Re: A Sad Night - maybe
Rodger Morris (rlm@SUNED1.NSWSES.NAVY.MIL)
Mon, 19 Dec 1994 18:33:34 PST
>But I do not think that you are really saying what your initial post may
>seem at first reading to imply, that the Eagle medal represents some sort of
>absolute standard by which to judge success or failure of the program ,
>either for the troop or for the individual. Rather it is a distinction -
>the equivalent of, say , gaining a First in your degree finals rather a
>2(1). [ Do US Universities have the same degreee classifications, I
>wonder ?]
>
We have degrees granted with honors; "cum laude", "magna cum laude", and
"summa cum laude". The criteria for awarding these honorifics appended to
the degree vary with the institution.
>I can understand your disappointment, but I wonder how much is for the Scout
>and how much is your own perception ? We all as Leaders invest a lot of
>time and effort in "our " Scouts, and have a natural desire to see them
>succeed. That is a very proper ambition, but sometimes we are disappointed
>when a young man (or young woman) who appears to have potential does not
>follow the path we have planned for them.
>
I have a former Scout who deliberately turned away from making Eagle Scout.
He still believes that this was the proper decision for him to make. He
qualified for the 1984 Olympic trials in cycling, but did not make the team.
He is presently finishing up his Ph.D. in biology at the University of
Alaska at Fairbanks.
>The CSA is the highest award in the UK program for Scouts up to sixteen. The
>Venture Scout Award and Queen's Scout Award are Venture Scout awards. There
>is some discussion as to how these equate with Eagle Scout, as each award
>represents the "highest" standard at a given level of maturity. The average
>age for CSA is about 15.6 , for Queen's Scout 18. The average age for an
>Eagle Scout is what - about fifteen ?
>
The median age for boys earning the Eagle Scout award is 16 1/2 years of
age. The median tenure as Life Scout before becoming an Eagle is about two
years.
>I learned a lot, much of it by trial and error I must admit, by the time I
>completed my Wood Badge in 1976 at age 22.
>
You're a young sprout, you are! I completed my Wood Badge in 1974 at age 23.
<GRIN>
>Yes, I do sometimes regret not completing my Queen's Scout award, but I
>still think on balance my decision was the correct one. It's funny how
>things sometimes turn out for the best, and I have found in my life that
>often the " failures " and " missed opportunities " turn out to be instead
>doors to unexpected and unimagined experiences. I hope it will prove so for
>your Scout also.
>
True. I sometimes wish that I had pressed onwards towards Eagle Scout.
However, I was a good First Class Scout, and the Scouting program served me
well during my tenure in it as a boy.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Feliz Navidad y un Prospero An~o Nuevo!
Froehliche Weihnachten und Viel Glueck im Neuen Jahr!
Yours in Scouting,
Rodger
Rodger Morris, rlm@suned1.nswses.navy.mil
Scoutmaster, Troop 852, Ventura County Council, BSA
National Woodbadge 416, Philmont, 1973
"I used to be a Beaver..."
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
