Your son\u2019s soon going to receive his Arrow of Light badge and graduate from Cub Scouting into the real adventure of BOY SCOUTING!\u00a0 He and his den have already visited at least one Boy Scout troop meeting and one Boy Scout outdoor activity.\u00a0 Now it\u2019s your<\/em> turn\u2026 You and he together will visit a troop, where you\u2019ll meet the Scoutmaster and see the Scouts in action.\u00a0 You want your son to get the best possible experience from Boy Scouting, so the troop he joins is important to you as well as to him.\u00a0 There may or may not be a \u201cfeeder\u201d troop that your son\u2019s pack is associated with, and there may be other troops nearby, so it\u2019s important to keep in mind that no boy \u201cmarries\u201d a troop\u2014he joins it to get the most out of Scouting, and he can change from one troop to another anytime he wants, for whatever reason he wants (in sports, it\u2019s called \u201cfree agent,\u201d which is exactly how you and your son always want to think about this).<\/p>\n But\u2026 If you want your son in a great troop, what do you do, and what do you look for when visiting?<\/p>\n Start here: Borrow your son\u2019s new BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK<\/em> and read the first couple of chapters.\u00a0 This will give you a heads-up on how Boy Scouting is different from Cubs, and what his new handbook is promising him he\u2019s going to get and do, as a Boy Scout.\u00a0 Now you\u2019re armed.\u00a0 So here are a few important things to look for\u2026 Clues that the troop you\u2019re observing is going to be OK\u2026<\/p>\n Start with the obvious: Are the Scouts and uniformed adult volunteers wearing their uniforms, and are they head-to-toe?\u00a0 If the answer\u2019s no, or at best haphazard, or maybe \u201cfrom the waist-up,\u201d then that\u2019s a clear signal of how they treat the even more important aspects of Boy Scouting: It\u2019ll likely be half-hearted, sloppy, and off-the-mark.\u00a0 If uniforming is complete or near-complete, there\u2019s a better chance that other aspects of the Boy Scout program are being delivered the way the program\u2019s written to be delivered.<\/p>\n The next most obvious is: Who\u2019s running the meeting?\u00a0 \u00a0If it\u2019s a Scout (he\u2019d likely be the Senior Patrol Leader), that\u2019s exactly what you\u2019re looking for: In Boy Scouting, adults don\u2019t run meetings; Scouts do.\u00a0 If, on the other hand, you see one or more adults \u201cin charge,\u201d including teaching skills, running games, making announcements, and so on, start planning to visit another troop. Fast.\u00a0 When the Scouts are running the show, you have some good assurance that, along the way, your own son will get to do this, too!\u00a0 This is how tomorrow\u2019s leaders are developed!<\/p>\n Is there an obvious meeting plan: Does it seem apparent that there\u2019s a plan and schedule that the Scouts are operating from, or is it your impression that they\u2019re sort of making it up as they go along?\u00a0 Again, ask yourself: What kind of learning environment do you want your son exposed to?<\/p>\n Are any skills being taught, and how are they taught?\u00a0 Boys of this age prefer learning-by-doing.\u00a0 Every troop meeting\u2019s supposed to provide time for peer-to-peer skills instruction of some sort, and it should ideally be hands-on; not lecture-style.\u00a0 If you spot adults doing the teaching, by lecturing at the Scouts, it\u2019s time to back-stroke out of there.\u00a0 But if you see boys teaching boys, in patrol groups, with adults as more-or-less \u201cwallpaper,\u201d then there\u2019s a good chance Boy Scouting is going on in the room.<\/p>\n What sorts of games do they play?\u00a0 Troop meetings are supposed to have a segment where patrols play a game that reinforces a skill, helps build teamwork, or is challenging in some way.\u00a0 If the game is dodge-ball, or tossing around some Nerf balls, basketballs, or footballs, and there\u2019s no coherent purpose other than blowing off a little steam, this troop\u2019s off the mark.<\/p>\n Are trips and outing planned by the Scouts, as patrols<\/em>?\u00a0 The meeting should include some quiet planning time, where patrols separate themselves from one another and, led by their Patrol Leaders, sit down and plan which Scouts are responsible for what (food, transportation, getting tents from the Quartermaster, and so on).\u00a0 If, instead, one of the adults is standing there asking for a show of hands on who\u2019s going on the trip, and talks to other parents about who\u2019s doing the driving, who\u2019s buying the food for the troop, and so on, this isn\u2019t a troop at all: It\u2019s simply a big patrol run by \u201cThe World\u2019s Oldest Patrol Leader.\u201d<\/p>\n And here\u2019s another top-priority observation: Check the Scouts\u2019 faces. Do they look happy, energetic, and like they\u2019re having a good time and glad they\u2019re there?\u00a0 Or do they look blank or bored out of their skulls, just sort of \u201cgoing through the motions\u201d?\u00a0 (This aspect may be the most telling of all!)<\/p>\n Finally, how does the meeting end?\u00a0 It\u2019s supposed to end with what\u2019s called \u201cThe Scoutmaster\u2019s Minute\u201d\u2014a very brief moment at the end when the Scoutmaster speaks to the Scouts with a parable or short (very short!) story that helps reinforce one of the Ideals of Scouting (found in the Scout Oath and Law).\u00a0 If the Scoutmaster lectures, makes announcements, or otherwise wastes this critical moment, consider looking elsewhere.<\/p>\n When you visit with your son, it\u2019s helpful to have some questions to ask, to create a dialogue and to learn more about the troop.\u00a0 Here are a few worth asking\u2026<\/p>\n Well, that\u2019s it for now.\u00a0 Certainly there are many facets of Boy Scouting we haven\u2019t touched on here; my intent isn\u2019t to be comprehensive but, rather, to give you some key highlights.\u00a0 You can always check these out in more depth, or check on other aspects as well\u2014That\u2019s up to you!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n HappY BOY ScOuTing!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n