How long to Tenderfoot or First Class?

[Beavah]

 

If it's like most reasonable troops, he'll probably come back from the second or third meeting with Tenderfoot.

 

This was a comment based on a boy who already had most of the requirements signed off, but it got me curious.

 

What are you all seein' as the "average" time in different units for kids makin' it to Tenderfoot or to First Class? I confess my knee-jerk response to "1-month Tenderfoots" is to try to work with the unit to improve the quality of their program . What do da rest of yeh see out there in the field?

 

Beavah

 

[eagle90]

Beavah -

 

In a troop of 36 scouts, I would say the average time to Tenderfoot is about 3 months, and First Class 12-15 months. Of course there is always the go-getter who will skew the averages.

[John-in-KC]

Anything LESS than one month, then a Troop is simply pencil-whipping the physical fitness requirement!

[GernBlansten]

Tenderfoot is typical 6 months after crossover (very rarely before). 2nd class by the end of their first year. If they are real go getters, 1st class before the next cross overs come in.

[Oak Tree]

It varies a little bit from year to year, depending on what activities the PLC plans and how much opportunity there is on some of the campouts to work on some of the basic Scouting skills.

 

Last year a lot of boys got their Tenderfoot in 2-3 months. This year it's looking more like 4-5 months. We usually have a few go-getters who will earn First Class in 6-8 months, but it's a very spread out distribution from there. I'd guess the average is around 15 months. I'm sure Troopmaster could spit out a number for me on one of its thousands of report forms, but I think I'm close.

[ASM857]

We work very hard with all incoming Scouts to complete Tenderfoot after 1st summer camp, so about 4-5 months. Second class by Winter Camporee, and Hopefully 1st Class after thier 2nd Summer camp. Obviously thier are always exceptions.

YIS

Doug

[Lisabob]

Short answer: Most of our guys are at tenderfoot around 4-8 months (after summer camp, usually) and 2nd Cl not too long after the end of their first year in the troop. Most boys are at 1st Cl. at around 18-24 months, but this varies more widely.

 

Is 1st Year/1st Class really desirable as a goal? I'm not so sure. I like it as an emphasis (ie, we will provide opportunities for all boys to learn the basic skills through 1st Cl in their first year with the troop) but I don't see attaining the rank within that time frame as a great indicator of the success or failure of a troop program.

 

In the last three years we've had one or two boys get 1st Cl. within 12-15 months of joining but I don't think that is reasonable (or desirable) in most cases, at least for our troop. At the end of that first year most of these guys do not have the maturity to handle the leadership expectations that tend to go to scouts 1st Cl and above. And so they are prone to sit at 1st Cl for quite a while and some of them get pretty frustrated with that. Also, the boys I know who did make 1st Cl/1st Year did so mainly because their parents pushed them very hard to do so, and not surprisingly they tend to see advancement as a race and a goal rather than a process.

 

And then there are kids like my son, poking along, just recently made 2nd Cl after 2 1/2 years - and only then because he wanted to do a MB at camp that required him to be at least 2nd cl. It isn't a program issue - he's active and can do the skills, he's just not that interested in advancement. I had to laugh recently because part of the new Quality Unit rubric is apparently related to the % of scouts who advance a rank in a given year (or something like that - not sure of the details) and word is that boys like my son could drag a unit down!

[SWScouter]

My son joined Feb. 06, along with a few other scouts. Most of them had Tenderfoot after summer camp in June 06. The first got 2nd class around March this year and two more just got 2nd class (17 months). My son is close to 2nd class and has most of his 1st class requirements completed too. He needs the drug/alchohol prevention program still - Too bad Phoenix PD doesn't fund D.A.R.E. anymore...

 

SWScouter

[fotoscout]

Most of us know that the national guideline is now "1st Class, 1st Year", meaning that a boy should make 1st class sometime near his 1 year anniversary after joining the troop. I think that this is bit ambitious, but doable for scouts that actively participate in the program.

 

In our troop the time to 1st Class can vary dramatically. Some have made it in 12 months, others have taken 18 months and longer. It all depends on how active the boy is. For example, if the boy misses his an opportunity to do his 1st class cooking requirement on an outing, or if he misses the outing or troop meeting where we do first aid, then the boy needs to wait until the next opportunity comes around.

 

Tenderfoot is the same, but most make it after their first summer camp. The more motivated boys make Tenderfoot within 3 months of joining the troop.

[Aquila]

The "First Class in a year" misses the point COMPLETELY. How many First Class Scouts who have been in Scouting less than a year actually KNOW the requirements? Can they really identify the plants, proficiently tie the knots, or use a compass with confidence? For most Scouts, TTFC in a year does a real disservice to them. Our troop has a 10-year old that's going to get his First Class in another couple of months. Granted, he's a bright, responsible kid. But he's 10.

 

My eldest took just over two years -- but you can bet that he knows every one of those requirements backward and forward.

[John-in-KC]

SWScouter,

 

That sounds to me like an issue to push up through Commissioner and DE channels. Does anyone know if Learning For Life has a module equivalent to DARE???

[OldGreyEagle]

Aquila, how does a program, such as First Class First Year miss any point completely? The program is set up to allow a scout to move from joining the Troop to attaining First Class in a year. In all of the BSA literature I have perused on the subject, I have not ever read anything that says the scout is not expected to meet all of the requirements. The purpose of FCFY is to have a Troop program active enough so that an active scout can achieve First Class in a year, but he still has to meet the requirements, the Troop program has to reinforce those skills. You say you have a 10 year old who will be getting First Class in a few months, like its a bad thing. If he has met the requirements, then he is First Class. If he has not met the requirements, and doesnt know a bowline from a taut line hitch, does not partial responsibility rest also with the Troop Program? The scout didnt sign off his own book, this 10 year old didnt set up the Troop program that does not reinforce scout skills. If the 10 year old can't function as a first class scout, dont blame the scout or the First Class First Year Program. Responsibility has to be with the adults who signed him off, reviewed him and sent him on without assuring the program was followed

 

[Gunny2862]

IMMHO, First in a year is doable but part of it depends on how active the troop is.

We have seen some posters in other threads talking about one night or less of camping per month except for camp week. Combine that with not utilizing a considerable amount of meeting time with T-2-1 instruction and it would look impossible for others to be doing it.

 

But if you are getting an entire day and a small portion of two travel days and two nights each month in addition to the camping it makes the opportunities more accessible to the boys and the speed of their advance thru the advancement program much more reliant on the boys individual drive to complete each step. And you still have the weekly meetings to use for some of it.

One month tenderfoot may happen but I would think it would have to be the exception and would also have to include the initial physical test on the first day.

[evmori]

Shouldn't take more than 6 months but can take as long as the Scout wants it to take. It is their advancement, not ours. We are there to makes sure there is amply opportunity to advance, not to rush these boys through the program. If we are providing the advancement opportunities it is up to the boys to take advantage of those opportunities.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[resqman]

Most of our new scouts cross over in Feb/March. We work with them to get most of the skills presented before summer camp. All dozen of them attended summer camp that ran a program for new scouts to complete 75%+ of the requirements for Scout through 1st Class.

 

We held a skills check for the last two meeting nights so that all would be able to particiapte in this weekends COH and recieve their next rank. All will be receiving their Tenderfoot rank. Feb/Mar to Aug is 6-7 months.

 

They probably have 75%-95% of the requirements for 2nd and 1st class checked off as a result of summer camp program. It is feasible they all could be 1st class by Feb/March. More likely is most will be 2nd class and very close to 1st Class when we get the next crop.