Wood Badge thanks
barry_c_runnels@MMACMAIL.JCCBI.GOV
Wed, 7 Jul 1999 11:24:11 -0600
Hi All
Wow, as a simple question and.....
First, it's great to hear from so many folks helping me with my questions. So
many in fact, I am sending this response because there is to many to respond
privately. First I want to say thanks for the warm responses. Thanks for your
help and guidance on my beads.
To answer a few questions:
1. The Regalia is a neckerchief, woggle (or neckerchief slide) and beads on a
leather thong. The beads are just two little pieces of carved wood at the end of
a leather string that you wear around your neck. It the equivalent to get
another knot.
2. Thanks for the wonderful Bobwhite recipes, but we tend to think more
intellectually, not physically. However, that butter, mustered and Italian
dressing recipe does sound good for other types of meat.
I am a little concerned about the turn the discussion went from my question.
Many folks here have problems with the Wood Badge attitudes and arrogance Wood
Badger display. Enough so, that they are discouraged from taking the course. Our
Council is lucky, while I have some questions about how our Council approaches a
few Scouting ideals, Wood Badge training is not one of them. If we have any
problem, it's not enough of our Adults know about Wood Badge.
One of my biggest complaints about Scouting today is the lack of focus on the
Aims of Scouting and to much focus on the Methods. To much time is talked about
Eagles and not near enough on character. I know of whole Troops that have NO
understanding of any of the Aims of Methods of Scouting. I think that's because
our course in Scouting has changed in the last few years. Several here complain
about young Eagles not mature enough to be Eagle. I complain about not finding
the character, fitness leadership in each single merit badge or Scouting
activity. Instead of worrying about how many badges a Scout has left for LIFE,
we should be worried about how to teach the Scout motivation to achieve his own
goals.
I say all this because I thought there was no hope for the future in Scouting. I
cringe to hear about whole communites that pass up this wonderful program just
to stand on their principles of the three "Gs". I was loosing hope talking to
the Scoutmaster who builds a program of making all his Scouts Eagles by 14. I
was discouraged by a District not only providing a Merit Badge Collage every
year to help speed up advancement, but to also invite Webelos for a jump start
on advancement. I was discouraged by Troops that considered there program over
when a Scout reached 14 because they feel that boy had better things to do than
Scouts.
All that changed after Wood Badge for me. I was involved in a training course
that never talked of eagle, only character of men. Everything was designed to
improve the program of the Three Aims of Scouting using the Eight Menthols. We
were taught to work with each individual boy and not the whole group. Let the
PLC worry about the group, it's the individual that we adults need to help. We
were shown how the Scout Law sets the boundaries that the Scouts can live with
in and how the Scout Oath give us our focus to others. Boys by their very nature
are self centered, but the Scout Oath and Law will change that.
Wood Badge is not supposed to be a life changing experience, only a supplement
to our work with the boys. But some folks take it farther than it was intended.
Some fall on Wood Badge as a rebirth and many just never had any education like
this before. Many will find Wood Badge as their new family and give all their
energies to that family. Some use Wood Badge as an excuse to promote themselves.
Others use Wood Badge to hide from their real job of working with the Scouts.
Truth be known, I was glad to see a few of them hide.
Wood Badge gets all kinds of folks just like any organization gets all kinds.
Some people use the experience correctly and some miss the whole point. But I
have found all parts of Scouting pull the same passions and desires. I have said
it a lot, "Scouting is a wonderful program for our youth until the adults get
involved."
Wood Badge is a wonderful education program that will enhance any unit when
taken in the context of it's intention. It helps us focus on what is important.
Scouting is very strong but I feel if we don't get back to the roots of building
character, fitness and citizenship, it won't exist in twenty years. Wood Badge
was one of the few places where I saw this focus on the boys.
Wood Badgers have an obligation to promote the program as another training
experience to help accomplish the aims of Scouting. But there are the bad
apples, the same bad apples in other parts of the Scouting program. We have to
take the best of what we get and ignore the worst.
For those of you who are considering Wood Badge now or just about to start, when
you design your ticket, don't go crazy. Find where your Troop or District needs
help and let the ticket item pull you to it's end. Don't go and invent a new
wild program that requires your unit to focus on your ticket. My Troop helped me
accomplish several of my ticket items and no one knew it because the ticket item
only enhanced their program, not mine. The ticket is a way of practicing the
eleven skills, not over haul your program.
As for the Mountain Top experience, well it's hard to beat the pride I felt in
our SPL who did a fantastic job leading our Troop at Camp Alexander last week.
Or the Scout who carried my son to his next class because his leg was in a cast
and the car didn't show up. There is the Scout who went to pick up trash when
his friends went the store to by junk food at a gas stop. You should have seen
how our PLC consciously worked on Patrol methods and what about the smiles on
the faces of Scouts after white water rafting. Would I trade my Wood Badge
experience for a repeat of just one of those mountain top experiences, you bet,
but I would like to think that Wood Badge help get us to some of those
experience in the first place. I love this Scouting Stuff.
Barry Runnels
