What do we mean when we talk about “Morally Straight”? How do we explain that to our Scouts when our Scouts come from many different backgrounds, family dynamics, and religious beliefs?
Simply put, a Scout is clean in thought, word, and deed.
We had a situation in my troop recently where a concerned parent approached us because her son had been Googling “Questionable” subjects. In the discussion, it became clear that this new Scout had heard some words and ideas from an older Scout and decided to ask google rather than mom and dad what it meant.
Now before we go on, it should be said that the older Scout has had a talking to and this is the message that not only he got, but a great opportunity for me to share “Morally Straight” with the Troop.
You see, as a Scout we make a promise to keep ourselves, among other things, Morally Straight.
That means that we do our very best to stay clean in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. IF we think nasty thoughts, then we may want to take action on them. IF we say nasty things, then we violate the promises we make in the oath and law. And if we are nasty in our deeds or what we do, we chip away at our character.
Most of what we are talking about is how we act towards women. It is truly the mark of a good man to treat women with respect and dignity. Being morally straight drives how we treat the ladies of our lives. How a man loves and treats his wife is perhaps the most important lesson that he can ever teach his children. How men treat women in general is a real test to what the character is of that man. If we are thinking about women in a less than respectful way, then we will show that in our actions and our words. Women are not “Chicks”, they are not objects to be googled. They should be held in high regard and treated well.
So if you find yourself searching the internet with less than moral intentions, or find yourself telling jokes that paint a nasty picture of women, or if you find yourself acting on something that popular culture has deemed acceptable, but you know in your heart that it is not morally straight.. stop.
Never make yourself a liar. You make a promise when you say the Scout Oath. This promise is binding among men of character. You will lose that when you act without being morally straight.
Picked this up along the way.. it still rings true today. The Scout Oath and Law are a system of principles, and the program of Scouting is the method of making these principles work in the lives of boys. Let your boys know that the Oath and Law are the rules of the Troop. Scouting is a great game. Boys want to know the rules. When the ideals of the Scout Oath and Law become practical guides for the games, they then become a code to live by. Keep in mind as you go along that the purpose of Scouting is”‘…to promote,…the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in Scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues,…’ by placing emphasis upon the Scout Oath or Promise and Law for Character development, citizenship training, and physical fitness.” Knowing the purpose of Scouting and the means of achieving it, you will have made a giant stride in the direction of building good men. Finally, remember that as the first Scoutmaster Handbook put it- “Our purpose in this Boy Scout Movement is not to exploit methods, not to glorify organizations, not to honor Scoutmasters, but to lead boys into useful lives.” - The New Scoutmaster, Boy Scouts of America, 1958
As much as we all have tried to say this in other words.. that pretty much sums it up. Have a Great Scouting Day!
“Listen Lord, oh listen Lord, As I whisper soft and low. Bless my Mom and Bless my Dad, For these are things that they should know. I have kept my Honor bright, The Oath and Law have been my guide. Mom and Dad this you should know, Deep in my heart I love you so.”
Today I simply want to thank my Mom and Dad. 46 years ago today they introduced me to the world.
And the rest they say… is history.
Love you Mom and Dad!
During this last years recharter we had an extremely disappointing turn in of the Journey to Excellence form. As a District committee we chalked this up to a couple of things.. perhaps it was that many people were not aware of the change in program. Maybe some Scouters did not receive proper or inadequate training on the subject. It could have been that the program was not communicated effectively. Another reason may have been that some Scouters just don’t care enough to fill it out. Then again, it may have just been that there are units out there that really are not delivering the promise and would not fill out the form for any reason.
I will go on record and say that the answer is All of the Above. (In my opinion).
So rather than simply complain about it.. I figured that the right thing to do, because I love Scouting and believe in the program, would be to tackle the issues and start with training.
So I volunteered to teach about the JTE program and give out all the tools that would make a unit successful in at least getting the 2012 form in with their charter in November.
So back in January, I announced that we would hold a JTE session at the February Round table. I made arrangements with the Round Table commissioner and we decided that this would be a great class. We could have all levels of Scouting attend and present the information in a clear and easy to use format.
I made copies of all of the materials and even used my own Troop as an example. I made copies of our spreadsheet JTE tracker and our goals for this year. A sample budget was included as well as the Pack, Troop, and Crew requirements for 2012.
Last night at Round table, the room was set and I prepared to teach this subject of which I have developed a passion for. 7 people showed up for the training. 7. 2 of them were Assistant Scoutmasters from my Troop, 1 was a Scoutmaster of a high performance troop that is using the JTE tools and is delivering the promise of Scouting. 2 were Cub Scout leaders that I assume got a lot out of the class. They had great questions and seemed to be very interested in getting this ball rolling within their Packs. 1 was an Assistant Scoutmaster of another Troop that is always in the hunt for Troop of the Year, and finally a committee member from on of the LDS units in our District. She had never heard of JTE and took lots of notes. She informed me that she thought that this was all done at the Stake level.. but wanted to know more so she could get the program started with the Troops she worked with.
7 Scouters.
85 units did not bother to fill out and turn in the form during the last recharter process.
So essentially last night I preached to the choir… again.
As I drove home from Round table last night my mind was filled with disappointment which of course drove me to thinking about the other areas in which we fall short in our District, Council, and of course the BSA.
Mostly I think it comes down to training. We do a fantastic job of getting people to help. Just look at the numbers.
1.1 Million volunteers currently serve the youth of Scouting. 1.1 Million. Now I am no fool, and I know that in any population you will never get 100 % of the folks to do anything, but we need to try right?
So we have lots of Scouts that deserve the best, and we have lots of volunteers that have at some level made a commitment to give their best, and yet we don’t.
Lets assume that my District (which I consider a real great district) is representative of most if not all districts in the BSA. First, lets throw out some numbers again… bear with me here. Remember that I said 85 units in my district did not bother to turn in the JTE form. My district has 129 units in it.
In 2010 the BSA reported that there were 47,259 Cub Scout Packs, 40,099 Boy Scout Troops, 8,539 Varsity teams, and 18,856 Venture Crews. That would be a total (in 2010) of 114,753 units in the BSA.
So assuming everything is equal, 40,000 units within the BSA did not turn the JTE form this last year. Now I do not know this to be true.. I am just looking for a solution. IF that big a population within an organization that makes it its business to deliver the promise of Scouting to the 2 million (plus) Scouts that come to us allows this to happen.. then I think it is worth a review. Not a change in the Journey to Excellence program. It is rock solid.. after all its all about making every unit the best. It follows the methods and places its focus on what is important.. serving Youth!. No, it does not need to change. What needs to change is how we present, train, and work with units to ensure that the program (both the Scouting program and the JTE) are being followed. Units that are in need of help need to get it.
I think this is where the commissioner service comes in… and there again.. we are preaching to the choir… assuming again that your district is like mine.. where are all the commissioners? We are in need of good commissioners that are dedicated to making every unit a great one.
There are many ways that we need to attack this. I think that we have a huge disconnect here and it will not get better as long as we keep preaching to the choir. The choir is fine and is singing loud and clear. It is the folks that don’t want to sing that we need to reach. It is the people we never see, it is the countless applications that come through the council that never get a hand shake or a visit. It is the volunteers that are not reached by hands on training or a friendly invite to Round table.
As much as I am a big fan of computer based training.. I think we may have lost some of the contact by going away from class room training. We need to connect with the 1.1 million volunteers, or what ever that number is in your District and not only fix this JTE problem, but get more leaders trained, active, and taking on rolls that complement their skills, attitudes, and level of committment within the District. We need commissioners that actually pay visits to their units. Commissioners that do not wear multiple hats in Scouting. Commissioners that can take the time to work with and mentor unit leaders.
We need to get a bigger choir! I’ll have more to say on this later… I am curious to hear what you have to say about all this… leave a comment! Have a Great Scouting Day!
On the heels of a great JLT weekend and Troop elections, it is fitting that Clarke Green, fellow blogger and podcaster posted an article today that nailed my thoughts. The article was written by Larry Geiger, a contributor to Clarke’s blog and regular commenter here on the Scoutmaster Minute Blog.
So rather than me rewrite what Larry has so succinctly said..
Go to his blog and read this. Well done Clarke/ Larry… Bravo!… and thanks!.
Citizenship and Character are real easy to identify, teach, and train our Scouts, but what about this fitness thing? We are not just talking about physical fitness. We need to make sure and look at the emotional and mental fitness of our Scouts. It is a total package. We are mentoring young men. These young men are living a time in their lives that is full of emotion, change, and in many cases confusion about who they are and what they are going to be.Emotional and mental fitness is something that we as Scout leaders need to be aware of. How we talk to these young men, how we understand where they come from, and how we work with them on a weekly or more basis is important to how they come to understand what emotional fitness and mental fitness is. It is tricky ground to step on, and no we are not psychologists or therapist, but by our example and our care, we can go a long way to helping these young men through the tough days of teen age boyhood.
There was an article I picked up along the way.. I thought it had some great ideas and was worth sharing. The article basically talked about attitude en route to mental and emotional fitness. There are a few simple things to look at. Improving your emotional health by positive thought, Choosing positive actions, Disputing pessimistic thought, Doing the right thing, and taking a look at your emotional health. When we take a look at these things, we can see in our Scouts where they may be in their journey. When we look at these things in ourselves, we can get a better understanding as to how we are helping, through our example, the Scouts in our care.
So lets take a look at these topics. See where you are and how you can help. Improve your emotional health by thinking positively You’re okay. But can you be even better? That’s one of the questions being asked by a movement in the mental health field known as “positive psychology.” Unlike most traditional psychology, which seeks to understand and heal problems of the mind and emotions, positive psychology delves into what makes us emotionally healthy—or happy—and tries to build on those sources of strength to increase our happiness. According to several studies by psychologists in this movement, happiness can be achieved just by making these adjustments to your attitude. Choose positive actions. In other words, you may not be able to change everything about yourself, including much of your environment, but there’s a lot that you can control. You can choose to think and act in ways that make your life more pleasant and, ultimately, more meaningful. Dispute pessimistic thoughts. It may help to treat your own negative thinking as if it were coming from another person. Sometimes simply checking the evidence is enough to show that a negative belief is untrue. For example, you may think you “blew” your diet, when an actual calorie count says you haven’t. Also, you should get in the habit of taking the optimistic tack in explaining events; by remembering bad things will pass, but good things will last. Do the right thing. As the old saying goes, “Virtue is its own reward.” Be inspired just by doing what’s right in your home, your workplace and your community. Consider your emotional health.Is happiness this easy to attain? The answer depends in part on how happy or unhappy you already are. For people with serious emotional problems, positive psychology is not a replacement for getting help from a coach, therapist or physician. Take baby steps. High expectations for change in your life have to be realistic. Happiness springs from actions, but the actions often have to be small steps. For example, shyness is something that keeps people from really engaging in life, but you can’t be expected to just toss aside your shyness and go out and enter a life of politics, or corporate leadership.
You may not want to play the part of psychologists or therapist in your unit, but as a Scoutmaster you are an influence in their lives. Whether you accept that or not.. you are, and you play a major role in the development of their emotional and mental health.
Last nights Troop meeting was like most Troop meetings following a camp out. A quick run through of lessons learned using the Start, Stop, and Continue program started things off. Our new Scouts learned a lot on their first camp out, but the lesson that they learned the most was to Be Prepared.
Now, most folks think that the learning happens only when things go wrong.. well, not in this case.
You see, on Friday afternoon, the Scouts arrived at 4:30 and laid all their gear out and inspected it. They checked and double checked that everything was there. They cross loaded their meals and then repacked their packs. By the time they got to the mountain, they were ready.
They all knew a basic knowledge of cold weather injuries and first aid, and thank goodness they did not have to use it.
They all had the right gear. Santa was very good to the Scouts of Troop 664 this Christmas.
They all had paid attention in the classes taught by the older guys on how to anchor tents, did cold sumps, and stay dry.
By the time they hit the snow, they were ready.
One of the comments made by one of the older guys last night was the reason that the new Scouts did so well was because they have not had time to develop bad habits. Well, I told the young man.. bad habits are choices you make.. no one should develop a bad habit of unpreparedness.
Then the Troop worked on some of the requirements for the Camping merit badge. They did it with their Troop guides last night, just going over some of the basics like the differences between tents, sleeping bags, and back packs. They did not need us to help with that. Then it was a quick review of gear that they all love, and preparation for the next camp out that is coming up in a couple weeks.
I think with the knowledge that the new guys have now, and the experience the old guys are starting to bring to the table, the next camp out up in the snow in a few weeks is going to be a blast. Have a Great Scouting Day!
For those of you that have followed the blog for any given time, you know that I am a fan of sports. I believe that sports do great things in the lives of youth and I also believe that there is room for sports, scouts, academics, and a normal life for our youth. I actually think that when youth participate in sports and scouts they become better young men and women.
This last weekend was spent watching my oldest son wrestle at a tournament with the High School wrestling team. John did real well this weekend, and as I sat and watched, and for those of you that have been to wrestling tourney’s.. you know that it is an all day affair. You have lots of time to sit and watch, think, write, or do as I do.. people watch.
I typically get into lengthy discussions with other parents. This year has been interesting as John is a Senior and many of the parents we hang out with we have known since the boys were all in kindergarten. So the discussions quickly turn to how amazed we are about our boys, future plans, college, and “do you remember when” subjects. This last weekend we got into a discussion about one of the boys that I have known since he was 7. He was in Cub Scouts with John, but when the time came to cross over, he made the choice not to continue with Scouting. He turned out to be a great young man and is a good friend of my daughters.
One of the other dads sitting with us said that his son had to drop out of Scouts because of athletics. He could not do both as Scouting and sports don’t mix.
I had to ask why he thought that way. The answer I got did not make sense to me. He said that Scouting was more for kids that were intellectual and could not make it in sports. He added that scouting takes too much time away from sports practice and social time. <insert record scratch>
I made mention that both of my boys were in scouts and they both are athletes, and they both are A’s and B’s students, and both have a good social life. He said it was the exception not the rule. Then I told him of the Scouts in my troop. In my Troop there are football players, baseball players, wrestlers, water polo, swim team, lacrosse, soccer, and golf team members. Of those guys, they are active in the Troop and are all either Eagle Scouts or well on their way to becoming and Eagle Scout. All of them are good students and very active with their Schools. Members of Student government or clubs, and are all really good young men.
Again, he said we are the exception not the rule. So I had to ask.. why do you suppose that is?
I believe that young men that play organized sports learn valuable life lessons. They learn team work and working with others. They learn that the team comes first and individual egos should be left at home. They learn that hard work produces great things and that when you lose you learn. They learn that effort pays off and that collective effort will eventually win.
I believe that sports push young men to stay fit and sports develop in them a sense of committment and accountability. The individual is driven to be there for his team mates, he understands that without every one pitching in and moving toward the same goal the team will not be a success.
I think far to many times parents and Scout leaders can not get past the old “Jock” stereotype.
Speaking strictly for my family Sports and Scouting go hand and hand. Sports and Scouting complement one another and help round out our kids. Add to Sports and Scouting good family values, strong faith, and a host of friends that have the same interests, and we have been blessed with three awesome kids.
The boys John and Josh have been active in both Scouting and Sports since they could be. Josh started playing Football in 3rd Grade. John and Josh both run Track and played Soccer. John took to Wrestling, Josh stuck with Football and Track. Katelyn played Soccer and volleyball for the Nike Club league team. She is talented in Band and is a great student academically. She tried Girl Scouts, but could not fit in with their click. So she stuck to a supportive role in her brothers Scouting lives.
The point here is that all three are great kids and sports and scouts have played a great role in that. It has meant long weekends, lots of travel time, and spending money on the kids activities rather than ourselves, but the result is that we have a great family life and kids that are healthy, smart, and ready for life.
Sports gave them confidence, good attitudes, and drive to accomplish anything. Scouting does much of this and more, but when the two worlds meet a great young person comes out the other end.
So this Dad that does not see the value in both.. or that its one or the other.. well, I think that comes from parents that see the hassle, Scout leaders that see the competition, and youth that go along with what they say.
Parents need to be supportive of a young man that wants to do sports and scouting. They need to make a committment to their son that doing both is possible. Scout leaders need to understand the value in having an athlete in their troop. They too need to be committed to the Scout and his needs and interests. Scouting and Sports can work together.
I am proud of the Scouts of my Troop that take the time to be athletes. I admire their dedication and committment, and I tell them that during Scoutmaster conferences or when they have an achievement on or off the playing field.
Here is what I know for sure.
It’s not 100% so I am not saying this for effect…
Young men that are Scouts and Athletes are better students, better leaders, are better fit, and have a higher confidence level. They stick it out to the end and do not let their Troop or their team mates down.
I’ll take that any day! Have a Great Scouting Day!
*By the way.. the picture on this post.. Gerald R. Ford, 39th President, Eagle Scout, Football player at the University of Michigan 1933
Print these glasses.. you will be needing them for the SMMPodcast SHOW 100! IN 3D. Listen in as I am interviewed or at least have a great discussion with Scouting Friend and District Commissioner Gary.
We talk about the 1st 99 shows and the future of the SMMPodcast, Journey to Excellence, and more.
Its been a great journey to thru the first 100 shows!
Thank you to all that listen in, give feedback, and keep me going. I appreciate it!
I hope you enjoy the show. Have a Great Scouting Day!
Over the last quarter of the year last year (2011) we received a bunch of new Scouts into the Troop. They all seemed real gung ho about joining and could not wait for the adventure to begin.
We are preparing for our first winter camp out with the new Scouts right now. In two weeks, we will be taking them up on Mt. Hood for their first weekend with the Troop and after the last few weeks and what’s left of January worth the training, they will step off on their Scouting adventure.
Last night at the Troop meeting the Scouts demonstrated layering. Each Scout showed up and was inspected by the older Scouts in their winter clothing. They were given a pass or no pass on their choice of winter clothing. They all did great.
I gave out a bunch of spare stuff I have been collecting and outfitted about 5 Scouts with pants, sleeping bags, and other cold weather items.
When these new guys crossed over in November we talked about gear expectations and what they needed to have versus what we would provide. I explained to them that they were joining at the perfect time.. Right before Christmas and gave them suggestions for their Christmas wish list.
So last night as I talked with a few of the new parents and answered their questions and concerns the subject of gear came up. It became obvious that lots of camping gear appeared under the Christmas trees of many of the Scouts.. nay.. all of the Scouts got some piece of new gear.
One of the new Scouts came up to me and said he was excited about the up coming camp out. He asked if he was going to be cooking for himself and his buddy on the trip.. I replied that most certainly he would be cooking if he was going to eat. He got a huge smile on his face and said . YEAH!!! I got a stove for Christmas! So I asked him what kind.. “The Jet Boil SOL” he said. Now, I have said before that I am not a big fan of the Jet Boil… but these new units are much improved.. so I may be swayed a little. Then the little guy got me… he said he’d been cooking on his new stove at home. I said fantastic. His mom chimed in stating that he had made spaghetti and a few Mountain House meals.. then the Scouts told me.. “A MINUTE 45!” I said “Whats that?” He said he can do Hot Choco in 1:45! His smile was from ear to ear. Just then, I had a crowd of the new Scout patrol around me.. They were all sharing with me all the cool camping gear they had got at Christmas. I was smiling and laughing with them.. and of course shared the list of cool camping gear I got for Christmas too. One of the mom’s told me that I had created a gear monster! SCORE ONE FOR THE SCOUTMASTER!
These new kids are ready to go and pumped up! They are embracing the adventure and I look forward to many adventures with them!
Last night’s Troop meeting was the Scoutmaster Pay off! Have a Great Scouting Day!
What do we mean when we talk about “Morally Straight”? How do we explain that to our Scouts when our Scouts come from many different backgrounds, family dynamics, and religious beliefs?
For those of you that have followed the blog for any given time, you know that I am a fan of sports. I believe that sports do great things in the lives of youth and I also believe that there is room for sports, scouts, academics, and a normal life for our youth. I actually think that when youth participate in sports and scouts they become better young men and women.
Over the last quarter of the year last year (2011) we received a bunch of new Scouts into the Troop. They all seemed real gung ho about joining and could not wait for the adventure to begin.
Preaching to the Choir
I will go on record and say that the answer is All of the Above. (In my opinion).
So rather than simply complain about it.. I figured that the right thing to do, because I love Scouting and believe in the program, would be to tackle the issues and start with training.
So I volunteered to teach about the JTE program and give out all the tools that would make a unit successful in at least getting the 2012 form in with their charter in November.
So back in January, I announced that we would hold a JTE session at the February Round table. I made arrangements with the Round Table commissioner and we decided that this would be a great class. We could have all levels of Scouting attend and present the information in a clear and easy to use format.
I made copies of all of the materials and even used my own Troop as an example. I made copies of our spreadsheet JTE tracker and our goals for this year. A sample budget was included as well as the Pack, Troop, and Crew requirements for 2012.
Last night at Round table, the room was set and I prepared to teach this subject of which I have developed a passion for. 7 people showed up for the training. 7. 2 of them were Assistant Scoutmasters from my Troop, 1 was a Scoutmaster of a high performance troop that is using the JTE tools and is delivering the promise of Scouting. 2 were Cub Scout leaders that I assume got a lot out of the class. They had great questions and seemed to be very interested in getting this ball rolling within their Packs. 1 was an Assistant Scoutmaster of another Troop that is always in the hunt for Troop of the Year, and finally a committee member from on of the LDS units in our District. She had never heard of JTE and took lots of notes. She informed me that she thought that this was all done at the Stake level.. but wanted to know more so she could get the program started with the Troops she worked with.
7 Scouters.
85 units did not bother to fill out and turn in the form during the last recharter process.
So essentially last night I preached to the choir… again.
As I drove home from Round table last night my mind was filled with disappointment which of course drove me to thinking about the other areas in which we fall short in our District, Council, and of course the BSA.
Mostly I think it comes down to training. We do a fantastic job of getting people to help. Just look at the numbers.
1.1 Million volunteers currently serve the youth of Scouting. 1.1 Million. Now I am no fool, and I know that in any population you will never get 100 % of the folks to do anything, but we need to try right?
So we have lots of Scouts that deserve the best, and we have lots of volunteers that have at some level made a commitment to give their best, and yet we don’t.
Lets assume that my District (which I consider a real great district) is representative of most if not all districts in the BSA. First, lets throw out some numbers again… bear with me here. Remember that I said 85 units in my district did not bother to turn in the JTE form. My district has 129 units in it.
In 2010 the BSA reported that there were 47,259 Cub Scout Packs, 40,099 Boy Scout Troops, 8,539 Varsity teams, and 18,856 Venture Crews. That would be a total (in 2010) of 114,753 units in the BSA.
So assuming everything is equal, 40,000 units within the BSA did not turn the JTE form this last year. Now I do not know this to be true.. I am just looking for a solution. IF that big a population within an organization that makes it its business to deliver the promise of Scouting to the 2 million (plus) Scouts that come to us allows this to happen.. then I think it is worth a review. Not a change in the Journey to Excellence program. It is rock solid.. after all its all about making every unit the best. It follows the methods and places its focus on what is important.. serving Youth!. No, it does not need to change. What needs to change is how we present, train, and work with units to ensure that the program (both the Scouting program and the JTE) are being followed. Units that are in need of help need to get it.
I think this is where the commissioner service comes in… and there again.. we are preaching to the choir… assuming again that your district is like mine.. where are all the commissioners? We are in need of good commissioners that are dedicated to making every unit a great one.
There are many ways that we need to attack this. I think that we have a huge disconnect here and it will not get better as long as we keep preaching to the choir. The choir is fine and is singing loud and clear. It is the folks that don’t want to sing that we need to reach. It is the people we never see, it is the countless applications that come through the council that never get a hand shake or a visit. It is the volunteers that are not reached by hands on training or a friendly invite to Round table.
As much as I am a big fan of computer based training.. I think we may have lost some of the contact by going away from class room training. We need to connect with the 1.1 million volunteers, or what ever that number is in your District and not only fix this JTE problem, but get more leaders trained, active, and taking on rolls that complement their skills, attitudes, and level of committment within the District. We need commissioners that actually pay visits to their units. Commissioners that do not wear multiple hats in Scouting. Commissioners that can take the time to work with and mentor unit leaders.
We need to get a bigger choir! I’ll have more to say on this later… I am curious to hear what you have to say about all this… leave a comment!
Have a Great Scouting Day!
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