all, I had been on many trips and many campouts & summer camp with girl scouts - I should know how to pack by now. I was very thourough - looking at myself, I chose a top, pants, socks and shoes for each day - and tossed in my sweater and a raincoat for good measure. My mother refrained from "checking". When we got to CA - I found I had NO UNDERWEAR! (I guess my visual approach didn't work for underclothes!LOL!) so I learned to wash out underthings by hand until we could go to a store and buy me some!

 

A lesson learned soundly - I never again forgot my undies! but I also learned that if you do forget something, it isn't the end of everything, either! And if my mom had double checked my packing and not trusted me - would I remember this lesson? would it have made such an impact? NOPE!

 

It is so amazing to watch kids learn - and really? what CAN happen? so they forget the noodles - or they burn the pancakes, or a finger! THEY LEARN! They learn to do without, and they learn to improvise. Obstacles overcome become stepping-stones to new challenge and responsibility.

 

Our troop recently did a winter campout where the boys had to improvise shelters. Simple, yes - but they hadn't done this before - and the pride in those shelters was immeasurable!

 

If the adults don't give the boys a CHANCE to succeed, how will they ever learn to do it on their own? Too much of our lives are given up to following passively - TV, video games, school, work - we do what others direct us to. Kids need to be allowed to fire their own imaginations and try things for themselves!