“The mission of Scouting America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.” Scouting promotes these values through outdoor experiences, leadership opportunities, and character development by being a safe space to learn, fail, and grow. The Scouting program is a movement that positively shapes the future of our world by living and promoting the values that help youth make good choices.
Scouting is something that can influence the lives of young people, but another place that influences them is in the classroom. The classroom is one of the places that has a great influence on young people as they spend a large portion of their daily lives in a classroom learning different subjects and lessons from instructors. These lessons can be subject topics such as math or science, but the students can be influenced by teachers personally as well.
Matt Dalzell, a high school mathematics teacher who is an Eagle Scout and Arrowman from Lenapehoking Lodge IX said, “great teachers aren’t only masters of content but are also positive and effective life mentors.” As an Eagle Scout, Matt’s time in Scouting reflected greatly on his approach and belief in mentorship as a way to help the youth of the future. He feels that the most important thing for a teacher and mentor is to be there for students, to truly support them, and to help them as the students need it. He feels that his mentors in Scouting helped him to teach with this approach that strives to meet every student where they are at and to not only try and help them learn the material but to also make a positive impact in their daily lives.
Many educators credit their own teachers and mentors as the reason for them becoming teachers themselves. For example, middle school history teacher and Arrowman, Renee Thorpe from Kittan Lodge credits one of her high school history teachers as he fostered a belief in herself by embracing Renee’s passion for history and helping her get opportunities in the field, including working on an archeological dig site. In doing so, he helped her learn about the subject while also teaching her life lessons along the way. Renee’s connection to Scouting started with working at summer camp earlier in life, and as an adult, now has two children heavily involved in the Scouting program. As a supportive adult, she is currently an associate chapter adviser, is her unit's scoutmaster, and helps lead the local district programs. She has continued to foster and promote the values of Scouting in her students with the core philosophy that, “big humans have a responsibility to teach all little humans how to become good future big humans.” Part of the code of conduct in her classroom is the Scout Law as she credits this as a universal code for class etiquette. She even has her students who need to be physically active to go learn basic scout knots to relax. She values teaching students lessons that are important for life inside and outside of the classroom.
One of the many parallels for being a good teacher, and a good adviser, is a staple of learning for every Scout:the EDGE method. This is a method of teaching that can be used in many different situations across all fields of study. Matt Thomas, a journalism teacher, an Eagle Scout, and an Arrowman from Tamegonit Lodge was inducted into the Order of the Arrow as a youth. Then, as an adult, in 2015, when his son got inducted into the OA, they both became very active in the lodge. His involvement was as the lodge secretary’s adviser and helping out in any other roles that they needed him to fill. His other roles in Scouting include being a facilitator for the Trainer’s Edge course as well as being on Wood Badge staff. He teaches youth, and adults, on a daily basis and credits the EDGE method as the foundation for how he effectively teaches scouts and students alike. He refers to the EDGE method as a life skill that he continues to use, and practice, everyday. During his time working in education, he has focused on using the EDGE method as an effective approach to teach students content, as well as life lessons.
Teaching students in the classroom and being an adviser is something that tends to cross paths often, especially for middle school mathematics teacher, and Caddo Lodge member, Scott Alexander. Scott finds interacting with youth on a daily basis to be a “never ending adventure” that allows him to learn from them as much as they learn from him. He works with students daily and strives to make a positive impact in the classroom, as well as in uniform. He credits his Scouting involvement as having a positive impact in how he approaches instructing students, as he worked summer camp at Camp Hoodas a youth, and then into young adulthood, for ten years. He credits his experiences in Scouting as allowing him to have the ability to positively relate to students and understand what their perspective is, helping them to learn and to grow. He points directly to using the Scout Oath and Scout Law as a personal code as well, especially his values of honesty and integrity. “In my experience I’ve learned that today’s youth respond to honesty and integrity, so I try to model that.” This is something that creates a culture of trustworthiness, respect, and comfortability in his classroom that allows for him to be a more effective role model and mentor to students. One of the students he taught ended up in the Scouting program and is now an Eagle Scout. “I believe Scouting enhances people’s lives. Scouting has helped encourage me to find new ways to help enhance these kids' lives [in reference to students].” This bond that he has with his scouts, and students, helps him to be a better adviser as well. As an adviser, he is putting his experiences in academia to use by helping to create training materials for his lodge and section. To reflect on Scott’s teaching mentality, he’s all about helping the kids to learn, and making an effort to have a positive impact on them. “I’ve told my teachers, my students, I’m here. If you need me, I’m here, don’t be afraid to ask me for help. I want to help, because it’s all about you guys [his colleagues, and students]. I’ll sleep in July.”
Matthew Lindsey, an Eagle Scout, Department Chair and Professor for Management & Marketing at Stephen F. Austin State University, and the G3 Section Adviser credits Scouting as an institution that has positively impacted his approach to working with students. Volunteering in scouts and the Order of the Arrow for over 30 years, and teaching students in the classroom, he learns from the youth he works with as much as they learn from him. In his time working with youth, his impact is felt in his role as department chair, and adviser. “As a department chair, I have an opportunity to work with students who sometimes are struggling. Scouting has allowed me to have more experiences, to feel comfortable relating to them in working through challenges and seeing ways to move forward with an approach that tries to help them to positively respond and improve.” This is something that he feels is invaluable to his work and the student experience. Scouting has also impacted his approach to education as he has led many unit level high adventure trips which he claims helped prepare him to be ready to coordinate trips for students to study abroad. The similarities of dealing with complex situations out in the world and out on the trail help him to better assist and guide his students.
Arrowmen from across the country work in education in a variety of positions and roles. These Arrowmen help to positively influence the future by promoting and living the values of Scouting, and in doing so, they strive to be positive role models for students and Scouts alike. The involvement in Scouting for educators helps them to be better advisers, and their time as advisers helps them to become better teachers and mentors. Teachers living the mission of Scouting positively impact our young people to make good moral and ethical choices, helping them to learn and grow.