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| Effort |
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In order to sustain self-effort and zest in training the effort must be founded on true discipline. What is true discipline? It is a free gift from a free person. It cannot be compelled from without; it must come from within. It is a spirit which is created by the constant performance of acts of:
(a) Self-effort
(b) Glad obedience
(c) Punctuality
(d) Cleanliness
(e) Tidiness
(f) Method
(g) Teamwork
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| Individuality |
– qualities which are necessary and basic to a well-ordered life as well as Scouting. It is preferable to train by means of the eye than the ear; as well as being more vivid and practical, it saves time by eliminating long verbal explanations
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| Independence |
—the bugbear of training. As far as possible use signals rather than words of command; they teach observation, which in turn trains the memory and exercises the intelligence. When instructions and orders are given orally a natural voice and a quiet conversational tone should be used; the leader should be his natural self. The quieter the voice the more intently the class are likely to listen
– teach them to use their ears in the right way
– it is a useful Scout accomplishment
– also, it introduces the attentive and observant atmosphere of Scouting into the training. He should take up a commanding position in front of his class where he can be seen by all when he gives a signal.
In teaching a new exercise the leader should demonstrate without further explanation; the class should do it working independently, a stated number of times, the leader in the meantime closely watching the performance of each individual. Don’t expect perfection at once. When all have finished select the best performer and get him to demonstrate the exercise to the class: give them another try. Such positive methods in instruction stimulate a wholesome spirit of enterprise and at the same time encourage “home Industry” and individual effort.
All the exercises should be done in free time, on one’s own, with individual expression and not with mechanical uniformity. The development of individuality is an essential feature in Scouting. It should be regarded as a triumph in training if an individual is induced to train himself; it is a concrete step towards self-leadership, the basis of leadership. When exercises are done in independent time it eliminates the risk of strain to the weaker members of the class. We know that exercises performed together by the whole class, under the direction of the leader, make for mass production, stifle initiative, and are apt to be a torture to the backward individual. In class an average exercise should normally be performed six times, while extra light exercises can be done from eight to ten times. Progress is maintained by greater self-effort and expression put into the action by the individual and not by increasing the number of times the exercise is performed. Independent self-effort, stimulated in class, influences a Scout to train on his own, a
big step in the all-round development of the individual.
A leader who is able to induce one of his own class to do this has truly scored a goal and proved his ability to lead and inspire. As solo training, in the privacy of one’s room, is the means of kindling greater keenness for class training in Troop Headquarters, so should Recreative Training, done during the winter months, be a suitable preparation and inspiration for greater keenness and zest for Scouting in the countryside during the summer. The more that Recreative Training can be associated with actual Scout activities, the more likely is it to help towards this end.
Scouting Everywhere 