Re: Service hours
Jeff Agle 5-5738 (jagle@CT.MED.GE.COM)
Thu, 24 Aug 1995 16:20:28 -0500
This was originially intended as a personal response to Jim Carter regarding
comments from 17th of August (sorry I am behind), however, as I got to the
end decided to send it to the list. Maybe some of you have a suggestion
or two for me.
While I agree with your recent post quoting Baden-Powell about the purpose
being the growth of the boy, not the attainment of some arbitrary number
of service hours, I still have a problem.
My problem is that sometimes that number of hours still doesn't get the
boy to grow and still doesn't get the point across. I am more worried
about this boy than the boy who grows by doing 4 hours or work and really
gets an appreciation for service (and then has to do two more hours to
meet the requirement). Unfortunately, I have regular dealings with the
first kind of boy (and some are Eagle Scouts from before my time).
This problem is only compounded if this boy is allowed to double count
(by this I mean count the same time for two different purposes, this is
not a judgement call on how the hours are counted) the hours and thus
gets the message that he can really get by on a small amount of service.
My goal is growth and advancement is just one indicator of growth. (It is
one the parents are most familiar with, so they really focus on it). But,
I still have those boys (some Eagles) that don't understand the value of
service to others. I even had a boy who joined the Order of the Arrow
and the Eagles made fun of him because he had joined this service organization
and was going to have to do EXTRA service. I am very frustrated about
how to help these boys understand the value of service.
I think these boys are really missing the point and I don't know how to
help them in the growth process. At a certain level, who cares about the
specifics of the requirements right now, I have a real problem.
Jeff Agle jagle@med.ge.com
SM Troop 127
District Cub Scout Training Chairman
Potawatomi Area Council (WI)
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
