From: montgojw@NeXTwork.Rose-Hulman.Edu (II Jerry Montgomery)
Newsgroups: rec.scouting
Subject: Re: Respect
Date: 16 Oct 92 17:15:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: master.1bmtakINN8hp
Reply-To: montgojw@NeXTwork.Rose-Hulman.Edu (II Jerry Montgomery)
Organization: Computer Science Department at Rose-Hulman
NNTP-Posting-Host: purple.nextwork.rose-hulman.edu

In article <1992Oct15.030114.5311@u.washington.edu>  
medic@hardy.u.washington.edu (Travis Lauricella) writes:
>I've got a question/problem, and I'm tossing it out to this group in  
hopes
>of coming up with a solution.
>
>I am the 21-year-old Scoutmaster of a troop of about 15 scouts in Tacoma,  
WA.
>I have been in the troop for the last 10 years.  Lately, it seems that  
the
>scouts have been showing less and less respect to both adult leaders and
>their fellow scouts.
Respect is an earned thing.  You shouldn't expect respect just because  
you're an adult.  (no insult intended)  The first thing you should do is  
make sure that you are friends with the boys rather than just a taskmaster  
who likes to gripe at them.  Work with them a lot.  They will eventually  
have questions, and come to you for the answers becuase you have the  
experience.  They will start looking to you more and more often, and as  
long as you remain their FRIEND, by de facto you will be the leader.  I  
don't mean to stop being the leader during this process, but get to know  
the boys on a personal level.  Be able to sit and joke and have fun with  
them.

>
>For example, two weeks ago a scout was acting up during the opening flag
>ceremony at our troop meeting.  He intentionally let the American flag  
drag
>on the floor at one point, and at another point, "accidentally" poked the 
>tip of the pole into the low ceiling.  He was reprimanded by an Assistant
>Scoutmaster, privately, but seemed to brush off the comments.
>
>Numerous times, scouts are talking or wandering around the meeting room  
when
>another scout is (supposedly) giving a demonstration to the troop.  When
>asked to give the leader respect and to sit and listen (told either by  
the 
>SPL or myself) they will, briefly, but return to their goofing off within
>minutes.
>
Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm with scouts.  If they aren't  
interested in what is being put on, they will begin to amuse themselves.

>They seem to treat ceremonies (flag, vespers) with little respect, and  
treat
>speakers with even less.
>
YOU know why these ceremonies should be taken seriously.  Do they?

>I have been to BSLBT and have sent most of my junior leaders to  
Bushmaster
>(a week-long junior leader training course).  The PLC plans every meeting
>and was instrumental in planning our camping schedule for the upcoming
>year.  Adult participation is strong, but mainly in the background.  The
>boys recently elected a new SPL, who has a less forceful personality than 
>the previous one (a large age difference is a big part of this), but the 
>disrespectfulness was present during the old SPL's term as well.
>
Become more instrumental in the planning of the activities.  I don't mean  
do it all, but be the moderator.  Present the PLC with ideas and have them  
choose which ones they would like to do.  The secret is to pick ideas with  
ulterior motives, such as learning (God forbid).  If the SPL is not  
forceful, then you have to take up that slack.

>I have talked to the boys as a group about this topic a few times in  
recent
>months, and last spring took up an entire meeting on the subject.  It  
works
>as a temporary fix, but within a few weeks the lack of respect is back.
>
>How do I get a room full of teenage boys to sit still and listen for 20
>minutes, and, more importantly, how do I teach them the importance of
>respect for their leaders.  (Uniforming has not really been a problem, as  
the
>boys, except for one, tend to wear their uniforms to every meeting.)
>
In ameeting, have several 10 minute programs, rather than a couple long  
ones.  This keeps the boys from getting bored.  If you want to lecture on  
certain topics, split the lecture up, and spread it out over a few  
meetings.  You're never going to get the boys to sit down and sit still  
and not talk and not breathe and not enjoy themself for twenty minutes.

>Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  (And if you can figure out how  
to
>get this one last scout to wear his uniform, that would be helpful, too.   
Peer
>pressure hasn't seemed to work.)
>
Don't pressure him.  When he sees fit, he'll start to wear his uniform to  
meetings.  Or he will stop coming to meetings.  There is a fine line that  
every boy who cares about scouting has to cross.  Before they do, they may  
be wishy washy, not wear the uniform, not advance quickly, and only come  
to meetings because their parents make them.  After they do, they will  
have an avid interest in scouting.  They will advance more.  They will be  
proud of their unifrom.  They will come to meetings even after they make  
Eagle, because they ENJOY scouting.


--
**************************************************************************
Jerry W. Montgomery II
Chemical Engineering Major; Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Eagle Scout & Vigil Honor member Wulakamike Lodge 21 WWW
ASM Troop 286  Indianapolis, Indiana
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