Wednesday, January 1, 2020

I am an "OLD School" Girl Scout

I never thought that at 37 years of age I would be considered an "old school" anything but it is true.

I am.

And I am sure that there are LOTS of others like me out there, trouble is they have to swim with the tide or be turned out.

I don't.

I was a Girl Scout for a LONG time as a girl. I started out in first grade with Brownies (no Daisies W-A-A-A-A-Y back then) and had an amazing leader. She was so much fun and we did all sorts of things! My favorite was the annual field trip to Pizza Hut! We got a tour and made our own personal pan pizzas, YUM.

Then I moved and went to a new troop for a while, bounced around to a few more troops through still more moves and finally settled in as a third year Junior.

By the time I was a second year Cadette my Leaders had bridged their daughters and moved on. Like many troops mine fizzled and I was done by 10th grade. I never received the Silver Award I earned...{Still a little bitter about that...}

Fast forward a decade and a half or so to DD entering Kindergarten in Naples Italy at the DODEA school.

I didn't even think about Girl Scouts until a friend said she was going to be a Brownie Leader.

I had no clue about Daisies until she told me.

I went to the parent meeting and then the Leader Meeting and the next thing I knew I was a Leader. I am still not 100% SURE how THAT HAPPENED. Thanks Karen, WHEREVER YOU ARE!

Daisies was an AWESOME year. I had a fabulous co-leader who kept me grounded and on task! Gotta love having a former high school math teacher as your co-leader you will NEVER be late or run over your time! We had 16 girls that year and they kept us BUSY.

The following year Pam left me (such is the Navy life) and several moms stepped up to the plate. Through adversity and challenges we accomplished SO much as first year Brownies!
Six girls and I went to Our Chalet that year in Adelboden Switzerland. A feat that NO ONE this side of the water could achieve with all the restrictions, but there it was do-able and AWESOME!

I served as the Overseas Committee Secretary that year as well and planned nine of the 12 annual events. By far the most exciting for the girls was the annual Brownie Lock-In, it was a total Jungle!

The parents of my troop nominated me for "Outstanding Leader." Receiving that award from my girls is to this day one of the highlights of my life.

The following year, our last year abroad, saw me in yet another new role as Overseas Committee Chair. I am not gonna lie and say it was the greatest year ever. Truth be told we had many disappointing moments, but we hung in there and we had Girl Scouts. I sure didn't win any awards and I lost a few "supporters" along the way.

That was the year I realized I was a rebel Girl Scout.

It is also when we stared homeschooling...hmm...wonder if that means anything?

When we moved back stateside I was expecting our third child and DH said ENOUGH with the Girl Scouts, let someone else be the leader. I tried to find a troop for DD to no avail. It was May and troops were closing up for summer. That disappointed me and DD greatly.

Undaunted, I took up the mission and attended Train the Trainer while 8 months pregnant thinking that if I did that I would get more support in my search for a troop. Nope.

By December DD and I were desperate.

We joined a homeschool troop but the time and location and having to travel with a newborn in Norfolk traffic just made that impossible.

Finally I found a troop at the same church were DS had Cub Scouts. I all but tackled the girls when I saw them one night..."Take Me to Your Leader!"

Tara was one of the most energetic and motivated people I have ever known and DD did well in that troop.

Sadly, life happens and Tara moved on, we were Juniors now and we were searching for another troop...

Not finding one I founded a little thing called Summer Scouts. A group of homeschool families with scouts (both girls and boys) who wanted to do fun stuff when troops were off for the summer. We completed several of our Council Own "Explore" patches and had a luau awards ceremony to cap it all off.

Encouraged by the participation I enlisted several moms to start a new group of troops for homeschoolers. Sadly personalities clashed, support fizzled and this group did not last the year.

We finally found a multi-level troop not too far from home. DD has been in this troop ever since. Her first year as a Cadettes DD did not make it to one meeting due to an illness in the family that had us traveling almost every month. But we kept working on awards and IPs.

Last year we were back with the troop now and DD and the girls started working on their Silver Award. She sill be finishing hers up before Christmas and will be moving up to Seniors. She is content in her troop and I am happy she has a Leader who is still like me, an old school Girl Scout.

Why am I telling you all this?

In the 10 years I have been an adult Girl Scout I have seen drastic changes to the program, the organization and to the troop levels.

I am all for keeping up with the times but you don't go messing with core values.

In 1912 when Juliette Low got the notion to start this thing called Girl Scouts she did not have this modern day entity in mind.

She was a rebel, a non-conformist, and she followed her heart but her core values were God and Country.

This new Girl Scouts is getting too far away from that for my taste.

It is more than a change in motto, it is a paradigm shift.

So as long as DD is in Girl Scouts you will find me here, the Old School Girl Scout who is still serving under the Juliette Low banner and this mission statement...

Girl Scout Mission Statement: To inspire girls with the highest ideals of character, conduct, patriotism and service, that they may become happy and resourceful citizens.

Girl Scouting: For Every Girl, Everywhere.

updated 11/2010