Eagle Bonus

[Rooster7]

sst3rd,

 

Given your responses, this is how I would address the situation (although it's certainly not the only valid approach). Since he is still registered, and you acknowledge there were no boundaries or limitations established by the troop prior to him expressing an interest, I would let him go on the outing. But I would also institute through the PLC and the troop committee a troop policy for future events (i.e., a Scout must attend primer meetings prior to a planned outing, dues paid in full, etc.). Also, I would advise this particular Scout that you want to welcome him back with open arms, but you have expectations for him in regard to his future interaction with the troop. I realize and agree that all Scouts, especially older experienced boys, need to make a contribution to the troop. However, if the troop is functioning well without a boy's participation, why not try to nurse him along and bring him back into the fold? If he's a good kid as you described, what would you be risking by reaching out to him. As a detached outsider, it does appear to me that you could be harboring some resentment towards the mother. At the risk of incurring your wrath, have you considered the possibility that on a subconscious level you may be trying to get back at mom? You seem awfully quick to label this well-behaved Scout as a slacker, simply because he chose to leave Scouting shortly after obtaining the Eagle rank. As I tried to say before, isnt it our job to reach out, keep, and mentor as many boys as possible? To me, the only reason not to reach out and be accomodating would be if this kid had great potential to ruin the program for others. If you're worried about sending the wrong message, then discuss it with the boy or boys that need to hear the right message.

[Fat Old Guy]

Hopper,

 

How many of your activities are year round? Around here, kids that play a sport, play it year round and the multi-sport athletes are becoming very rare. Basketball and soccer are the big offenders, involving their players in year round games, camps and tournements. What is amusing is that many of these players aren't good enough to make their high school team but still their parents are spending thousands of dollars a year for them to play a sport.

 

Baseball is getting pretty bad too. I know that practice for spring ball starts in February, then you have summer ball and fall baseball too. That gives the players two months to do something else.

 

Let's see what was I involved in, back then . . . maybe it was more than I thought . . .

 

Basketball - that took about 12 weeks total of the year

Drama club - another 12 weeks (I'm guessing that we put in about six weeks per play)

German club - one afternoon a month

Orchestra (not school related) - year round with travel

Explorers - usually one night a week during the school year

 

That's it and I was about as busy as anyone that I knew except for the drugged out burn-outs.

 

 

[KoreaScouter]

The half-committed Scout (or leader for that matter) is a bad example to others. I've said in other posts that we often do this to ourselves when we ingrain in these lads that Eagle should be their goal. Reach your goal, go do something else. In my SM conferences, I address Eagle as an intermediate goal, one waypoint in a lifelong journey. It'll take a generation, but if we could shift this paradigm, I think we'd run into this problem a lot less than we do now.

 

Regarding this particular Scout's active participation, this isn't a Luby's cafeteria where you can take the dessert and not the vegetables. But, that's exactly what he wants to do -- bad life lesson. Burnt out on Scouting? Then, why is he interested in the outings? In this case, burnt out may be a euphemism for lazy, or "selective work avoidance" for the PC types. We expect a lot from Eagles, as we should. First, an expectation of leadership -- if a 17-year old Eagle isn't a JASM or in some similar position, then something's wrong. Again, bad example for everyone else.

 

I had a similar situation in a former Troop with a former Scout who we knew was in the community and trying to back into Eagle through the Lone Scout Program -- didn't want the leadership or Troop/patrol involvement, just the badges/project. District wouldn't buy it, so he registered with us "under duress". Absolutely minimally involved, and that was like dragging a horse through a knothole. Marginal project, etc., etc. I wasn't the SM when it was Conference time, and the committee gave him a pass -- worst example of shabby behavior I've seen in Scouting. I was really upset for the other older Scouts in the Troop, who came to the meetings, taught the knots, planned the program, did the fund-raisers, stood in the ceremonies, and essentially "ate their vegetables".

 

We're all volunteers, and have a finite number of hours for this. Invest those hours with Scouts who want the program, rather than just spend them on those who don't.

 

If it's any consolation, you should only have this problem for a couple more months -- recharter's right around the corner...

 

KS

[Eamonn]

It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping to install values in young people and in other ways prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.

It seems to me that we will never get near doing this if we are happy to not allow a lad to attend.

To my way of thinking I want this lad in Scouting.

I think that rather then spending time appointing blame at the lad.

I would spend some time questioning where I went wrong or where the troop is not working right?

Is the troop placing to much attention on the rank of Eagle?

Stop

Think

Act

Reflect.

Eamonn

[KoreaScouter]

That young man's values are already formed...his troop did the best job they could with him, but at this point, it didn't sink in completely -- unfortunate, but nobody bats 1.000.

 

As far as the rest of the Scouts in the Troop are concerned, exactly how do we instill these values? One big way is through modeling, by both the adults and the older youths. I submit to you that by allowing an older Scout to "mail it in" in front of them all, we're not instilling the values we should be, in the other Scouts in the Troop. If they allow this, nobody should be surprised if others do the same thing five years down the road.

 

What course of action will have the greatest good for the greatest number of people? Afraid to lose him? We've already lost him -- let's move on.

 

KS

[Rooster7]

KoreaScouter,

 

I agree with your post, but I'm not sure that this part is true

 

"That young man's values are already formed...his troop did the best job they could with him..."

 

Maybe I'm missing something in sst3rd's posts, but my image of this boy is not a bleak as yours. Nor do I recall the boy stating that he intends to pick and chose among outings, but not be an active member. My reading gave me this impression; he left because of being "burnt out on Scouting" but recently expressed a desire to go on an outing with the troop. Perhaps the said outing will reinvigorate his interest and he'll come back as a regular contributor. Prior to his leaving, it sounded as if he was a good Scout. How do we know that he will not start coming back to troop meetings?

 

Sst3rd, am I missing something? Is there more to the story than I what I just summarized (ignoring his mother for the time being since its not really relevant to the boy)?

[Bob White]

I am saddened by the number of leades who would rebuke this young man for leaving and then returning. Especially since sst3rd said that he was as good scout. Has no one heard the parable of the Prodigal Son? Is there no lesson for us as leaders in that story?

 

Didn't any of us return to scouting after a time away either as scouts or as adults. If a scoutmaster of nearly 12-yeARS said he or she was burned out, and they took some time off to rethink their priorities and then chose to return to scouting, would you really turn them away with the haste you are showing this scout?

 

Any boy willing to live by the Oath and Law should be welcomed back to a unit as the father welcomed his errant son. I would kill the fatted calf for him any time.

 

I stand with Eamonn on this and hope others will reconsider the position they have taken.

 

Bob White

[sst3rd]

Thanks to all for your thoughts.

 

As stated, he was an excellent Scout. He works very hard at his academics, and along with his job at the neighborhood grocery story, I'm sure these are his focus now. College is looming.

I talk with him frequently and encourage him to start attending some meetings as time allows. I emphasize that there are no pressures attached. We can certainly use his talents with our younger Scouts at meetings that he can attend.

This will be my last response, and again, thank you all for your insights, but if this inactive Eagle wants to go on a camping trip, he needs to start attending some (not neccesarily every) Troop meetings BEFORE he just shows up and wants to attend a particular campout (that he had no input nor made an effort to plan and support).

 

In reading all of the posts, the spirit of your messages are very similar. The Scout comes first, if he decides to. Roll On...........

 

Thanks again,

sst3rd (Andy)