It's Tuesday night. Another Scout meeting. I arrive at my usual time, about 6:00 p.m. to change clothes out of my dress attire and into my Scout Uniform. I have always felt comfortable in it. I examine the Scout Hall and review the up coming meeting notes that the Patrol Leader's Council (PLC) had created for tonight. It's nights like these that I am so very grateful that our Troop is youth led, you see, there is a committee meeting tonight.
The month before the PLC had planned out all the meetings for this month and assigned the roles and responsibililites to different members, Instructors, and Patrol Leaders. During their Patrol Time or breakout they will plan for the upcoming camping trip and the meeting will be run primarily by the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader.
It was decided a long time ago that when the Troop has a Committee meeting that the Senior Patrol Leader should attend along with the Scoutmaster to give a report on the Patrols and upcoming activities decided upon by the PLC. During this time it allowed the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader to gain experience in leading the whole troop as a way to begin the development and natural progression to becoming an effective Senior Patrol Leader.
So, as I look over my notes of what to review for the committee meeting I also make a few notes for the SPL/ASPL of reminders to mention for tonight while I am away in the other room. I head down the hall of the church towards the copy room to make some handouts for the committee and as they I look at my watch and realize I have just enough time to go have a few minutes of quiet time in the chapel, I like to have a little prayer time to meditate on the blessings we have each day and to lift up the boys in our Scout Troop, and gather my thoughts as I transition from the busyness of the work day to the business of the Scout Troop.
It's now 6:45 p.m. I head back down the hallway from the chapel with papers in hand to greet the Scouts, parents, and committee members as they enter the building. Wow, it's going to be a full room tonight for both youth and adult! Nothing makes me more happier than to see all the boys gathering together as brother Scouts. I try to make it a point to say hello to each one and have a 60 second conversation with them before they kick off with the opening ceremony and I have to dash out to the committee room. Most of the times the conversations are longer than 60 seconds but with 30 boys, that's 30 minutes total time and well, there just isn't enough time. That's why the camping trips and Scoutmaster Conferences are so important. And they are just as excited to tell me about their week as I am to hear it. But before I know it the Senior Patrol Leader has taken his station at the front of the room with the raised Scout Sign, the right hand up in the air, elbow bent at 90 degree angle and the three fingers straight up while the thumb clasps over the "pinky" finger. That calls the entire room to attention and it is now my turn to step back into the shadows while these young men begin their program night.
A few parents try to catch me to relay some information or ask a few questions but already the committee has began their meeting, on time, just as the Scouts in the other room do. So I try to answer what I can and invite them to attend the committee meeting where their questions may be answered. Some parents are able while others are not due to other commitments. I always welcome them to attend the announcements at the end of the troop meeting so they can hear information first hand because sometimes with the youth, not all information is relayed properly back to parents resulting in phone calls and text messages during the week.
I enter the committee room, all eyes usually turn to me. Not sure why, maybe because I am the one late. I take my seat at the opposite side of the room so I can keep an eye on the door in case a scout or one of the youth leaders needs to grab my attention. The committee understands that from time to time I may have to excuse myself from the room to check on the program next door or if a scout needs me. Soon after I take my seat the Senior Patrol Leader enters the room. He has just finished getting the program kicked off, went over the objectives for the night and handed the reigns over to his Assistant Senior Patrol Leader. He sits next to me, the Scoutmaster, so we can share notes and I can back him up during the committee meeting.
Our Committee Chairperson is wonderful, she is quick and efficient at keeping the conversation going and moving through the order of business to be discussed. I like it! Each committee member reports on the progress for their "department" from Advancements, Camping and Outdoor Program, Finance, and so on. Our program is wide and very integrated so most of the time there is overlap from one report to the other with typically input from myself and the Senior Patrol Leader on each area of discussion but we move through it.
I look up from my notes and see a scout in the window of the door. I silently ask if he needs to see me from my position at the committee table. He nods his head yes and I get up while excusing myself and head out the door. In the hallway we have a discussion because he is concerned about an upcoming trip and his patrol assignment. I direct him to his Patrol Leader and try to be compassionate for his concerns while reinforcing the patrol method. He returns to the Scout Hall and I to the committee room. A few minutes later we into a discussion about Scout Camp from the previous year and plans for the next year, just 11 months away. Again I see another scout outside the door looking for my attention. I have already had these conversations and discussions with the Camping Coordinator prior to the committee meeting so I again politely excuse myself and go address this Scout's concerns.
While out of the room I go look into the Scout Hall to assess where they are in the program. They are currently doing patrol breakouts and planning for the upcoming trip. I know that soon they will be dispersed into a game or activity just before the meeting closes and I must be prepared to deliver my Scoutmaster Minute. I had already picked one out for tonight and studied it a little before hand during the day. I leave the Scout Hall and notice there is a light on in one of the other rooms in the hallway. I go down to examine it. I find two Scouts with another older Scout who had turned 18 in the recent years, was away at college and now returned home. I step in to see if they were assisting in the program some how or just hanging out. They were just hanging out and enjoying some "taco" flavored sunflower seeds which a I grabbed a few and expeditiously discarded while making the statement that, "there were awful". I asked them to re-join the others to assist and to make sure to straighten up the room when they left. I made a mental note to have a discussion with our returning scout about his future involvement and understanding his role as an adult versus when he was a youth now.
Again, I head back into the committee room, this time my Senior Patrol Leader leaves as the committee wishes to discuss a matter that was brought to attention of some seriousness that we wanted to shield the youth from. Again, I was already aware of this matter and had my discussions with the appropriate parties before hand. So, I decided that sincethe official business of the committee has been laid to rest I would return to the Scout Hall myself.
Entering the Scout Hall I was soon caught in a wave of scouts headed in the opposite direction to go outside for their game/activity. Like a fish swimming upstream, so was I. My Senior Patrol Leader and Assistant Senior Patrol Leader are catching up, I ask a few questions as to what was accomplished tonight and what still needed to be done. Now being briefed, the committee and parents where exiting the committee room and I had to attend to one on one discussions and conversations from those individuals that had further questions or input to give me from the committee meeting.
It's time to close. It wasn't very long, about 10-15 minutes and here comes the sea of fish through the halls of the church as they entered from the outside to make their way to the Scout Hall. I and several other adults were caught in the middle of the path in the hallway. Like a raging current flowing over obstacles and rocks as in one of our white water rafting adventures, so were we only we were the rocks. With that as my sign I excused myself to attend the closing ceremony. The boys were circled around their Senior Patrol Leader who gave some additional announcements and then pointed to me to deliver the Scoutmaster Minute. This was it. What sage words of wisdom would I impart to them tonight? I had a story prepared for them, but, I just didn't feel it was the right one at the moment. As I entered the circle, I looked around at the faces staring back at me and I said, "I don't really have a Scoutmaster Minute prepared for you tonight but I want you know how happy I am to see each and every one of you. Instead of me telling You a Scoutmaster Minute, would you tell ME your favorite Scoutmaster Minute?" and I explained that as I am writing a book I may include some of those in it. So, each person told me in summary of what their favorite minute was. It was kind of a validation for me and a gauge as whether or not what I was saying to them was getting through and if it was sticking. I felt encouraged. Then after they finished I asked them if they ever notice how most of my minutes give an example of someone or something in a situation without actually pointing that person out. They said yes and then I ended by saying, "Well, I do have a Scoutmaster Minute for you after all; it is this, everyone always tell you to be an example, but in this case, DON'T be an example for a Scoutmaster Minute." And then, it was over.
There you have it, my typical night. Other than the committee meeting which happens once a month but I have learned that being Scoutmaster is often a balancing act. I have to juggle many balls in the air from the individual scouts, the youth leaders, to parents and committee members. And sometimes there are other stakeholders in the program such as the Chartered Organization. We teach in leadership training the skill of delegation and if there is any role that idea comes to fruition it is the Scoutmaster role. Of course, the Senior Patrol Leader might have something to say about that too.
For parents or leaders that may read this blog I want you to know how much I appreciate everything you do and that even if you perform 1 simple task a year, it takes a huge burden off of my shoulders and I am so very grateful for every little bit of help. Not only do I recognize it but take heart because so do the scouts. My preferred time to catch up with adults is after the meeting so I can be focused on the boys during the meeting, I promise I am not ignoring you but that is where my attention lies.
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