Re: BOR Help -- to retest?
Daniel W Brown (dabrown2@VT.EDU)
Fri, 8 Dec 1995 12:11:10 +0500
Mike Derleth from Monroe, LA. said
>Food for thought / Fuel for flamethrower:
>
>IF the BSA says no retesting is allowed, but "asking general questions
>about the skills learned" is appropriate, what is the BOR to do if it is
>very apparent from the answers, that the Scout is clueless concerning
>a major skill he should have learned?
I suggest that it the scout is indeed clueless there is a serious defect in
the troop program and finding that defect is one of the purposes if the BOR.
One possible defect is that requirements are being signed off without the
work being done. Another is that the skill was known once but forgotton due
to lack of practice. If a scout is shown how to orient a map at age 11 and
never called on to do it again or to teach the skill to others, it would not
surprize me to find he had lost that skill by age 15 or 16.
As to what to do with the candidate, each situation will have to be judged
independanty. If we had hard and fast rules for everything we would not
need the BOR in the first place. My feeling is that the board of review
should focus on the quality of the candidate, not on individual skills which
can be aquired or lost easily. Qualities such as those described in the
scout oath and law are much harder to aquire and usually harder to lose. I
thik this is generally true although I remember we have discussed several
exceptions in this forem in recent months. If an eagle candidate has
forgotton fire building, I am not going to get concerned. If he has lost
loyalty, cheerfulness, or bravery, then I worry.
My problem with many BORs is that when they detect a serious flaw in the
troop program, they take no corrective action. If candidates regularly come
before the board lacking basic skills, it is time to have a discussion with
the SM who should carry those concerns to the TLC.
value = $0.02, soapbox mode off, flame resistant clothing on.
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
