Re: A question of supervision (WOSM)
Alan Houser (troop24@EMF.NET)
Wed, 6 Nov 1996 23:42:47 -0800
CHUCK BRAMLET <chuckb@AZTEC.ASU.EDU> wrote:
>This question came up the other night in our Troop committee meeting,
>and I would like to throw it out to the list for a "What would you
>have done in this case?"
[snip... ]
>After ascertaining that there were _no_ Boy Scouts involved, I
>reminded the boys that they were not behaving responsibly with the
>fire. (OK, Jerry, so I "got on their cases". Happy now?)
>Turning around from that, I saw somthing that made my hair stand on
>end. A group of five boys, none in uniform, tightly clustered
>around while one of them flailed away at a tree limb with a hand
>axe...
[snip... ]
>So, the question is, in a Troop/Pack camping situation, should a SM or
>an ASM "interfere" with the Pack kids when a father is "there";
>1. In _no_ case?;
>2. Only in matters of safety?; or
>3. In matters of Troop or BSA policy, also?
I would vote for 2 and 3, Chuck.
Obviously, the first step is to address the unsafe situation, before
anyone or anything gets hurt, which you did.
What I would not have done though, was to dress down the one Boy
Scout in front of the others and give him a task (punishment) at that
point. Too much like school...
Instead, for both cases, I would have asked an older Scout to come in
and turn it into a positive situation by teaching the others what
precautions should be used for fire safety and for wood tools safety.
Two things happen: you don't come off looking or sounding like "every
other adult," and the older Scout gets a chance to show what it's like
to be and to be with a boy leader. As others have mentioned, Webelos
of that age can be really impressed by an older boy taking an interest
in them and working with them up close. And when they are impressed,
they become Boy Scouts themselves.
I recently had a SM conference with my Assistant Senior Patrol Leader
(follow up on his Junior Leader Training) and he gave me an interesting
slant on it. He mentioned that he was in awe of the Senior Patrol
Leader when he joined the troop, and now that he is in almost the
same position, he really understands the responsibility he has to be
that kind of leader for the younger Scouts. The only reason he isn't
SPL this year is that we had an even better candidate for the job.
Never pass up the opportunity to have an older Scout teach something
important to a younger one, and never do something that a youth can
do, even if you can do it better, unless there is an immediate safety
concern.
YiS,
Alan R. Houser ** Scoutmaster, Berkeley Troop 24 ** troop24@emf.net
** WWW page ** http://www.emf.net/~troop24/t24.html **
Scoutmaster, Mt. Diablo Silverado Council Contingent Jamboree Troop #3
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
