ADD Scout and Scout Spirit

Jim McMaster wrote:

>>but I have one problem scout. He is very bright, but extremely immature. He
also is ADD. Ritalin did not help, so he
now takes imipramine, which seems to help him quite a bit.... He also gets
picked on a lot both in and out of scouts...one of those middle-schoolers who
seems to wear a "KICK ME" sign wherever he goes.
..The problem is whether I should sign him off on Scout Spirit. He goofs aroun
d a bit at troop meetings, but that is attributable to the ADD, and I am willing
to let that go. Campouts are the problem. ... Camporee was the worst. It was
cold, with plenty of snow on the ground. He refused to help set up the tents b
ecause he was too cold. ... He was supposed to cook breakfast, but refused beca
use he was too cold.<<

Jim:

This scout certainly seems to need our help.

Please don't take this as second-guessing, but my approach at the camporee would
have been tell the boy that if he didn't do his job, he would have to go home.
I would then follow through and call his mother to pick him up. It does the
troop no good to make exceptions for one boy who could do the tasks if he wanted
to. I know that this is especially hard to do to your own son, but the impact
on the troop because he is your son is three or four times greater, IMHO.

Going ahead, I would try the following. First, ask one of your assistants to
personally take an interest. I know that my sons listen to the other leaders
more attentively than they do to me - their "dad filter" gets in the way. This
ASM should sit down with this scout now for a "Scoutmaster's conference" and not
wait until December. He should outline the problem as he sees it, and give your
son every opportunity to express his side. I would encourage them to come up
with a plan of action where your son could display his scout spirit over the
next few months. If this pushes his advancement back into January or February,
I don't think that there would be any permanent harm. Make sure that this
leader knows that he has your full support, and make sure that you give it to
him. Make sure that your son knows that he needs to look at this ASM as his
Scoutmaster, and that you can't overrule his decisions.

As to the issue of continuing on campouts, we need to remember that the outdoor
program is only one of the methods of scouting, and it's not a "make or break"
item. You should continue to encourage him to go camping, but we shouldn't make
attendance on camping trips a requirement for scout membership. Remember that
the aim of scouting is to help the boys develop into citizens of good character,
and not to make them into rugged outdoorsmen (this is a side benefit). There is
nothing inherently wrong about a scout who only goes warm-weather camping. When
he does go, however, he must fulfill his duties as a patrol member.

I'm sure that you'll get a lot of good advise from the list. Stick in there!!!

Yours in Scouting
Joseph A. Alessi in Ozwin 2.11
At 08:36 EST on 31-Oct-96

• Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
• Next message
• Previous message