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Is It OK To Say This to a Scout?


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So I was talking to a friend of mine earlier. He is the SPL of a troop that I left a few months ago. Apparently at his last meeting, he said something along the lines of "pay attention guys, because you need to learn this stuff to help you be an eagle scout one day." Well, after that, his SM pulled him aside and said that he couldn't say stuff like that. According to him, you can't tell the scouts they can be eagle scouts, because it "just isn't a possibility" for some of them, and he doesn't want them to get false hope.

 

Is that OK to tell an SPL? He can't encourage kids to be eagle scouts?

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Well, I think the bigger issue is that he said "guys" to his fellow scouts!

 

I mean, we do not want them confused and thinking they are really "guys" when in truth, they are only just adolescents.

 

WOW! Talk about PC overkill.

 

I hope this troop doesn't talk about about advancement because frankly, not every scout advances either.

 

Might be time for the CC or COR to have a friendly talk with the SM about this.

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Again we don't know the full story.

 

 

For the average scout in our troop I would say it is out of line. While I would love to see each and everyone of them make eagle, I doubt it will happen......But I would not stomp on their dream.

 

 

But honestly for those who have been around scouting.....As a leader you can see who is driven enough to complete the journey......Occasionally there is a surprise

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It is always "possible". Whether it is "probable" or "realistic" is another issue. That, neither the SPL nor the Sm can predict.But hey, no harm in the encouragement.

 

Now , about the term "guy".... I always have a problem with that and counsel my Scouts and IOLS folks about the preferred labeling of our young charges as "Scouts" , "boys", by name. I hear EVERYONE called by the epithet "guy". I like to think our Scouts are something more than that.

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If percentages are to be believed, "Not Eagle" is what 95% of Scouts who stay with the program achieve.

 

Did he say something that would earn more than a glance, no.

Certainly not a talking to about it.

 

As Scouters, if we get Scouts to 1st class, they have learned skills they will retain (some more than others) for life, and that's reason enough for me.

 

1st Class is the BSA goal, I believe, anyway.

 

 

 

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It's likely that there's a lot of context that's getting lost between the actual conversation and what we see on the forum. Hardly seems appropriate to make any kind of judgement of the SM's or SPL's actions based on 3rd or 4th hand hearsay information.

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We want you all to learn this stuff so you can hand down on the great traditions of scouting to the next generation.

Needing it for Eagle is secondary. So I kind of understand what the SM was driving at. I wouldn't keep an SPL from phrasing it in his own words.

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Sounds to me like the SM may have been the one out of line. The reality is that not every Scout can be captain of their sports team. Not every Scout can graduate college. However Eagle is an attanable goal for ANY Scout (even disabled ones). This does not mean that they will make it. They have to put the effort into it, BUT that is all that it really takes for them if they want to do it...effort.

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Well, if they are not "gals" they must be "guys". I have no problem with the term used among peers. What I do object to is when a 19 year old "waitperson" addresses my wife and I, as "you guys". Don't we teach respect for elders any more? Your tip may depend on it. I think the SM was out of line...the SPL's comment was innocuous.

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I'll offer a different perspective - my conversation with the SPL would be more along the lines of 'next time say "pay attention guys, because you need to learn this stuff because you will need it on a high adventure trip one day." '

 

I think that promoting learning for advancement is counter productive. People are more likely to learn and retain if they see a need in their every day life or future adventure. So I would start to look at whether the troop might be relying a little too much on the advancement method.

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