Patrol Instruction In Proficiency Badges

The work of the Scoutmaster is not so much to teach his Scouts, but to see that they have the opportunity of learning.
Precisely the same may be said with regard to the Patrol Leader. A Leader who is fairly old and experienced is probably in a position to train his Patrol for at least one of the Proficiency Badges. If, however, he is unable to do this, he will take his Patrol to somebody else for instruction. For instance, he may march his Patrol one night a week to the local swimming baths, where they will receive instruction in Swimming from some gentleman who has undertaken to give half an hour a week to this part of the training. He may similarly march them off one evening to the local fire station, where they will receive instruction from a member of the Fire Brigade. He may again take his Patrol to some lady's house, where arrangements have been made for the Patrol to receive instruction in Cooking. He may take his Patrol again to some gentleman's house for instruction in Astronomy, in Gardening, in Carpentry, or in work for any of the other Badges. On the other hand he may be able to get the Instructor to come to the Troop Headquarters Instead.
The Instructor may be the Scoutmaster, and two Patrols may be receiving the same instruction from the same person at the same time This does not in any way matter as long as the Patrol is preserved as the unit for study and the Patrol Leader is made to feel that he is responsible for the technical instruction of that unit. The work of many Troops, perhaps more especially in the country, is largely stunted and restricted owing to want of appreciation of the Patrol System. There are many ladies and gentlemen who would be only too glad to arrange for instruction to be given to seven or eight Scouts, but who hold back from offering their services because they believe that it is necessary to instruct a Troop of thirty boys at, once. Seven boys working in a kitchen may be rather amusing, but it would be no joke to have thirty boys working in the same way.
Scoutmasters who adopt the Patrol as a unit for all technical training make extraordinarily rapid progress in a short time. A great many of the Badges can be won by an intelligent Patrol in six to eight weeks, in just the same way as a St. John's Ambulance Certificate can be won by people who have attended five or six lectures.
The Chief Scout has repeatedly urged the desirability of Patrols specializing in Badge work. This means that in one Patrol the Scouts should all be Handymen, in another they should all be Cyclists, and in a third they should all be Pioneers. If a Patrol is specializing in a badge, that badge may now be inserted upon the Patrol flag. This is an additional incentive in the matter of Patrol specializing.
In addition to the collective training of the Patrol in Badge work, there are several badges which should be won by the boys individually or in pairs. In this matter also the Patrol Leader should certainly help things along. The kinds of badges to which this especially refers are Musician, Naturalist, Horseman, Pathfinder, Interpreter, Photographer, and so on. A Leader finds out that one of his Scouts can strum a little on the piano. He asks the Scout if he is ready to give up a little time to learn to read music, and then he finds an instructor for him by bringing the matter up before the Court of Honor.