Scouting, Volume 60, Number 4, May-June 1972 Page: 12
56, [12] p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Class ranks. Who do you suppose made
up this board of review? The Scout
executive and his three-man staff! It's
hard to believe now, isn't it? Of course,
in those days councils were small, just
learning what their function was.
When I told a friend about this re-
cently, he said "You think that's some-
thing. Where do you think I took my
Tenderfoot test? From the executive
of the Portland council!"
I doubted whether I should even
mention this; it probably never hap-
pened anywhere else. But I got cur-
ious and did some digging, and what
do you suppose our national by-laws,
1921, say? "In communities where
there are local councils, Second and
First class tests should be given by
the Scout executive . .
Of course, as councils grew, the re-
viewing procedure was delegated to
districts, but the basic problem was
not solved. Our concern for main-
taining high standards too often led
us to make the review a reexamina-
tion. And when some members were
expert in certain skills and too zeal-
ous in their concern for perfection,
the stumbling blocks they threw in
the way of progress could be mon-
12 strous. How little confidence we
seemed to have in the Scoutmaster's
judgment. And how little we seemed
to realize what we were doing to the
boy's interest.
Years went by and the reviewing
and court of honor were turned over
to troops. Another step was taken:
The board of review was not to be a
reexamination, but was rather to sat-
isfy itself that standards were being
maintained. Tricky wording! And hard
for troop committeemen to know just
what they were supposed to do. I
know; I've been one too, and over
the years I've often wondered to my-
self, "How did we get this way? What
are we really trying to accomplish?"
Because of these recollections of
some of the things that limited a boy's
gaining the full values of the advance-
ment program, I am thrilled with the
changes that are in the offing. They
seem to keep all the values of the orig-
inal program and remove the hurdles
that so often limited that program.
The new approach makes it possible
for a boy to get going right away,
and to get recognition as soon as he
completes the Skill Award which he
chose to start on. (Note that: Which
HE chose. This is packed with mean-
ing!)
As he starts working out his pro-
gram—his program!—he learns that
there is no cut-and-dried set of re-
quirements for each rank. (I'm sorry;
the ranks are going to be called Prog-
ress Awards now but they have been
ranks to me over since I got my Ten-
derfoot 60 years ago, and it's going to
take me a little time to say it right.)
He will get his Tenderfoot badge when
he has done these things:
(1) Participate in troop and patrol
activities for at least 2 month.
(2) Repeat from memory the Oath
or Promise and the Law, and
demonstrate that he has prac-
ticed these ideals in his every-
day life.
(3) (and this is where it starts to
get different) Earn the Citizen-
ship and one other Skill Award.
(There he has his first choice.)
(4) Earn any one merit badge.
(Compare this with the long-
time situation where merit
badges have been usually
thought of as being for First
Class Scouts only.)
(5) Participate in the Personal
Growth Agreement conference.
(This may well be the most
valuable requirement of each of
the steps from Tenderfoot to
Eagle. In it the Scout, with the
Scoutmaster as a friendly coun-
selor, thinks about his own de-
velopment—such things as get-
ting along with others his own
age, becoming self-reliant, de-
veloping personal fitness, ac-
quiring personal values. With
these in mind, he plans for
his next progress award.)
That's the way a boy will become
Tenderfoot, and the pattern is similar
for Second and First Class. It con-
tinues to stress the importance of
living by the tenets of the Oath and
Law and of participating in the life
of the troop. All the skills which we
have so long associated with Scouting
are kept. (With one exception: Signal-
ing has finally bit the dust, and I doubt
if there will be enough tears shed to
allay that dust!)
Many other skills which are impor-
tant to folks in today's world have
been added. The merit badges not
only are kept but are an integral part
of advancement.
The new program won't be as simple
as the old one, but isn't it possible
that simplicity could have been a
limitation rather than a virtue? It
was simple because it offered no
choices. That simplicity—that rigidity
—must have been one of the reasons
that 50 percent of all the boys who
joined Scouting—over 27 million boys
—didn't get beyond Tenderfoot.
So much for the content of the ad-
vancement program. Now let's take
a look at its operation. The big change
is in the review. The board of review,
which has always been an adult re-
sponsibility, will now be handled by
the Scouts. Does this shock you? Does
it seem like we're dropping all concern
for standards?
It is a radical departure from all
we've known, but the more you think
about it, the more you see its possi-
bilities and values.
In the first place, it is a key part
of the new emphasis on boys doing
more about decision-making as a most
important part of their growth. The
first place they do this is in the plan-
ning of their own advancement. The
next is here, in the reviewing process.
If we want boys to assume greater
responsibility for what the troop plans
and does, and if we want them to learn
to work with each other, the review-
ing of advancement seems like a na-
tural place for them to get involved.
It works like this: For the first three
progress awards the troop leaders'
council reviews a Scout's work just
as an adult board of review always
has, and recommends to the Scout-
master that he be awarded his badge
or that more work be required. For
Star, Life and Eagle, the troop leaders'
council recommends the candidates to
the Scoutmaster for the troop com-
mittee progress review.
I don't think we need to worry
about lower standards. Actually, boys
will probably be harder on each other
than the adults are. Have you heard
boys talk to each other about "push-
overs?" There won't be any more of
that! (ED. NOTE: Scouts who are reg-
istered before September 1, 1972, may
use the old program or the improved
program until December 31, 1973. Boys
who join after September 1, 1972, must
use the improved program.) y£
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 60, Number 4, May-June 1972, periodical, May 1972; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353693/m1/16/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.