What is an Eagle Scout?
What is an Eagle?
An Eagle is an exceptional BOY SCOUT. Not an exceptional boy, young adult, high school student, or a college bound
individual. Not someone who an excellent student, precocious, brilliant, a high achiever, speaks more than one
language fluently, plays two instruments or is an expert sportsman. Not a "great kid". These boys will be awarded acceptance into good colleges, earn degrees and go on to be possibly exceptional adults with possibly exceptional lives. An Eagle is an exceptional BOY SCOUT. One who meets the highest standards put forth by the scouting program. One who exemplifies the principals of the Scout Oath and Law in his personal life. This scout has become a young man with exceptional character based on these principals as defined and who has grown to become a leader among his peers, both in scouting and in his communities. Perhaps is would be easier to understand if we asked, "What is a Boy Scout?"
Scout Oath
On my honor, I will do my best;
To do my duty to God and my country, to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.
This oath is reasonably straightforward. On his honor (reputation, good name, personal integrity) this boy pledges/promises to do his best--a personal pledge at growth with integrity and honesty at the core. To do his duty to God and country--these are defined by family and society. To obey the Scout Law--the foundation of the Scouting program. To help other people, to stay healthy and basically on the right road as defined by his family and the communities in which he lives.
To hold oneself to this oath/pledge/promise is a formidable task. It takes time,
patience, growth, learning, testing, sacrifice, challenge, and courage. Some boys don't succeed. Many boys chose not to try. Some boys make other choices along the way. Those who continue in scouting in pursuit of fulfilling this promise, learn that the Scout Law offers them the tools they need. The program offers them the skills and the knowledge they need. The sense of accomplishment gained by years of service in this program will assure their ability to sustain these ideals through their adult life. This is the end result of a good scouting program. Scouting promotes growth in a positive, healthy, strong direction.
Scout Law
A Scout is:
Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, Reverent.
The Law clearly begins with " A Scout IS"--the intent being to define the characteristics that Scouting will attempt to nourish in a boy to allow him to become a strong, healthy, respectable young adult male.
A Boy Scout is:
· Trustworthy: Warranting trust--dependable, reliable. One who has established his right to be considered worthy of another's confidence.
Synonym:
Faithful: Firm and unchanging attachment to a cause; suggests long and undeviating attachment; adhering strictly to the cause or idea to which one is bound; dutiful and loyal; worthy of trust or credence; consistently reliable.
Loyal: refer to behavior over a long period of time. Reliability
Constant: absence of change and lack of fickleness
Steadfast, staunch and resolute: resistant to change
· Loyal: Steadfastness in allegiance, faithful to an ideal.
Synonym: Faithful
· Helpful: To give assistance, contribute, promote, to give relief, to improve, benefit, to be able to prevent, change or rectify; to be of use or service; to give assistance or aid.
Synonym:
Improve, aid, assist: to contribute to the fulfillment of a need or to the achievement of a purpose.
· Friendly: Favorably disposed; warm, comfortable, benefiting a friend. Not antagonistic.
· Courteous: Characterized by graciousness, considerate toward others--a voluntary, generous consideration of others which is of a helpful nature.
Synonyms:
Polite: marked by consideration for others. Proper social behavior, duly respectful or indulgent of others.
Genteel: the quality of good taste or propriety in a cultured person, suggesting fine sensibilities and respectability.
· Kind: Of a friendly nature, generous or hospitable, warmhearted, good, charitable, helpful, showing sympathy or understanding, humane, considerate, forbearing, tolerant, charitable, courteous, thoughtful, generous, liberal, agreeable, beneficial.
Synonym:
Benign, benevolent, gracious, compassionate: show evidence of concern or sympathy for others. Charitableness and the desire to promote others' welfare; courtesy and warmth, especially to those at a disadvantage; a tendency to be moved to pity easily.
· Obedient: Obeying or carrying out a request, dutiful.
Synonym:
compliant, acquiescent, amenable: acceptance of authority in general. Congenial acceptance of authority indicating accountability and responsibility; a scrupulous sense of responsibility; an interest in reliability in carrying out what is specifically assigned or required--
· Cheerful: Being of good spirits, happy, promoting cheer, pleasant.
Synonym: Glad
Note: teenagers are seldom happy, genuinely happy. Happiness comes from a true sense of being satisfied with one-'s self a good self image, satisfaction with one's accomplishments, earning the respect of others of all ages, being comfortable with being " courteous ", having personal integrity--the Scouting program takes this seriously.
· Thrifty: Wisely economical, industrious, thriving; growing vigorously.
· Brave: Possessing or displaying courage, making a fine display, splendid; to undergo or face courageously, to defy, to challenge.
Synonym:
Courageous, fearless, bold, daring, audacious, gallant, valiant, dauntless: Capable of admirable human action in difficult conditions; an innate quality, the act of consciously rising to a specific test by drawing on a reserve of moral strength and righteousness; resolute self--possession; readiness to meet risk; a desire to seize initiative; a noble display of courage that resists intimidation.
· Clean: Moral, honest, fair, clever, adroit, deft, free from clumsiness.
· Reverent: Feeling or showing reverence--a feeling of profound awe, respect and often of love, veneration. Showing respect.
Synonyms: Honor--esteem, respect
The Exceptional Scout
Scouts recite the Oath and Law throughout their Scouting career. We call it a "career" because to complete it takes years. It isn't a "baby-sitting service" or a way to "occupy his time" or "keep him out of trouble". The goal is to build character and an entire program with trained adults is required. In 6 or 7 years, the expected goal is to provide young men with the tools and the self-possession, dignity and grace, to go into the world and meet the challenges put to them and to succeed in what they do.
Every Boy Scout is expected to be successful in obeying this law to the best of his ability. That is the responsibility he has accepted in being a Boy Scout. This is what makes Boy Scouts different from every other boy. It's what motivates boys, families and leaders to be involved and to support Scouts. This is what defines the program, the skills, the requirements, the Merit Badges--The young man that achieves this character to any degree is a successful Boy Scout and clearly is on the road to being a successful adult. He will be rewarded many times in his life for pursuing this path.
If Scouting is producing such fine young men, what is an Eagle Scout? An Eagle Scout is an exceptional Boy Scout. I in 100 Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle. These boys take the Oath and the Law and incorporate it into their being. They achieve the maximum definition of what a Scout is. Their character evolves into more than the successful Boy Scout. They take this character and easily move into leadership roles.
This takes time. It takes age and maturity. One cannot establish his right to be worthy of other's confidence easily. Loyalty, by definition, requires time. Social behaviors like helpful, friendly, courteous, and kind need a lot of practice in a lot of situations. In an Eagle, these behaviors are the norm, not the exception. Obedience, bravery, reverence come with age--life experience is the teacher. Thrifty and clean are achieved after the challenges of getting through a few dilemmas as a teenager. Cheerful is very difficult for teenagers--it reflects the result of what can take years to achieve. Only after these character traits have become well seated, will it become natural to move into leadership. These are what people look for in a leader--this young man stands out in a crowd. Not just in Scouts, but in every community he is a part of--religious, school, neighborhood, clubs, everywhere. This boy has what it takes. This boy is Eagle material. These are the standards by which an Eagle is measured.
Now that Eagle material has been defined, what tasks have we chosen to prove skill and show achievements? Merit Badges? Many good Scouts have over 30 merit badges and aren't Eagle material. Many Eagle Scouts have only 21 merit badges. Merit Badges meant as a way to gain important skills for life. How many one can earn and how fast depends on many variables--none of which suggest Eagle material. The Eagle Required Merit Badges, such as Personal Management and Family Life, are clearly meant to provide guidance to those boys in their mid teens in dealing with the conflicts and issues of those years--what significance can talking about drugs and alcohol have on a young boy who hasn't come across this social dilemma in his life yet. Imagining saying "no" is very different than being there. These are meant to help gain wisdom, to be used in daily life. You have to be there.
Personal Management is meant to get you ready for leaving home, not turning 15. The Troop Leadership, the adults, must keep the purpose and value of the merit badges in perspective. To push merit badges is to diminish their value, and therefore, diminish the purpose of the Scouting experience. Experience and practice takes time and the right environment. Experience and practice assures success, a sense of accomplishment and expertise. (Cheerful, Trustworthy). Don't rush the merit badges. By the time the boy is 16, he'll be tall enough and physically strong enough to pitch a tent in the storm, stay warm in an ice cave, cook enough food for the new camper and have an extra pair of gloves for the 11 year old who brought the kitchen sink but forgot the gloves. He will be looked at for guidance, for advise, in awe--by his own work. Success.
Leadership
An Eagle is a Scout who has shown a unique ability to lead.
How do we measure leadership? One way is what he does in the Troop setting. Many positions have been developed for providing leadership in the Troop. Obviously the best ones are the elected positions, but these aren't always carried out without bias. Troops need to establish requirements for these positions that afford leadership experience for the appropriate scouts. There need to be assurances built in so that all scouts get the opportunity. Time requirements have been established, but not the number of positions. It is up to the scout to seek them and it is up to the leaders to encourage them.
The purpose of these positions is to challenge the Scout, not defeat him. The leaders use these positions to teach the scout the skills of planning, organizing, problem solving, and motivation. It should be clear that the Troop provides the experience the scout needs to practice his skills, and the stronger the program, the stronger the experience for the scout. All scouts can take leadership positions within the troop. These positions and the roles that come naturally to the scout move him closer to the challenge of Eagle. He is becoming more independent and an individual whose character is taking hold. This is when a Life Scout considers becoming an Eagle candidate.
By this time, the Scout has proven himself a leader among his peers. He has taken the time to establish respect of both his fellow scouts and the leadership. He can be counted on to assume unofficial roles in the Troop: mentor, guide, instructor and assist the leadership in assuring quality in the program. Although gaining the respect of fellow Scouts who have the same opportunity is a challenge, it has been accomplished. The Scout is gaining confidence in his abilities. He is beginning to function more independently, slowly moving away from the influence of home, his parents, and his teachers.
The next step is to measure the leadership outside of the Troop. Community service is an Eagle requirement. In addition to time, this requires a certain level of maturity and stature. The Scout takes on this challenge away from Scouting and his leaders. Usually, a boy will move in the direction of his interests, where he is comfortable in his knowledge. Or he will seek a calculated risk offering a bit oaf challenge. Well--tuned social skills tested on peers over a period of years come naturally and rise to the surface. It becomes apparent that this person can handle responsibility, can be expected to be accountable and finish the task. He has some experience in identifying problems and solving them. In talking with this young man, one can sense he has some life experience under his belt and has handled it well. He has some understanding of challenge in the real world and what it means to face them. Any community will welcome this young man's experience, willingness and capability. He will quickly be pressed to service. This is a growth experience. This is Eagle material.
Leadership in Service--the Eagle Project
If these requirements are measures of leadership ability, what is the purpose of the Eagle project? It is the last hurdle. It pushes the Eagle candidate to the max in a short period of time, to stand alone, to meet the standards (will he follow procedure--or not), to reach out past his leaders. He has to discuss something important to him and his future with a stranger who has authority. He needs to know his project well and why he chose it. He will defend it as an Eagle project. It may be rejected. Will he try again? He will have to accept criticism. Will he do so with dignity? How will he present himself on the phone and in front of the Troop committee--with courtesy? Will he appear confident? How is he going to get volunteers? How is he going to keep them? Can he motivate them to do what he wants them to do? Will he finish? Will he procrastinate? Will he meet the deadline? He is in charge of his destiny, of his success or failure. It's all up to him. Parents can't push, leaders can only do so much. This is it. If you need to hold his hand, he's not Eagle material.
If the candidate is allowed to follow procedure, this is truly the candidate's time--to shine--to show everybody what he can do. The project belongs to the candidate. He decides what he wants to tackle. It must present challenge. It must have a tangible product--one by which his efforts can be measured. It must offer the opportunity to provide exceptional leadership. Most Scouts are hard workers, so hard work isn't the point. Motivating a group of people, often including some adults, is the point. Accomplishing something that will be of benefit to a community is the goal. It means something to him, it's important to him. An excellent school project with a noble purpose or for a noble cause is not necessarily a good Eagle project. Something that a group of scouts or students could accomplish under a good adult leader would not necessarily be a good project. Leadership is the key word. By now he knows his strengths and his limitations. The project will allow him to do something that will make his mark on the world. He will have to plan and organize well before he even starts the work. He will learn to anticipate problems. He will learn to be concerned about the people who work on his project. He will lead people who are acquainted with good leadership. He will learn discipline from a different perspective. He will test everything he has been taught. And, he will probably succeed--with minimal adult assistance.
Achieving the rank of Eagle is a process, not an application or merit badges, or writing up a project. It's not a means toward a scholarship or a good school. It's not notch in an adult's belt. It's the process by which a boy becomes an extraordinary young man. The process of becoming an Eagle is not to be underestimated. If it’s rushed, it is a disservice to the program and ultimately the scout will not have the benefit of the experience. It's hard to become an Eagle. It's supposed to be. Many obstacles have to be overcome, choices have to be made and sacrifices have to be made. But in the end, you are an Eagle. Once an Eagle, always an Eagle. These young men will face challenges, crisis, disappointments, despair, temptation, and pain in their lives just as everyone else does. But unlike everybody else, these young men know that, while other boys were doing other things, they chose to do what it took to achieve the rank of Eagle. With those tools they can meet almost any challenge and overcome it.
What it Means to be an Eagle
This is what it means to be an Eagle. Colleges and employers know what it means to be an Eagle. Government and business know what it means to be an Eagle. An Eagle is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, Reverent.