Author: Frank

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A Scout(master) is Brave

The Scout LawThe tenth point of the Scout Law, A Scout is Brave, is often explained as

He has the courage to stand for what he thinks is right even if others laugh at him or threaten him.

We frequently have conversations with our Scouts about the Scout Law and advise them to live the values in the Oath and Law in their everyday lives as well as when within a Scouting context.

The same applies to Scouters, of course, but top leaders (including both the Scoutmaster and committee chair) should take this one to heart.

We often get tossed around by parents (and sometimes other leaders) who think they may know of ways to “improve” the Scouting program. Continue reading “A Scout(master) is Brave”

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The Marshmallow Test

marsh_200If someone set a marshmallow in front of you, would you eat it?

If that person told you that if you didn’t eat it, but watched it for 15 minutes, they’d give you another marshmallow. Would you eat it or wait?

Now imagine you’re a kid. Do you think you’d have the patience to wait 15 minutes? Think of how much longer 15 minutes seems like to a child than it does to us.

You’ve probably heard of the psychology experiment conducted by Stanford professor Walter Mischel in the 1960s. Continue reading “The Marshmallow Test”

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Leadership? Yeah, we do that.

torch_200Last weekend my son was inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, an honor society for students with high grade-point averages and in the top 20 percent of their class. NSCS is notable in that inductees are freshmen and sophomores, recognizing early achievement and acclimation to the rigors of college academics.

At the induction ceremony, the chapter leadership explained that NSCS emphasizes three pillars: scholarship, leadership and service. Among the service the society engages in is a program where students in middle schools are mentored by society members, and are invited to come to the college campus for a day to experience a glimpse of what higher education is all about. NSCS members are also encouraged to develop leadership skills through serving as officers of the society chapter and attending development events.

These concepts – leadership and service to others – are new to most college students, but not to Scouts. Continue reading “Leadership? Yeah, we do that.”

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Q&A: Why recharter in December; extending youth registration

questionmark_200Time for answers to a couple more of your questions.

Why do we recharter in December?

Fall is the time that we recruit for Cub Scouting. Many troops and crews recruit new members in the fall as well. So with all these applications coming in, and with our packs renewing their members for the coming Scouting year, I have been asked why we don’t just renew our charters in September and get it over with, rather than having to go through the roster audit process a few months later.

As a practical matter, that may seem to make sense. Continue reading “Q&A: Why recharter in December; extending youth registration”

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How do I quell a parent revolt?

angry_parents_200Has this ever happened to you?

The following question was posted on one of the Scouting forums in the last few weeks. I thought it was an interesting conundrum and offered my comments. Since it’s unfortunately not an uncommon situation, maybe you can relate. I’ll paraphrase:

Last month at the troop committee meeting, I [a Scoutmaster] was told that “this boy-led thing” was not working. I was hurt and disappointed in the boys. The parents thought the boys chose their leaders poorly at the previous election, and they want a major overhaul. I’m not sure we did the right thing, but we had two boys express interest in being senior patrol leader. The assistant Scoutmasters and I picked between the two and chose a tenth grader as the new SPL.. We let him pick his staff down to the patrol leaders and assistant patrol leaders. The boy we chose believes in the patrol method and wants to continue to develop it. I think.he has chosen a good staff, but the parents are still calling for changes. What do you do to quell a parent revolt?

Continue reading “How do I quell a parent revolt?”