Quotes of the Day Part 1: Day 9

Top 10 Reason Why Not

to Be an Eagle Scout:

Reason #1:

The Scout Uniform isn't a...

"Babe Magnet!";

Reason #2:

Outdoor Latrines have this bad...

Habit of not Having 

Any Walls!;

Reason #3:

You get to Miss the Chance to see...

Every facet of Murphy's Law...

in Action on Every campout...

You Attend!;

Reason #4:

Avoid flack from your Friends for...

Missing whatever goes on During...

the Weekend of your Campout!;

Reason #5:

Never get to Sleep 3 Guys in the same...

Wet Sleeping-Bag!;

Reason #6:

Miss the Opportunity to Spend 2 Months...

of each Summer in your Teen years...

Applying every...

Antibiotic Cream,...

Antibiotic Lotion,...

~&~

Spray offered by the...

Medical World on...

Boils,...

Infections,...

Rashes,...

~&~

Poison Ivy!;

Reason #7:

Avoid the Rants, Ramblings,

Scolding's, Arguments,  Battles, Fights,

Insanity, Bluntness, Demands, Orders,

Trouble, Headache, and Heartache

from the Scoutmaster!;

Reason #8:

You won't have to Make a 7 am Campout...

Departure the Night after your...

Prom, or Worse miss...

Prom because your the...

Senior Patrol Leader!;

Reason #9:

Have more Time to Run with...

your Gange!;

and Finally...

Reason #10:

You'll be Like the Other 98...

Percent of Scouts!

Explanation and

Commentary:

So whats the whole point behind these "10 Reasons Not to Become an Eagle Scout"? Don't we want to to get every Scout we can to achieve the daunting task of becoming an Eagle Scout? Why would you want to give excuses to other Scouts to not earn their Eagle Scout? Is it okay to not become a Eagle Scout? And finally Isn't becoming an Eagle Scout the primary goal of Boy Scouts?

Becoming an Eagle Scout while its a great achievement is not the purpose of Boy Scouts. It is an award that is highly respected and honorable because so few people achieve. In your unit achieving the goal of all your members earning their Eagle Scout would be awesome but in reality it just is not possible because of the perseverance, dedication, and skill this award requires. In my opinion if more than 70% of your members become an Eagle Scout it is highly likely that your unit is not fully implement the Boy Scout Program as intended. While this is true a fair amount of the time it is still possible to get 100% of your members to earn their Eagle Scout but the odds and the stats are stacked against you! Common examples could include:

• Making adjustments or changes to Rank Requirements
• Making adjustments or changes to MB Requirements
• Not having the Scout be held to the same standards as others across the country.
• "Merit Badge Mill" Units which are units that earn merit badges just to earn MB's and are MB's that end up being earned way to fast.
• Adult misconduct when it comes to handling advancement related activities.

One important thing to mention is that it is NEVER the youth's FAULT when it comes to ISSUES with ADVANCEMENT. The ONLY group of people in the Troop that is RESPONSIBLE for advancement issues in EVERY situation is the ADULT's and ADULT LEADERS! For me there is no if, ands, ors, or buts about this because the adults are the ultimate gatekeeper when it comes to Scout Advancement.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark West
Assistant Scoutmaster
Camp Gorsuch 2012 Super-Troop Coordinator
T1316- Eklutna District; T669- Tustumena District; T125- Denali District;
Program Committee; Training Committee; Cope Committee; Camping Committee:
NSJ2005 Participant- Youth QM; NSJ2010 Subcamp 7 Staff;
NSJ2013 Extreme Sports Staff; WSJ2007 Youth QM; WSJ2011 IST;
Eagle Scout; OA Nanuk Lodge; Philmont AA2008; 2010 NYLT Staff- Youth QM;


If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.