Scouting, Volume 48, Number 9, December 1960 Page: 27
32 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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I had seen enough boys successful-
ly teaching boys to be convinced
of the merit of this method, gen-
erally. However, these were boys
teaching average normal boys. Jeff,
on the other hand, was exceptional in
one respect, I was inwardly a little
doubtful.
Jeff, a nonswimmer, had the worst
case of morbid fear of water in my
experience. Walking into water at
ankle depth meant for him a decided
and courageous fight against a fear
he knew to be abnormal, but a fear
nonetheless real. Whatever the roots
of this phobia, it was strengthened
by the uncertainty of weak sight.
For a couple of months before
going to summer camp, I had been
talking with Jeff and his parents. I
promised Jeff that, with his coopera-
tion, he would be taught to swim at
the camp. He agreed to try. During
the first turtle class at camp on Mon-
day morning, I was an interested,
sympathetic, and somewhat anxious
observer.
H I N G
One of the junior instructors, a
sixteen year old, noticed Jeff standing
alone at one end of the turtle pool,
quite obviously not enjoying himself.
The instructor went over and took
him in hand for personal attention.
I watched that Scout give an exhibi-
tion of understanding and patient
help and encouragement that we
usually expect only from the most
devoted and dedicated among adult
teachers—and not from teen-agers.
By the end of that first hour, Jeff
had succeeded in sticking his nose
into water for a fast ten count. Tues-
day, he raised it to a count of fourteen.
Friday, he had learned to float but
was still unhappy about it all. Satur-
day, thanks to the week-long patient
coaching of that sixteen year old,
Jeff swam half the length of the pool;
and, for the first time in his life, was
happy to be in the water.
Benjamin M. Landey
Assistant Scoutmaster
Sharon, Massachusetts
J***
***?'* /fA - A>
i
A quote in a letter received from
Poland. Yes, the people living in
captive nations behind the Iron
Curtain want to know about the
Free World . . . want to know the
truth. And RADIO FREE EU-
ROPE is doing a great job in bring-
ing it to them.
But your dollars are needed. Dol-
lars that pay for transmitters, an-
nouncers, news analysts. So keep the
truth alive by keeping RFE on the air.
Send your Truth Dollars for
RADIO FREE EUROPE
to
Core of your local Postmaster
'Just about now we'd be thanking our lucky
stars we didn't go."
27
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 48, Number 9, December 1960, periodical, December 1960; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth329291/m1/29/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.