Scouting is the best progam for developing character

[GKlose 24]

As a side note, earlier this evening it occurred to me there is, or was, a rather high profile Scouting music group: the Madison Scouts, a DCI (Drum Corps International) drum and bugle corps. I'm not sure about them now (and don't really care to look it up at the moment) because I don't follow DCI.

 

I vaguely recall a conversation years ago that talked about the Madison Scouts organization, but I don't remember details now: it may have been an all-male organization, organized as a troop (albeit one that drew from a large area, because someone from my district would drive up, across 3 states, to get to weekend rehearsals -- he, obviously, loved DCI!). It may have eventually morphed into a co-ed Explorer Post.

 

I'll have to look it up sometime -- at one time, it was a pretty big thing in the DCI world.

[GKlose 24]

"They're all valuable. ... But they don't hold a candle to Scoutin'."

 

(please excuse the modest editing)

 

Beav', I have a different vantage point, given a different set of experiences from my youth, to the point that I will reiterate my view: for me, it was all part of the package. I can't really separate things out and say that one was more "candle holding" than another.

 

This entire thread started with the bemoaning of the fact that there are certain youth that treat Scouting with second-class status, in terms of their extra-curriculars. I understand some of the compromises that were involved, because I had to live through them myself. Just because I chose one activity over another on a Friday night, for example, doesn't mean that I didn't love one activity more than the other (or another, when there were multiple conficts). Am I any less of a "citizen of character" because I made certain choices? Kind of a pointless exercise, to think about that in this point of my life. Am I perhaps more of a citizen of character because I was faced with more choices, personally, ethically and morally, because of the activities I chose? I don't know. I really don't sit around and contemplate that sort of thing.

 

But let me get it back to the original topic: why do some Scouts place other activities at a higher priority? I've given, I think, plenty of examples from my own experiences and viewpoint. I was hoping that would add some insight to some of those that don't understand when Scouts choose something else, when faced with choices.

 

I'm also coming away with the feeling that my viewpoint is not being respected. Labeling "fluff", belittling the idea of band grades, and dismissing the idea maybe a band program does teach values will do that to me. I would guess that had I given examples about varsity sports (of which I have no personal knowledge), I may have faced the same thing.

 

So, that's all fine. It doesn't really bother me. I asked for, and received, a pretty considerate response from Barry. He did a nice job of supporting his view (and I appreciate your support of the same view), and I have no quibble with that. I do feel a little put out about his comment "the way the discussion was going reminded me of some of my discussions with my ADD son", but I don't think he intended for it to do that.

 

I would hope that because I am participating on this forum, and volunteering at the unit and district level, that it is pretty obvious how I feel about Scouting. When my sons are faced with similar dilemmas to what I faced, I'm hoping that I can provide a point of view that will help them understand the outcomes of their choices. But what I can't say is that one particular activity is so much more important than another. There are some kids that are raised to only participate in activities at which they are successful; one reason why I've stressed musical training with my sons is because it is the one activity that doesn't come easily to them, and they must work at it to succeed (they aren't prodigies by any means, but at their ages they are fairly advanced, and have remarkable musical aptitude, perhaps more than they understand they have). It's not that they don't work at, and succeed, in Scouting. It just comes relatively easy to them.

 

Guy

[Beavah 205]

As luck would have it I was sittin' an Eagle BOR last night for a just-turned-18 year old young man from an active troop in da suburbs of the midsized city hereabouts. He was band vice-president for his high school, which has what by reputation is one of da best programs in the state, also a varsity baseball player and had been a JV athlete in some other sport. The usual full run of other extracurricular activities!

 

Since I had this thread on the brain before I left for da BOR, I brought it up. Now of course the lad might have been playin' to his audience, but I don't have any reason to believe he was being less than honest.

 

The quotes that stuck with me were:

 

"Band really helped me find friends and a place to hang out in high school. Sports too, but a bit less. But my best friends, the guys who I know will still be my friends 40 years from now, those are my friends from scouts."

 

"Band was great, and I really became a better musician. I'm going to stick with band (but not sports) in college if I can. But I couldn't imagine what kind of person I'd be without scouting. So much of who I am, of what I'm interested in and what I really care about came from my scouting experience. "

 

"I was a good leader in band because I learned how in scouts."

 

"One of the things that's cool in baseball is I'll often stay around and help with the JV players. I kind of learned that from being a patrol leader - how important it is to pass things along to those who are younger or who will come after you."

 

"The most important adult in my life who isn't family? No question. My Scoutmaster, "Mr. T." For seven years he's been there in all kinds of circumstances. And he cared about me, not my grades, not my performance. And it's funny, you know. The thing I think I remember the most isn't like the high adventure trips or stuff. It's the car rides with him."

 

Only one witness, and one point of data, eh? But we've got a lot of band and sports kids around here. I'm goin' to keep askin', just because now I'm curious.

 

Beavah

 

[Eagledad 2779]

Pretty Good Beavh.

 

Three of my SPLs while I was SM were very active in band at the time they were SPLs. It almost killed them, but they were very good SPLs. All our good SPLs were active in other activities.

 

Another bragging story is the local high school where most of our scouts belonged has a yearly student body election where they vote for the top eight leaders of the school. One year six of those voted were also scouts in our troop. The other two voted were girls. Im convinced that if we allowed girls in the troop, all eight would have been scouts in our troop.

 

Ah I love this scouting stuff.

 

Barry