Re: Academic Performance and Scouting.
Steve Hoar (shoar@INFINET.COM)
Mon, 22 Dec 1997 11:10:27 +0000
At 10:38 AM 12/22/97 -0500, Cheryl Singhal wrote:
>While this is very reasonable, from what I've seen, young men tend to
>focus exclusively on ONE object/thing at a time. This one will obsess
>over making a 100% on every paper; that one will obsess over his parttime
>job; another will obsess over church; another over Scouts.
>
>At least the grade requirement shows them that life is (if I may say so)
>multi-tasking.
Cheryl,
You make my point. Of all the possible environments, scouting is the most
multi-tasking environment in which you can place a young man. All I know from
30+ years of marriage is that men and women thing and act differently. When I
wrote about what works from what I have seen work, I write from how a
man/men think.
If all young boys tended to be single focus we would never have a sports team
full of academic standouts. Boys will focus on what has been shown (by us)
to
be important...maybe. We can point, yell, bribe, deprive, praise, and talk
our
selves blue in the face, but if it doesn't make sense to the boy, it will not
work. Some kids will never be A students no matter how much they study. Most
kids are average and the average grade is defined as "C" which is 2.0.
Unlike Lake Woebegon, most kids are not above average even though their
parents would like to think they are.
Lets face it, we are not all born with the same package of gifts, talents, and
abilities. We all mature and come to various realizations at different ages.
It is our job as parents and leaders to tend and cultivate the God given
talents
that every (individual) boy is given. That is one of the reasons I fight so
strongly against absolute standards applied across the board on everyone.
We are
not all the same. We have different IQ, incomes, goals, moral standards,
family
situations, taxes, incomes, and color hair (what little I have left). Life is
seldom a neat black and white package.
Too often I have heard parents punish the struggling student by taking away
scouting.
They never come back and the lessons of scouting are completely lost.
Seldom do I see the same degree of punishment applied to social events,
sports, or
even shopping at the mall.
Yes, life is multi-tasking but I maintain my sanity by compartmentalizing
my life.
I leave work at work. Mealtime is mealtime, not TV time. Family time is
family
time. School/homework time is its own package and a bad day at school does
not
ovelap into what can be a good day on a campout. Yes, some things do
overlap.
The values of my religious life overlay everything I do. The values of the
scout law overlap every aspect of my life. But even the best of us in a multi-
tasking workd are unable to do everything all at once. We can do many
things but
not everything
If the kids are spending too much of their time on one particular aspect
of their lives, then it is our job as parents and adults to help guide them
in the best use of their time and balance their lives. Despite our cultural
obsessiveness with grades, there is more to life than school. Our success in
life is defined by more than our grade point average and chosen profession.
Wasn't the unabomber an academic standout and math genius!
Regards and Merry Christmas,
Stephen M. Hoar
shoar@infinet.com
Newark Ohio
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
