A brief discussion of a myriad of topics.
Tom White (Thomas.H.White@WILLIAMS.EDU)
Sun, 7 Mar 1999 03:14:45 -0500
Time for a general response to a lot of those issues that everyone has been
addressing.
Uniforming-
This is a topic that's seen a lot of dicussion the past few days. There
are a couple of things to look at here. First of all, there are the most
recent changes to the uniform. Specifically, the re-design that they did a
few years ago, when the socks had the red stripe added to the top and the
pants had the extra buttonned pocket taken off. Those things were done
because National hired a designer to modernize them- they might be a little
less useful from an outdoors standpoint but they look better in ceremonies,
and at formal occasions. The fact is that sometimes scouts wear the
uniforms and sometimes they don't. The place that they're most likely to
wear them is at a ceremony, so that is a primary concern in the uniform
design. The utility of the pants was passed up in favor of the visual
appeal. This was, in part, an attempt to get more boys to wear the uniform,
I believe. Personally, I think that that was a mistake- the only people
that are really concerned with the visual appeal are the people that are
going to get the wool pants anyway.
Peer Pressure-
People have talked about this both regarding the uniform and the simple
image that goes along with being a scout. Peer pressure does exist, but it
is far more an element of the imagination than anything else. Someone is
most likely to smoke if all of their friends are doing it, but their friends
don't really care if they are not. Similarly, if a youth chooses not to
drink when his friends do, or to drink when his friends don't, they don't
care a great deal aside from making sure that what he is doing is not bad
for him. The image of scouting is, to some degree, a negative one. But
that is more artificial than anything else; no one is really offended if one
of their friends is a scout. No one finds it degrading, and generally no
one makes too much fun of them for it. It is simply not a big deal to the
mass of society. The big concern to new scouts is sometimes that it could
be, but it isn't. Our image, where it exists, is a positive one, and people
don't object to it in their midst.
Rank and Award Presentation-
These can be very meaningful to everyone; the parents, the troop, and
often most importantly, the recipient. The most important thing should not
be whether the presenter is someone that has earned that award in the past.
The most important thing should be who the recipient respects. That person
can be a Senior Patrol Leader, an Assistant Scoutmaster, or even a new scout
that the recipient of the award just taught a skill to the other night; he
might get a kick out of that. It should be someone that is saying by his
presence that he believes that the recipient is worthy of the award.
Pinewood Physics-
Well, this doesn't really matter that much because I don't intend to
teach Newtonian Mechanics to a cub scout. At least, not right now. The
heavier cars go faster because they have more potential energy, as they move
downward that is converted to (1) Kinetic Energy and (2) Friction. the
friction is determined by the cross product of the normal and the
co-efficient of kinetic friction (as soon as it starts moving, that is.)
There is also going to be a certain amount of friction between the axle and
the car, which will be adjusted by the lubricant. Air resistance is not
going to be a very significant factor unless the car is really light, I
don't think. (You can look that up in any first-year college physics text.)
Polish Generals/Turkish Admirals-
Let them be. They aren't hurting anyone, and the worst that they might
be doing is buffing up their own egos. Personally, I don't mind the square
knots- generally they say that you've done something, but the only people
that know it are the people that what you've done means something to. They
are ambiguous to most scouts and scouters- so the "Polish General" is just
another scouter.
Fostering the Patrol Spirit-
There was a question raised about this. Particularly, how is it done.
The easiest way is to simply make them fully responsible for each other for
a little while. Have a troop meeting where almost all of the time is spent
as patrols- have them plan for a hike or campout, and then expect them to
have everything with them, and to have all of the food and water and gear
worked out as a patrol. Then either have the SPL check with them to make
sure everything is in order or take a little extra on the campout in case
they messed something out. Nothing will foster that patrol spirit more than
time dependent on one another.
The use of the list itself-
Although we all get this list every day at home, we should also be
careful not to grow dependent on it. The electronic era has fostered an
exponential growth in the resources available to us, but resources are not
always right and they are not always the best ones to use. If you have a
policy question, this may be a good place to air it. But it would also be a
good idea to check with the more experienced scouters and even scouts in
your troop, because they are, after all, your front line. Similarly, bear
in mind that everyone on this list is not an expert- I wouldn't reccommend
telling your DE that his policy is wrong because you heard something on
Scouts-L. The best topics for this list are ones that you need help with,
that give you the kind of information that it's hard to find in just a few
people. Specifically- questions of historical significance or gathering
ideas for a certain program or goal, such as fostering the Patrol Spirit.
While you can get advice from the list about how to be a good den leader or
cubmaster or scoutmaster, you can probably get advice that is more suited to
your unit by talking to some of the experienced people in it, and you can
find out many of the National Policies more accurately by a perusal of BSA
literature, so consider these resources first. If you are either stumped of
pressed for time, then you should come up and punch-up scouts-L on your
computer.
National Policies-
This is a place to try and develop the program, rather than a place to
reform it to your views. We may have as individuals a great deal of
knowledge or experience in the program, or we may have specific inputs about
different policies. But bear in mind that the people that work in this
organization at a National level are very talented individuals- they know
what they're doing, and they all have decades of experience withing the Boy
Scout program. If you have a question concerning the reasoning behind a
national policy, than both this list and your local council leadership are
appropriate fora for discovering that reasoning. Just remember that the
reasoning is well-thought out, so consider the applicability of their
policies to more areas than just your own unit or even your own part of the
country before you side firmly against them. Most experience we have is in
our own area- we need to consider more than just ourselves before we can
honestly make recommedations for future policies that can effect millions.
An update on the Order of the Arrow-
Most of you that are involved in the Boy Scout subdivision probably know
what the Order of the Arrow is. It is more popular in some councils than in
others, so I thought I'd mention it briefly, and if you have any other
questions feel free to contact me. The Order of the Arrow is the National
Honor Society of the Boy Scouts if America. It is a program that, among its
activities, includes the development of youth in leadership roles that
extend from the troop level to the National Level. It fosters personal
growth and trains its members to give back as much as possible to the
scouting program. More information is available through your local council,
by examining http://www.oa-bsa.org, or you may contact me and I will be more
than happy to answer your questions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------
Tom White
Section NE-3B Chief
|>>>-----|>----->>| Tscipelendamoagan Genachgihat "Mystical Overseer"
"That a man is successful who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much,
who has gained the respect of the intelligent men and the love of children;
who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world
better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a
rescued soul; who never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to
express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had."
~Robert Louis Stevenson
