Being Prepared for Eagle SM Conference

[Wapiti]

My son completed his project in September, and last night the SM told him that he wanted to do the conference in the next month or two. The SM told my son to plan on a 1 to 2 hour meeting. How do I prep my son for it?

[Mrw]

Wow, that is a really long conference! Even for Eagle, I have not seen one anywhere near that long in our troop.

As far as preparation, I would guess that he should be prepared to discuss his future plans and how he might continue to be involved with the troop to help others along.

[smtroop168]

My son completed his project in September, and last night the SM told him that he wanted to do the conference in the next month or two. The SM told my son to plan on a 1 to 2 hour meeting. How do I prep my son for it?

Why is the SM waiting to have the SM conference in the next month or two? Does he have all the requirements completed? Is he "young"?

My Eagle SMC can last an hour because we go through all his paperwork to ensure there are no glitches. (I do EBORs for the district and it is amazing how little attention to this occurs). Then we chat about all kinds of stuff, both scouting and non-scouting, including the life ambition statement, pose some sample BOR questions and generally try to put the scout at ease and build confidence so they don't stress out.

But to answer your question, I don't know your son's personality but if he's ready for Eagle, he doesn't need any preparation for a final exam, he'll be fine.

[joat]

He shouldn't have to prep at all. The SM conference is nothing more than a friendly discussion with the Scoutmaster. The question I'd ask the SM is why can't he do the conference in the next week? A one month delay raises an eyebrow; a two month delay is absurd.

[Wapiti]

I feel like my son is on the fast track, in our troop anyway, to get a SM Conference in under 12 months. My son has had all Eagle requirements completed, except the project, for a year. My son is 15-1/2 & a high school sophmore. He's been a Philmonter twice (once w/the SM), worked as a CIT at the Council Camp, and is going back again next summer, & OA Brotherhood.

The reason for a 2 hour interview: the SM told my son, to cover his entire Scouting experience going back to Cub Scouting....

[Mrw]

It sounds like your SM is on a bit of an ego trip. Are there other Eagles in the troop or is your son the first in a long while?

I really does bug me when the adults lose track of the idea that we are doing this for the kids and not primarily for our own gratification and self importance.

[Wapiti]

I don't know if our SM is on an ego trip, but he's certainly living Scouting thru his son, as he wasn't one. If, our council has any sort of training, he's there, he's done it all. He told me once that he has a responsibility to Scouting not to let any "unworthy" Scouts attain the rank of Eagle.

Our troop usually has between 2 & 6 Eagles/year, but my son is the first of the sophmore class, and he's "young" for our troop.

My younger Star Scout son is in another troop that had 3 Scouts do their projects the same time my Life Scout did his. They're just waiting on the go-ahead from the District to schedule their EBOR. These boys go to the same HS as my older one and are asking him what's going on....

[wagionvigil]

I don't know if our SM is on an ego trip, but he's certainly living Scouting thru his son, as he wasn't one. If, our council has any sort of training, he's there, he's done it all. He told me once that he has a responsibility to Scouting not to let any "unworthy" Scouts attain the rank of Eagle.

Our troop usually has between 2 & 6 Eagles/year, but my son is the first of the sophmore class, and he's "young" for our troop.

My younger Star Scout son is in another troop that had 3 Scouts do their projects the same time my Life Scout did his. They're just waiting on the go-ahead from the District to schedule their EBOR. These boys go to the same HS as my older one and are asking him what's going on....

The bold area really bothers me!

[Mrw]

I don't know if our SM is on an ego trip, but he's certainly living Scouting thru his son, as he wasn't one. If, our council has any sort of training, he's there, he's done it all. He told me once that he has a responsibility to Scouting not to let any "unworthy" Scouts attain the rank of Eagle.

Our troop usually has between 2 & 6 Eagles/year, but my son is the first of the sophmore class, and he's "young" for our troop.

My younger Star Scout son is in another troop that had 3 Scouts do their projects the same time my Life Scout did his. They're just waiting on the go-ahead from the District to schedule their EBOR. These boys go to the same HS as my older one and are asking him what's going on....

The bold area really bothers me!

Me too!

[cballman]

After reading this I think the scoutmaster is on an ego trip. He also sees it as the way for him to say you dont belong in as an Eagle scout. He might be living out his childhood as a scout and wants to see his son reach Eagle Before any other child. A scoutmaster conference is just that. A conference. But to make a child wait a month that seems a little bit extreme in any case. I can see a week or two at the most because I would not like to do it at a meeting but elsewhere. Just so there is NO interuptions at all. I see this as a way to find out more about the child to see if this is what he wants or if it is his parents wish. I have been in scouting a couple of years and have seen both of these types of kids and parents. If a scoutmaster cannot find time to give a conference to a child more quickly then I think he needs to rethink why he is scoutmaster.

[smtroop168]

I feel like my son is on the fast track, in our troop anyway, to get a SM Conference in under 12 months. My son has had all Eagle requirements completed, except the project, for a year. My son is 15-1/2 & a high school sophmore. He's been a Philmonter twice (once w/the SM), worked as a CIT at the Council Camp, and is going back again next summer, & OA Brotherhood.

The reason for a 2 hour interview: the SM told my son, to cover his entire Scouting experience going back to Cub Scouting....

I can see a SM conference taking a while if you cover all his scouting experiences. Sounds like he's done some neat stuff. The time lag is the problem.

I don't know if our SM is on an ego trip, but he's certainly living Scouting thru his son, as he wasn't one. If, our council has any sort of training, he's there, he's done it all. He told me once that he has a responsibility to Scouting not to let any "unworthy" Scouts attain the rank of Eagle.

Our troop usually has between 2 & 6 Eagles/year, but my son is the first of the sophmore class, and he's "young" for our troop.

My younger Star Scout son is in another troop that had 3 Scouts do their projects the same time my Life Scout did his. They're just waiting on the go-ahead from the District to schedule their EBOR. These boys go to the same HS as my older one and are asking him what's going on....

Two things here...the SM's gatekeeper mentality and why is your younger son in another troop. Both are Paul Harvey scenarios.

[evmori]

My son completed his project in September, and last night the SM told him that he wanted to do the conference in the next month or two. The SM told my son to plan on a 1 to 2 hour meeting. How do I prep my son for it?

An hour or two? That seems excessive! Cub Scouting has nothing to do with any Boy Scout rank.

One very important thing to remember - A Scoutmaster Conference is not pass/fail. It is participate in.

[Bill Pitcher]

If your son has been as active as you've stated, this SM should know that he "is worthy" if he the SM, too, has been around. Forty-five minutes to an hour is more than enough to cross the "T's" and dot the "I's" in a SM conference for Eagle. And, I hope he doesn't need all of this time to read over the project report in front of your son. That should be done on his time, at another place. Do you think he just wants to talk over old scouting times? Two hours is too much. Wow, his EBoR won't take that much time!

[jr56]

The delay for the SM conference is absurd. The length of the conference is excessive. Who does this guy think he is? It's not his position to decided who is a valid Eagle candidate, that is up to the boy to decide for himself. From your description it certainly appears that your son is capable of that.
If he has really taken all that training, too bad he didn't learn anything from it.

[kwildman]

Where is the committee in all of this? Are they supporting the SM in this? I would be getting a new SM for this troop if this guy doesn't straighten up and follow the program.

[Wapiti]

After 2-1/2 months, the Scoutmaster Conference was completed yesterday at this month's campout. It lasted 2-1/2 hours.

[wagionvigil]

Waaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy too Long!

[Mrw]

Waaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy too Long!

I agree wholeheartedly! Too long of a wait for the conference and too long of a conference.

[PaulSWolf]

It should have been within a week of the first request, and should have taken between 30 and 60 minutes TOPS.

[Billiken]

After 2-1/2 months, the Scoutmaster Conference was completed yesterday at this month's campout. It lasted 2-1/2 hours.

Unbelievable....both the fact it too so long to secure AND it lasted longer than a movie.