Scout Priorities and Responsibilities (Vent)

[Engineer61]

Oh, I'm venting today!

 

Scout spent most of last Monday and Tuesday night working on a writing assignment that was due Tuesday morning. Assignment was given Friday.

 

Instead of facing the music and saying, "I have homework, I have to skip the campout." Scout sandbags and goes on the campout.

 

School first! Scouting second....or third....or fourth.

 

Grrrr.

[perdidochas]

I'm sympathetic to your scout, UNLESS he knew ahead of time (i.e. before Friday before the campout) that he would have an assignment due Tuesday morning. IMHO, as a former teacher, it is just wrong to assign a lengthy writing assignment on Friday and have it due Tuesday. Kids need to be able to manage their time. Now, IMHO, the scout should have worked on it during the campout and on Sunday night as well.

[perdidochas]

Didn't your Scout also have a responsibility to his patrol or troop?

[ScoutNut]

Why didn't he work on his homework when he got home? Did he get back from the campout just in time to go to bed on Sunday evening?

 

I know that girls and boys are different (I have one of each), but our girls would often bring their school books with them on Troop campouts. That way they could still attend the campout, and also work on their assignments for their classes during down time.

 

Somehow I feel that your Scout would have come up with another excuse not to do the assignment if there had not been a Scout outing. They have to learn that there are consequences to their actions in all areas of their life. Isn't that part of what we are trying to teach them in Scouting?

[CalicoPenn]

So let me see if I understand this - a Scout is given a homework assignment on Friday that is due Tuesday and is expected to give up a camping trip that's been planned and prepared for since long before the writing assignment was assigned?

 

I wish we had a few more details about the writing assignment, and why it would take someone 2 nights to complete it.

 

But, without that info, one can only suggest that this isn't a Scout going camping issue, or a get priorities right issue, but a time management issue.

 

Could any of that work have been done while in the car driving back and forth to the campsite? Could any of it have been done during free time? (I remember many a campouts where homework was being done in the car, or during "free time" or "siesta time" - especially by the high school age Scouts). Could any of it been done on Sunday night? Other than camping, what else was the Scout doing that could have been postponed? Playing video games after school for a few hours before starting the assignment?

 

From a different angle, if the writing assignment was complicated, requiring research, was the deadline reasonably able to be achieved without interfering with other activities? Had it not been a Scouting function but a long-planned family weekend away, would you feel the same if the Scout said "Sorry, we can't go on this family trip because I have this homework assignment that was just handed to me today and it's due Tuesday"? I'll bet you'd be on the phone to the teacher wondering just where their head was when they made the assignment.

 

I just don't know if I can buy the "blame it on the campout" scenario being proposed. Isn't is as likely that the Scout still would have been working on the assignment Monday and Tuesday night if he hadn't gone on the campout?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[zippyboro]

I guess my question is did he get the assignment done to your satisfaction? If so, I have no problem with it as it was his own form of time management.

 

However, if he didn't have enough time, then I'm with you... he should not have gone on the camp out and yes, I would be saying the same thing if it were a family trip as well. Taking along homework on a camping trip is one thing, but a fairly major writing assignment is another. You are right in expecting him to be able to prioritize and scouting does not come before school work.

[Engineer61]

So....some more detail.

 

1) The assignment was handed out Friday. This is an advanced language arts class (which he chose to enroll in), so additional work is demanded and expected.

 

2) The assignment was doable in the time allotted, but not less. (Had he been here to work on it.)

 

"So let me see if I understand this - a Scout is given a homework assignment on Friday that is due Tuesday and is expected to give up a camping trip that's been planned and prepared for since long before the writing assignment was assigned? "

 

Yes...that is exactly what is expected and required!!! Education first, extracurricular's second. Always. Education is a requirement, Scouting is strictly an option.

 

The campout was "planned" one week prior, we're not talking about a big once in a lifetime event.

 

There was neither time nor resources to work on the assignment on the campout... online references and research were required.

 

My Scout is an APL, but that is no excuse.

 

"Somehow I feel that your Scout would have come up with another excuse not to do the assignment if there had not been a Scout outing."

 

I disagree since this has not happened before.

 

"Had it not been a Scouting function but a long-planned family weekend away, would you feel the same if the Scout said "Sorry, we can't go on this family trip because I have this homework assignment that was just handed to me today and it's due Tuesday?"

 

I solve that one easy....we never vacation during the school year, only on school breaks.

 

Education first....vacation second.

 

His was the only one late...so the argument that he would not have finished it is moot....30 others could...so could he.

 

 

 

 

[Beavah]

Yah, hmmm...

 

Yeh know, I'm not sure priorities are always that cut-and-dried, eh?

 

Sometimes I'm committed to a hobby (like Scoutin') where other people are relying on me. I've planned that out well in advance and made arrangements. If stuff at work comes up at the last minute, yeh might say that work takes priority over Scoutin'. I think generally speakin', though, I would honor my prior commitment to Scouting. The lads or my fellow volunteers didn't do anything wrong that I should punish them, and lack of planning in my office shouldn't become an emergency on my part. Might teach the office or clients that yeh can't wait 'til the last minute .

 

So to my mind it's perfectly ethical and rational for a lad to say "I made a commitment to my fellow scouts for this weekend, and this last-minute school assignment shouldn't constitute an emergency as it's only a fraction of my grade. I'm goin' to honor my commitment to Scouting."

 

I think that's the sort of good judgment we want to encourage, eh? Some day when the lad is a parent, we want him to keep the commitment he made to his son to show up for the game, even though work sprung yet another last-minute assignment on him.

 

On da other hand, there are times when things are a real emergency, and yeh do have to cancel a prior commitment. But those should be fairly rare, eh?

 

Beavah

 

[Beavah]

Yah, doubled with yeh Engineer61.

 

I solve that one easy....we never vacation during the school year, only on school breaks.

 

Yah, except a weekend is a school break, eh? It's at least supposed to honor one sabbath or the other.

 

Da same teacher could just as easily have given a long writing assignment on the Friday before your family vacation, due the Tuesday following break, and requiring lots of time durin' the break in order to complete it. So do yeh cancel your family vacation? Education first, before fun?

 

I reckon on balance that most of us living adult lives would feel honor-bound to honor our prior commitment, especially if we were serving as an assistant leader for an event. Even if it meant that we personally lost some money or got a worse evaluation, eh? That's what honor means. Keepin' our commitments, even when we have to sacrifice to do so.

 

Just another thought, anyways, before yeh ground the poor fellow until he grows as grey as me.

 

Beavah

(This message has been edited by Beavah)

[EagleBeaver]

One of my favorite pictures of the past year is of 'Billy' working on a social studies assignment at a picnic table on a campout with other scouts running around in the background during 'free time'. I've used that image a couple times as an example of self-motivation.

 

My personal opinion as a father with two sons taken/taking advanced high school classes: expected hours to be put into homework outside of school has gotten excessive. Some teachers of these classes give out many of these 'surprise' assignments which adversely impact extra-curricular activities.

 

Another word for 'extra-curricular activities' is 'life'.

 

And, as my oldest likes to say, "School IS my job."

 

Scout On

[Lisabob]

Engineer - I don't disagree with you about the balance of priorities. However, the bigger issue for me would be that the boy was not up-front (some might even say he was not truthful, depending on the details) about his homework situation. As a parent, I can deal with occasional judgment lapses or time management issues. I find I have far less tolerance for dishonesty. So I'm with you on the venting!

 

 

 

[skeptic]

Yep; God, family, school all come first if a conflict happens and can not be solved. Employment too would fit here if the young man had a job, though he hopefully would work with the boss in that regard.

 

JMHO

[acco40]

Scouting or schoolwork - the Scout should make that priority decision with inputs from his parents and others. There is no wrong answer. However, he could have asked the teacher - immediately on Friday for extra time after explaining his options.

 

What bothers me is the opposite. Scouts who do choose school over scouts (no problem there) but then get in a huff if they don't advance as fast as others who made a different choice. Go figure.

[CalicoPenn]

How much time was required? 8 hours? 16 hours? 20 hours? Friday and Monday nights and all day on Saturday and Sunday? Would the assignment have eaten up all possible free time or was there time for other things? If he could get it done on Monday and Tuesday nights, couldn't he get it done on Sunday and Monday nights? How much time is all night on Monday and Tuesday.

 

What age/grade level?

 

Did the Scout believe he could get the assignment done and still go on the campout? If so, what happened to make than not possible? Again, could be a matter of time management.

[Engineer61]

"Yeh know, I'm not sure priorities are always that cut-and-dried, eh? "

 

Yes...they are! Priorities are absolutely cut and dried.

 

Yes...I have canceled vacations over long weekends because of school commitments...and work commitments. That's why I don't bother to make those kinds of plans anymore. I've even sent the rest of the family on the fun outing and stayed to make my work commitments.

 

Fun is a want....not a need.

 

Scouting is a want...not a need.

 

Yes...it was a big hit on his grade for the quarter...one letter grade...I am more concerned about the precedent that it sets, however. Only 4 weeks to try to make up the damage.