Board of Review - It's a Conversation
| Category: | Advancement |
|---|---|
| Notes: | For Scouts facing their first board of review, or any Scout who's nervous about one. Works at a troop meeting before a round of boards, or one-on-one while a Scout waits outside the door. Part of a series - see also board-of-review-what-were-listening-for, scoutmaster-conference-more-than-a-signature, and board-of-review-not-yet. |
A lot of Scouts get nervous before their first board of review. You walk into a room, and there are three or four adults sitting at a table waiting for you. It feels like a test. It isn't one.
You already passed the test. Every requirement for this rank has been signed off. The board isn't going to ask you to tie a knot or recite the first aid steps again. That part is done.
So what do they want? They want to talk to you. They want to know how the troop is going for you, what you liked about earning this rank, what was hard, and what you're looking forward to next. They'll ask what the Scout Law means to you, not to hear you recite it, but to hear what you think. Some of them have been where you are. They're on your side.
Here's my advice. Wear your uniform as well as you can. Look them in the eye. Shake their hands. And then just be honest. If you don't know an answer, say so. If something in the troop isn't working for you, tell them. That kind of honesty is exactly what they're hoping to hear.
The Scouts who do best at a board of review aren't the ones with perfect answers. They're the ones who show up as themselves.
Take a breath. Walk in. You've got this.