One of my goals for this year has been to let the boys do more of the
teaching and devotionals. So far, I have been quite successful in this. It
has been a learning experience for me and the boys.
I have had boys that tried (some successful - some unsuccessful) to use a
teaching style similar to me. I tend to tell a lot of stories and jokes to
illustrate my point. I also tend to not use notes. I don't even have a
stand to hold my Bible. I put it on a chair in front till I need it. There
have been other boys that act and sound like one of the other commanders.
They put their notes and Bible on the stand and read the lesson word for
word. Still others are a style all their own with no resemblance to anyone.
This has brought out two issues that I want to share:
1. Your boys imitate you. This seems like a no-brainer, but knowing it and
KNOWING it are two different things. Even though they may not seem to be
paying attention, they are going to imitate you! This puts a great
responsibility on the commander's shoulders. Are you doing something in
class, church, or on outings that you would be ashamed of if one of the boys
did it at home. A friend of mine that used to be a commander had a very low
tolerance for drivers that were less than "perfect". Whether in the church
van, bus, or his own car ... he would honk his horn(and sometimes yell out
the window) at slow drivers, those passing on the wrong side, and anybody
that did not drive according to his standards. Some of the boys that were
in his group were riding with the pastor's wife one day when a car pulled in
kind of close in front of them. One of the boy's quickly spoke up that
Commander ___ would have honked his horn and yelled at them if he was
driving. The rest of the story is history......
2. Not all boys are "natural" public speakers. Many of them are very scared
and insecure when it comes to speaking to a group. Just because a boy has
completed all of the Pioneer requirements, does not mean that he can teach a
class. There is a public speaking merit, but other than that - we don't
seem to have any 'requirement' to teach the boys to teach.
*****
We are having an outing this weekend to the Space Center in Hutchinson, KS.
It is a reward for some boys that worked hard and completed 4 specific
merits over the last 2 months. There are only 9 boys going. As expected,
the 9 boys going are the ones that are in leadership positions in the
outpost. I plan on using tonight and the 4 hour drive tomorrow to teach
these boys some principles of leadership, how to prepare a devotion or a
class, and how to present it.
Are any of you doing anything targeted at helping the boys to be better
public speakers? What kind of stuff are you doing?
I will let you know how the trip and training turns out...
In His Service,
Allen R. Cook - Cookie
Royal Rangers Senior Commander
Belton A/G -- Belton, Missouri
e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
web page: http:\\www.sound.net\~pabonim\index.htm
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