Eagle COH: "Commencement" or "Graduation"?

[dsteele 20]

Anarchist:

 

Thanks for your reply. I had hoped I was being too thin skinned. I agree with your post addressed to me.

 

Sorry I didn't get back to you last evening. By the time I got home from our council dinner, I was too tired to even check.

 

Thanks.

 

Unc.

[isvirtual 10]

As a long-term scouter who didn't make Eagle (regrets), I am proud of my son who would fit the description on this board as a "paper Eagle". I can assure you, as a fellow scouter, he was not allowed to cut any corners. My son earned every merit badge, attended the outings, service projects, scoutmaster conferences, and boards of review. His project was bigger than most. I should note that our Troop has 28 Life scouts right now between the ages of 13 and 17 who are a project away from being an Eagle scout. Several younger scouts in our troop chose to complete their Eagle before sports, girls, cars, band, school, and other distractions diminished their time to devote to scouting. Others are far too interested in the fun to spend time doing the work. Personally, I would rather have those who can do both running my troop instead of the "lifers" who participate only for the outings.

 

The ball is now in the troop's court. The Eagle scout has proven his abilities and understanding of the program. It is up to the troop to offer a program that is more compelling than the distractions I listed above. If the adults insist on running the program, there is no room for youth leadership. If he is a member of a weak patrol and asks to be moved, the troop should accomodate him instead of ridiculing him for not showing up every week. When he tries to participate, he should be encouraged instead of mocked because he is a "Paper Eagle".

 

Clearly any boy smart enough to become an eagle scout before he is 17 needs an organization smart enough to keep him interested. If that's not happening, the scouters should look into the mirror before they start labelling the boys.