Little Things Do Matter

Greeting All,

I will try to make regular postings to the space on a weekly basis. I hope to touch on a few different topics and maybe spark some discussion that will help shape the character and direction of our Troop.

With this posting, I want to make a brief comment on Scout appearance and bearing. Now already some of you may be groaning to yourself and wondering whats the big deal. The big deal is that this is the point in our Scouts lives where we will be able to make the biggest, long lasting impression ever. What we teach our sons now with carry through the rest of their lives. Do we want to send a clear positive message or do we want to send conflicting, possibly negative messages? If we do not pay attention now; if we do not care about details at this level then like a stone in a pond the ripples of our indifference with echo throught out their lives.

We can, however, make a big difference now and for comparatively little effort. The title of this post was 'Little Things Do Matter' and here is why. If we can teach our sons the importance and worth of doing small task well, consistantly and correctly, how much easier will it be to teach them the more important tasks which carry eveny great possible outcomes? By insisting on proper uniform wear, attention to detail in the up keep and maintainence of there uniforms and equipment, correctly moving through our ceremonies, we give our boys the foundation to take on larger more important task later in life with relative easy.

By taking care of the little things now, we teach our sons how to take care of the bigger things later. That is why as Scout Master I will enforce proper uniform wear. I will expect the Scout to take pride in themselves as Scouts and in to be attentive to tasks throughout their Scouting experience. Little things do matter and the sooner they learn the value of a small job done well, the easier it will be for them to tackle a larger job with great success.

I will leave you with this one story from my past. As a soldier (in another life many years ago), I was required to shine my shoes and boots on a regular basis. My superior expect to literally be able to see there reflections in the leather. This meant hours of (what I thought at the time) boring, tedious, mind numbing labor. And I could see no tangible reward for this effort just not getting yelled at or written up. It took me many years to realize that this was not just a stupid ritual but a simple and effect means of teaching me a very basic concept...A man that can be depended on to do a simple, even mindless job to the highest standards can also be depended on to take pride in his work in other arenas and be trust to do his best in any job.

This is what I hope to pass on to your sons. I hope you can help me in this effort. So please take a moment if you can and let me know if you agree or disagree and why. I look forward to hearing or reading from you soon.

Take care,
YIS
jdd

Boy Scout Advancement

I have thought a lot lately about BS advancement. Some of us are laissez-faire about our son’s advancement; and some of us really goad them and encourage them. Perhaps I have thought a lot about it because my own son has only advanced to Tenderfoot after almost two years in Boy Scouts. Is this a big deal? We don’t push him that much, and he never seems overly concerned about advancement. The other events in Scouts seem to be enough for him. I read an internet response on this topic recently. A gentleman named A.J. Mako of the Old Portage District, Great Trail Council in Ohio, responded to a remark (on their newsgroup in 2005) about certain adult leaders who act as gatekeepers in their Troops. Gatekeepers in a “bad” way, that is. He says: “There have always been Gatekeepers in Boy Scout advancement. Whether in the troop, or the district, there have always been those who set the standard impossibly high, or insist on judging the book by the cover.” And then we also have heard of Troop leaders who abuse the system and just shuffle their boys through every rank up to Eagle Scout. I hope Troop 401 can find the perfect medium, the right mix. But, continuing along the topic, Mako avers: “As long as we put up with, or even go along with, the idea that everything in Scouting revolves around advancement, or that advancement is ‘the most important part of Scouting,’ we will have people who WANT that top award more than they want the rest of Scouting.” Maybe in the back of my mind I have always felt that advancement shouldn’t be the central part of Scouting. The BS advancement program encourages scouts to be progressive in their character development, leadership, and many other skills. It doesn’t seem to be BSA’s intention that scouts just go along for the ride. Mako sums it up nicely, stating, “Almost every other argument or difference of opinion in the world of scouting boils down to this simple difference of perspective. In both perspectives, advancement is the end result of everything. The difference is that in one, advancement becomes the motivation for everything, while in the other, everything becomes the motivation for advancement.”

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It Begins

And so it begins. Thank you all for attending the meeting on Saturday. I was pleased by the turn out and excited by the ideas. Thank you all also for you points and suggestions. As soon as we get all the Committe positions filled we will be off and running.

This is your Troop. I started this process for the purpose of offering our sons a Scouting opportunity within our own community. In the end, however, it will be up to you parents and your Scouts to determine the strength and direction of our Troop.

I hope to be able to take advantage of this blog, the Troop email and the document storage to keep everybody informed and involved. The newer technology may proved to be a great help.

That's all for now, more later. Drive on!

YIS

jdd

:)

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