Re: angry eagle wanna-be

In a message dated 97-02-24, Cheryl Singhal writes:

<< mmmm, ah, Robert? Am I misconstruing your commments or are you really
suggesting that making Eagle should take priority over school work as
well as over bench-warming for the third string rugby team?

While I can certainly agree that if one wishes to make Eagle Scouting
needs to take priority at least some of the time over jobs, a social
life, and sports, I don't think I can buy into the "well, yeah, he barely
passed this year, but he advanced two ranks in Scouts" scenario. My view
here is, of course, tinted by my own experience (my son was in a highly
acceleratedd academic program in HS) and in a "normal" school experience
this might not arise. >>

Cheryl,

I did not mean to imply that Scouting should take precedence over school work
or even a job, if needed. Common sense should dictate that, and nowhere in
the original post did it cite school work as a concern (though it did mention
a job). Like you, my comments are based on my experience wherein school was
a breeze and did not monopolize great chunks of my time. I did, of course,
have to make some choices: Scouts, band, football, etc. Scouts - as it did
in this list - always came first for me. It was my top priority. I had made
that commitment - to Scouts and to myself.

Scouting is an extra-curricular activity and I should have clarified my
statement by adding that it should be a primary extra-curricular activity
when it comes to establishing priorities. A large portion of growing up as
well as acheiving Eagle (or anything for that matter) is learning how to
assign priorities to acheive goals. If Eagle is the young man's goal, he
obviously needs to reassign his priorities in order to acheive that goal. I
don't see Eagle as something you can work on if and when you have the time.
It is not just another badge; it is an honor, an acheivement and a way of
life. I do not condone giving the rank to someone who has not made it a
priority in his life. (In fact, I think most Eagles and candidates will tell
you that you cannot earn it without assigning it top priority simply because
of the quantity and quality of work required.)

The original post seemed to me to indicate that the young man was not doing
his best to earn this rank, and at the fundamental level that is what we
require: Do Your Best.

YiS,
Robert Gerhard

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