Push Ups

[CMpack58]

The Troop my two sons have joined gives the boys push ups if they are late for meetings or if they do not show up in full uniform. What are you thoughts on this?

[Scoutmaster Ron]

The troop I serve also uses that as punishment. It could be also interpeted as hazing to some, others just keeping physically fit. In some instances even the S.M. and ASM's have dropped to give 10 if there not in uniform.

[nldscout]

No matter why you think you can justify doing something like this, scouting is not the military and this form of punishment has no place in scouting.

[SeattlePioneer]

I noticed that Merit Badge Counsellors at summercamp were handing out push ups for bad behavior in class. I'm sure that was richly deserved, and it's fine by me.

 

The beginning of good character is discovering that actions have consequences.

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[Lynda J]

I see no problem with pushups as long as it isn't over done. Know one troop that handed out 15 for not refering to an adult as sir or mam. To me that is a little much. We told our boys that we were going to start doing 5 pushups for this. It has been funny the past month. The boys will start speaking to you and will start to call you by name and suddenly you see the brain click in and it is mam or sir. So far we haven't had to have any pushups done.

[Hunt]

Ugh. I would flee from a troop that does this. I think it's all about exerting power over others, and is antithetical to what Scouting should be like. It's particularly bad if it's the adults who are giving the boys pushups to do.

 

But it's a pretty good way to get rid of the kid who can't do pushups.

[FScouter]

A 15 minute pre-opening should solve the problem of late arrivals. The pre-opening is one of the 7 parts of a troop meeting. It is an activity designed so that boys can join in as they arrive for the meeting. Those that arrive early have an activity to keep them busy while the rest of the boys arrive. For example, the meeting starts at 6:45 PM with a 15 minute pre-opening. The formal opening ceremony starts at 7 PM. Boys have a 15 minute window to arrive without disrupting the meeting in progress. The Scoutmaster Handbook discusses the meeting plan format.

[SemperParatus]

Dumb

[CMpack58]

Our Troop has lost Scouts who A: could not do a push up (not physically fit) and B: Where so upset that the SPL was giving them pushups , they stopped coming.

[OldGreyEagle]

(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

[OldGreyEagle]

The use of corporal punishment is not permitted in scouting. From the guide to safe scouting, and its in bold print which means its a polic/rule

 

Constructive discipline.

Discipline used in Scouting should be constructive and reflect Scouting's values. Corporal punishment is never permitted.

 

End of story, giving out push-ups is wrong, against the rules of scouting and has no place in scouting. If you have a disruptive scout, you remove him from the merit badge class, you may call his parents to take him home, you may not mete out corporal punishment.

 

There are more ways to teach that actions have consequences that making somebody do pushups. Just a questions, when is this Troops next snipe hunt?

[VinceC]

 

The summer camp I worked at in the early 1980's had an incident of a Cub leader doing this. Once one of the staff saw it for themselves and reported it to the director, the leader was asked to leave the camp. In my opinion there is no place in Scouts at any level for this. At some point it just gets out of had.

[rkfrance]

I do not feel doing push ups is bad IF & ONLY IF it is directly connected to a physical exercise program.

 

If push ups are being handed out by any leader, adult or youth, for any perceived or actual rule violation, then it is to be considered a punishment. NO LEADER, ADULT OR YOUTH, may punish a Scout in their care. Punishment is to be left SOLELY to the boy's parents. Whether considered hazing, child abuse, punishment, a deterent, or any other thing you can think of, it does not have a place in Scouting. IF there is a rule violation, there are certainly far more appropriate methods to deal with it.

 

OGE said "Discipline used in Scouting should be constructive and reflect Scouting's values." Any leader that has been through training should have heard or seen these words and have a complete understanding of what they mean. To go against them goes against the principles we, as leaders, and the whole Scout movement, stands for.

[Backpacker]

I agree with the other posters who feel this will cause your troops numbers to decline. I would rather have a boy come late than not at all. While I do not agree that pushups constitute corporal punishment, unless the boys are pushed beyond their ability, they are in general a bad idea to be used for not being in full uniform or lateness, there may be some legitimate reasons that these things happened. The job of a scoutmaster is to build up a boys leadership and scouting skills as well as moral decision making not tear them down. This policy will lead to a decline in the troops morale and a big drop in numbers, and does go against the principles scouting is built on.

[nldscout]

So what do you do if a scout says,

"NO thanks, I am not doing pushups"

 

Do you kick him out of the unit?