Setting Standards - Reaching Goals

[Eamonn]

Many of us old folks were raised on meeting standards. Life wasn't that hard, things were set down in black and white. You passed or you failed. You met the Standard or you didn't.

Looking back at Scouting UK, in my day there was the Scout Standard and the Advanced Scout Standard. Nothing that as a Leader I had to worry about. The requirement read tie six knots and two lashings and build a camp gadget. The Scout could or couldn't tie the knots and he did or didn't build the gadget. Just like a Merit Badge Counselor can't change the requirements for a merit badge and most of the requirements that our Scouts meet on the way to First Class. I say most because of the requirement that asks a Scout to demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath and Scout Law in your everyday life.

As we move on there is requirements that ask the Scoutmaster to approve service projects, and there are requirements to be active and serve actively.

Hey!! This is tough. This is making demands on the Scoutmaster and to some extend the Troop Committee. This is making demands on the Scout.

A few of us see this as getting the Scout to set goals and meet them. What happens when he doesn't meet the goals that he set? What happens when due to something beyond the Scouts control the goals can't be met?

How good are we at working with our Scouts in helping them establish goals. Are we helping them by using SMART goals:

Specific.

Measurable.

Attainable.

Relevant.

Time Based.

When they set goals are we asking them to include:

Who.

What.

Where.

When.

How.

Why.

How verified?

I think if we use the above when we work with each Scout when he is setting his goals we will avoid some if not most of the gray areas that we seem to be worried about. I see no harm in having a list like this one copied and having the Scout and the Scoutmaster work hand in hand using it to get the job done.

If something comes up and the Scout needs to change his goal. It can be changed. If the ever vigilant Scoutmaster sees that the Scout isn't working toward his goal. I see no harm in him meeting with the Scout and asking "What's going on?"

I was going to say that a list like this could replace a lot of Bylaws - But I'm not going too!!

Eamonn

[NeilLup]

Where have I seen something like the measuring sticks Eamonn suggests? Could it be 21st Century Wood Badge? Hmmm.

 

Remembering that the objective of everything we do in Scouting is the improvement of citizenship, character and fitness, if we enable a Scout, either by himself or in coordination with his adult leaders, to set standards, work toward them, judge his progress, amend the standards if appropriate, and then weigh his performance against these standards, we have achieved a major step toward our objectives.

 

Actually, my understanding is that today's youth are pretty good at this kind of thing. They have problems in other areas, but this, by and large, is an area of relative strength.

 

So if there is a disconnect between what we think the Scout should be doing and actual performance, the problem may not be with the standard setting process. Rather, it may be that the Scout and/or Scout parents has different objectives (Have as much fun as possible with as little work as possible; earn the Eagle Scout award as quickly as possible with as little distracting work and little time taken away from other activities as possible) than we have. If no boy joins Scouting to have his character improved, they why shouldn't the boy's starting objective be to have as much fun as possible with as little work as possible?

 

The problem, as I understand it, comes when the Board of Review sits a little like the jury in American Idol and votes, after the fact, that the boy's performance hasn't met the standard. If the standard was not outlined and agreed to in advance, then the after the fact rejection can be considered inappropriate and unfair.