Eagle SMC

[Buffalo Skipper]

Tonight I am to conduct my first Eagle SMC. The scout is meeting with his last MBC (Personal Management) early in the evening then coming to the meeting to turn in 2 other blue cards (Cit/World, Personal Fitness) and to have his SMC. His 18th birthday is Thrusday.

 

Any ideas on how to approach this. I know the direction from which I intend to approach this, but I am always open to fresh ideas.

[Eagle92]

Relax and have fun with it. and CONGRATULATIONS on your future Eagle.

[Eamonn]

It is a wonderful thing that this Lad is still around at this age.

It says a lot for the program that was offered.

As for the SMC.

You know this Lad.

You know good points and his weaknesses.

At this age, his time as a youth member is all but over (Unless he is a Sea Scout?.

I think I'd use this opportunity to look back over his time as a Scout dwelling on what he thinks he has learned and got from being a Scout.

In a very nice and very friendly way, maybe I might point out some of the areas that he might want to take a look at and maybe work on, but at the same time I'd also look at the things he has done well.

While I don't believe that Scouts owe anyone anything and I don't expect them in any way to pay back. I do believe that being an Eagle Scout means that you are always an Eagle Scout and that you are expected to live up to what this means.

What does it mean?

This is up to the Lad and might be worth discussing.

While I know that others might not agree but for me this would be a "Warm and Fuzzy" meeting. (Unless of course the Lad is a little toad!)

Well done to you for the work you have done with him and well done to him for making it this far.

Ea.

[evmori]

Handle it the same way all other SMC's are handled.

[Buffalo Skipper]

Eamonn,

I don't think the label "Little Toad" would have been my first choice, but in some ways it is not too far from the mark. He has not been active for a year now, but he did attend summer camp (high adventure program away from the troop). He has contributed little to the current troop, but as I have explained on many occasions, there is an age gap between he and his gang and the current scouts. In some ways, it is almost like there are two troops: the old troop and the new. He fulfilled his obligations as a part of the old troop, and wants nothing to do with the new troop.

 

I am looking forward to the experience myself. Though I do not intend to ride him all the way, I do not expect our meeting to be strictly a "warm and fuzzy" look back on his boy scouting time. I will, however, take your advice to heart and not be too hard on him. ;>)

 

Keep the ideas coming. I am taking notes and welcome any and all advice you all are willing to offer.

[AvidSM]

How you conduct an Eagle SMC depends on your relationship with the scout. If you know this boy well, then spend more time preparing him for his EBOR. Google the most asked questions and pick some of these for him to think about tonight. My favorite one is, "Why do you think you deserve to be an Eagle Scout?"

 

If you don't know the boy well, you need to spend some time asking him personal questions: how is he doing in school, at home and at his job? Prior to the EBOR, the board members may spend some time with you alone and ask you what you know about this scout, his leadership style, his experiences in the troop, etc. You need to be prepared also.

 

If there are any issues you have with the scout, get them out in the open. Make sure you confirm, very briefly and with tact, that he belives in God and that he is not gay. If there are any problems, let him know what they are. After all his efforts in meeting all the other requirements, it would be a little late in letting him know you have issues, but don't sign off if you are not satisfied.

 

I also like to spend a little time on getting feedback on the process. Ask him what he has learned from all the other SMC he has had. Ask him what his overall experience with the troop has been and what things he would do different if he had the chance to do it over again.

 

A good SMC should take about an hour.

[NJCubScouter]

AvidSM says:

 

Make sure you confirm, very briefly and with tact, that he belives in God and that he is not gay.

 

Avid, please tell me you're kidding about the "gay" part of that sentence. You don't really do that in a Scoutmaster conference, right?

[AvidSM]

I've known all the boys I have given Eagle SMC's to and was sure that they were not and did not have to confirm the fact.

 

If you don't know the scout, then you will have to find out some way of confirming. I'm not saying you should ask a direct question, but to ask few indirect ones to your satisfaction (use your imagination on this one).

 

The last thing you want as a Scoutmaster is to have an Eagle Scout of yours "come out of the closet" or declare that they are an atheist, after the fact.

[ScoutNut]

>>"it would be a little late in letting him know you have issues, but don't sign off if you are not satisfied."

[Eamonn]

Buffalo Skipper,

Here in the neck of the woods I serve, it seems that Troops seem to focus more and more on the younger Lads.

This is, I think because there are more of them.

The Troops tend to be not very big to start with; most of them having less than 30 Boy Scouts, many with less than 20. Then come Cross -Over time they get hit with about a dozen new Scouts. About half of these will leave by the end of the year. Along with a few of the 13 and 14 year olds.

The older Scouts that remain seem to only hang out because of the OA or they for one reason or another want to complete Eagle Scout rank.

I seen this with my son and a lot of the older boys who join the Ship do so in order to get away from the "Little Kids".

I know some forum members have found ways of holding the interest of older Scouts. Some have Venture Patrols that work, some Scouts are active in two programs. (When I was Skipper I did my best to get the Boy Scouts who wanted to complete their Eagle to do so in the Troop, mainly because I was too lazy to want to mess with Merit Badges and the like!)

While maybe "Warm and Fuzzy" might not be in order, I think it's worth remembering that even a clock that has stopped is right twice a day.

 

"The last thing you want as a Scoutmaster is to have an Eagle Scout of yours"

I'm sorry I have never seen any Scout other than my son as being mine. If a Scout becomes an Eagle Scout, it is his Eagle. He knows in his heart of hearts if he deserves it or not.

Scouts are youth members and should not be having sex, so how would a Lad know if he is gay or not?

Is there a test of some sort?

What happens if he thinks he might be? But then meets the girl of his dreams and changes his mind?

Some things are far better left alone.

Ea.

 

[Buffalo Skipper]

Yes, I do plan on signing his application.

 

That said, this scout has given me some trouble, but it has been more an issue of growing pains with a change of leadership (SM) and expectations than that he is a troublemaker. The first half of his 6 months as SPL were spent under another SM, but I was the one (rather than the SM) who was at most meetings and activities. He was with me during the last half of this tenure; during his time as SPL he made only 2.5 of 6 campouts.

 

Though I was disappointed in his performance, he did what was required. He is a funny kid. Very bright, but rather lazy because of it. He makes As and Bs without studying. As such he has a "devil may care" attitude, and he will struggle when he goes off to college because of poor study habits. He brought this attitude to scouting and being SPL. He never prepared for a meeting, but did "good enough" in spite of it. After his tenure as SPL he almost completely dropped out of sight, announcing in advance that he would not be camping again with the troop except for high adventure at summer camp with his friends (also 17). Most of our current scouts hardly know who he is, and except for one or two of our older (young) scout, he has not signed off a single requirement for any of them.

 

After Thursday, I expect that I will see him only before his EBOR, and assuming he passes (no reason not to believe this) at his ECOH. I do not believe he will be stick around as an ASM, which is unfortunate, as he has excellent skills and a genuine ability to work with younger scouts. He really is a nice guy, he just has his head in the wrong place.

 

I am not going to make him "sweat it out," but I want him to know that I expected more of him, and that doing more will serve him well for the rest of his life.

[NJCubScouter]

AvidSM, I'm still not completely sure you're serious about this. If you're not, I guess I am "taking the bait" to at least some extent. I'm not going to write a whole essay here, but for a variety of reasons, it would be completely inappropriate (not to mention completely unnecessary) for a Scoutmaster to "find out" a Scout's sexual orientation (if any), whether by direct questions, indirect questions or otherwise. (We're not talking here about a Scout who is openly gay, which is a whole different subject. I'm also not addressing the issue of belief in God.)

 

Asking the "gay" question directly also would be a violation of BSA policy, or at the very least it would be contrary to statements that the BSA has issued on the subject. Asking "indirectly" is, at the very least, an invasion of the young man's privacy for no valid reason.

 

I also regret that this discussion is kind of a distraction from Buffalo Skipper's question, and doesn't help him at all. I couldn't just let this go by, though.(This message has been edited by njcubscouter)

[AvidSM]

NJCubScouter - You're right, issues of sexual orientation are personal and left to a Scout and his family. Sorry for taking this thread off topic.

[NJCubScouter]

Ok Avid, I'm glad we agree.

[John-in-KC]

At the same time, I've had Eagle BORs where one of the topics of the Scout Law meandered around to dating and relationships. It might not be a bad thing if you know the makeup of the board to go "Think about what you'd say in a BOR if you're confronted with 'How do you think the Scout Law will apply to your intimate relationships as you move through college and think about marriage?'"