ScoutMASTER
Dr. Steven C. Myers (R1SCM@AKRONVM.BITNET)
Thu, 6 Jan 1994 12:10:31 EST
Recent discussions have centered on the maleness of the "master" part of
scoutmaster. Another way to look at this term is as one who has mastered
the craft of being a scout. This then implies that the word scoutmaster
should be scoutEXPERT, rather than scoutLEADER. You see, I would object
to the scoutLEADER term since I do not consider myself to be the leader
of my boys' troop. That is solely the job of the SPL. I can be called on
by the Senior Patrol Leader to assist with my expertise, or to exercise my
mastery of the subject, but he remains the leader!
Don makes an extremely important point. The scouting movement is for the
boys. The adults assist in letting this happen. I listen to adults
disagreeing over how something should be done and evaluate it from the
position of the troop as I see it, and that is from the point of view of
the boys. It is their troop, they get to do what they want!
So if we insist on calling scoutmasters as scoutLEADERS then we run the
risk of implying to all that the scoutLEADER is the leader and we risk
losing the "boy planned/boy run" concept. For me I would rather keep the
term scoutMASTER than risk further harming the leadership question.
Ok, I know the scoutmaster "leads" by example, etc., but I really want to
emphasize that I see a lot of troops where the scoutmaster takes the lead,
where the scoutmaster does the instruction to the troop, makes the plans,
even helps set up the camp and cook the food. Aughhhhhhhh! No, No, No.
Let's not change to a title that would help justify the behavior that we
should not want to see.
Now, why Den Leader instead of Den Mother. Well in the Cub Scout program
the adults ARE the LEADERS, right! In boy scouts, the adults are NOT the
leaders. Perhaps the scoutmaster title should become the Troop Advisor
title, but I do feel that the role of SM is more than advisory. We are
trained in 11 leadership skills, not just as advisors. But none of those
leadership skills are designed to have us LEAD the boys, but rather to
have us help the boys learn how to lead.
Steve Myers
Scout______ of Troop 1, Akron
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
