Re: Adult/Leader Patrols

I've seen a lot of comments in favor of an adult patrol, but I also have a
different experience.

I went through Scouting during the Leadership Corps experience. In my
opinion, fiasco. Older, experienced Scouts were eating on their own and doing
things together and younger boys were unable to learn from the older Scouts
experience (hard to watch the LC cook when you have your own meal to get on
the table, for example).

When you separate leadership from the patrols, you also separate the
responsibilities that a lot of the youth take otherwise. One example was how
an adult could find it hard to stand back and let a patrol ruin a meal. I
don't know if the adult SHOULD stand completely back and let them ruin
everything. You're at a point where a few words and a few taught actions can
make all the difference.

And the same can be applied in any camping skill or Troop activity. I turned
1C before they changed to LC's and we did well, we learned well, and if a
meal was messed up, so be it. Adults were assigned a patrol to eat with at
each meal (but trust me, they had a stash of "survival food" as I wasn't
supposed to know, but no one, even Mike, could drink as much "coffee" as
arrived in those boxes each camp out).

But skills were imparted without the adults going off on the side to enjoy
their own good fortune. There was always an adult around for every skill
instruction that could help is needed.

And my memory of the best "patrol method" camps includes patrol cooking and
patrol assignments, with adults assigned patrols to guide by the SPL. The
youth from those camps came out with the patrol method as part of their
circuitry.

While leading by example is a fine idea, this is an instance where you need
to be available for help. Not every Scout, especially newbies, will be smart
or brave enough to ask for help, nor will they know WHO to ask.

Tom Petrik

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