Thanks to Julie Bishop for contributing to our guest blog this week. She is a Girl Scout Leader of a multi-grade level troop. Read on to hear her inspiring story.
Would you like to be our next guest blogger? Email us and let us know!
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| Julie Bishop Troop Leader Troop #262 |
My name is Julie Bishop, and I am a Girl Scout! Looking back, I realize that I was always one, even if I didn't know it at the time. You see, the reason for this is due to what the Girl Scouts stand for and what the organization hopes to teach young girls. To me, it's very basic. Independence, self awareness, respect for myself, and for those around me.
I don't have a lot of background in Girl Scouts. I was only in a troop for a few months before my family moved away. But then, I had children. Three boys to be exact. Oh my! The joy of thinking that I can drop my boys off at a meeting for an hour, and have some alone time. Alas. I saw what an amazing program the Boy Scouts was, and I was off and running as assistant Den mother, Den leader, secretary, and so many other positions that don't have names but should because of the work involved!
My boys grew up as they tend to do. As my oldest is graduating, my daughter is starting kindergarten. As I went for registration, I looked for the "sign up for Girl Scouts" sign that you can usually find. Well, it wasn't there. The closest troop was quite a distance away from our small town. There really was no choice as far as I was concerned. Thinking back on all my years as a Boy Scout, I really wanted my daughter the opportunity to become the best that she could be.
Oh, don't get me wrong. I ran into so many obstacles right away. Finances. How do you start a troop on nothing? Location. Leaders. No real knowledge of what I was supposed to be teaching these girls. What exactly does "girl-led" mean? As a parent, I only knew how to "lead". Then there was the time constraints. We started almost 2 months later than everyone else. I couldn't believe how much the community from our small group of towns rallied around us! Donations were given. Crafts were given. I felt so very humbled.
Our Troop just finished our first year! 15 girls from Daisy, Brownie, and Juniors. The parents drive in from as far as 20 miles away for meetings. A very large percentage of my group is on scholarships. That first year, I was all those jobs mentioned before, and so, so much more! I had wonderful parents and amazing girls, but I have to admit, it wasn't until now that I could say to myself. "YOU DID IT!" "THEY DID IT!"
You see. I am not an artsy person. I am not one for games, or songs. I can't remember names to save my life. I am marketing, numbers, and all the things that are boring to little girls. My worst fear was that I was not going to make it fun for the girls. I was so nervous those first few meetings.
What I didn't stop to take into consideration is this. Children are usually easy to please. As long as they are learning something new, about the world, or themselves, then let them eat, and run while playing with each other, they are happy. You see. My biggest fear turned into my greatest life lesson. The girls taught me that as long as you are in a safe environment, it's ok to "let your hair down", talk, play, learn, and in general, don't worry so much. The girls showed and told me what they wanted to learn, if I would quit being a parent, and would allow myself to be "led around" a little.
I can honestly say that my greatest achievement so far in life is starting Troop 262! These 15 girls have showed me more of the world than I have ever seen. I only hope that I can return the favor!
- Julie Bishop
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