Re: Patrols and other problems
Paul H. Brown (phbrown@CAPACCESS.ORG)
Tue, 2 Jan 1996 11:14:15 -0500
On Tue, 2 Jan 1996, Timothy J O'Leary wrote:
> Problems: Boys are getting razzed by classmates about being Scouts.
> This is bruising egos.
>
> One of the patrols has been working "fairly badly," while the
> other has been working fairly well. When the most recent SPL
> stepped down, the Scoutmaster reassigned him
This is part of the problem: assignment to patrols by the whim of the
SM. Worse, reassignment at the whim of the SM.
Ask the scouts how they want to be organized: by age groupings, by
neighborhood groupings, alternating according to date of registration
with the troop, by where their friends are, whatever.
from the patrol
> with which he had been associated to the one which wasn't
> working so well. This seemed quite reasonable, since it
> seemed likely he would have a stabilizing influence on the
> less successful patrol.
Or, could have a tremendously destabilizing influence: I don't want to
be here, but the SM told me to come here and help you be a better PL. I
could be a better PL than you with one hand behind my back. This insult
that the SM did to me must be repaid: I'll see to it that this patrol
_never_ succeeds. I gather that this isn't a NSP that needs the
influence of a Troop Guide?
> unhappy. Some observers believe that it has been this
> combination of boys which made the successful patrol work.
How did the successful patrol work while the SPL was doing his SPL
thing? Was he also a member of the successful patrol at the time he was
SPL? Might be better to reconsider what the SPL job description says:
he's not part of a patrol while he's SPL. (Otherwise, too many
opportunities for favoritism, etc.)
The troop should decide what to do
with former SPLs and ASPLs, once their term of office is over.
> How do we support boys whose egos are not quite up to facing
> the taunting? This seems to be a very common problem,
> particularly in 7th and 8th grades. We lose kids who are enjoying
> the program, but who are being "shunned" because of their involveme
nt
>
"Taunted" for belonging to an organization that requires adults to help
implement interesting activities planned by the scouts themselves? That
involves a monthly outing to some interesting spot where fun happens all
day & all nite until exhaustion overtakes all on the way home? This is
something for which the scouts should feel ashamed? Am I missing
something here? Is this taunting just jealousy?
Or, are they being taunted for "having" to participate in a weekly
knot-tying exercise, or other adult-planned activity, because their
parents _make_ them do it?
An honest analysis of your troop's program will tell you which "model" of
troop you are using. There are lots of different troop models. Some
work better than others. The one in the BSA manuals seems to work better
than some of the adaptations that some BSA sponsoring organizations, or
some committees and SMs, have inflicted on their troops.
YMMV
Paul H. Brown, UC, GW District, National Capital Area Council, BSA
phbrown@capaccess.org
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