Unhappy Scoutmaster after OA election
Alan Houser (troop24@EMF.NET)
Sun, 9 Jun 1996 23:31:24 -0700
Mark Young <younglsm@PACIFICNET.NET> wrote:
>My question is really this:
> Our Scoutmaster was very unhappy about which boys got voted
>into the OA. His favorite boys didn't get elected.
> He even told the parent's committee how terrible it was and
>told the parents that he wanted them to influence their boys in the
>election next year. He repeated it in a second parent's meeting.
> My question is:
> First, if all the boys on the ballot were qualified, and the boys
>in the troop voted for their choice, is the Scoutmaster supposed to say
>anything. Does he get to criticize the vote?
Nope, it wasn't his place to criticize the Scouts for exercizing their
right to vote. He may not be happy with the outcome, but he should
keep it to himself. It is extremely bad form to take it to the parents'
committee.
> Second, is the Scoutmaster allowed to tell the parents to influence
>their boys votes?
Bad move on his part. Good way to lose the respect of his Scouts (and the
parents). I've seen it happen. Sometimes leads to losing the Scouts as well.
> Finally, how does it work about the Scoutmaster being sore that
>his favorites didn't get in? What about the feelings of the boys that did
>get in. They are qualified and their peers voted them in, but the Scoutmaster
>won't even congratulate them?
When the Scoutmaster presented the list to the election team, he was
certifying that the Scouts on that list were qualified. It is not his
prerogative to determine which ones get elected, since he doesn't have
a vote or a voice. He should swallow his pride and congratulate the
candidates on being selected by their peers, no matter what he feels.
When my son & I first joined Troop 24, there was a clique of older Scouts
and they managed to win elections for office, OA, and other such. After
a couple of years, the other Scouts began to realize that just because
these guys were cool, they didn't make good leaders. Then they started
voting for the guys who would make good leaders. For the last several
years, they have picked the same ones I would have to be their leaders
and their OA candidates. I have never mentioned it to them one way or
the other. They realized the power that they have and are learning to
use it wisely. If they don't, they learn from their mistakes.
BTW, we didn't join the troop because of those older Scouts. We saw
some excellent future leaders below them who did exactly as we
expected. Under their leadership, the troop blossomed (from 10 to
34 as of last week).
If your description of the events are accurate, I think someone (the
Committee Chair or the Unit Commissioner) should have a serious talk
with the Scoutmaster about his role in the troop. It sounds as if
he is not quite ready to let the Scouts run their troop.
Alan R. Houser ** Scoutmaster, Berkeley Troop 24 ** troop24@emf.net
** WWW page ** http://www.emf.net/~troop24/t24.html **
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
