Re: A Bad Night at Scouts

Richard Ickler <ICKLERR@DELPHI.COM> writes:

>Tonight I had one of those Scout meetings that I would really like to forget.
>...
>Now I just need to figure out my next move.

First, the easy part. Tell the new PL that he has to be registered to
receive his patch and serve. No registration, no PL. Since you
mentioned that one of the other candidates was not First Class, I assume
that he is. After that, it was the patrol's decision, so they will
have to live with it. If he lets them down, maybe they will think
about the candidates more next time.

For the new SPL. Again, it was their decision, and you will have to
try to make the best of it. First order of business is to sit down
with him to lay out your expectations. If you have not used or seen
the Junior Leader Training Kit with the video, go get it post haste.
Go over the tasks that he will be responsible for and let him know that
it's in his hands. You are there if he needs you as a resource, but
you are not going to run the troop for him. Remind him that having
discussed your expectations with him, he will know exactly what you
will be watching for when it comes time to sign off his leadership
requirement for his next rank. If he comes through, you will have
done your job well, and you will feel good about it. If he doesn't,
well, you'll have plenty of topics for Scoutmaster's minutes. And
the troop can hold a new election if he doesn't show up.

For the envious ASM, there are no easy answers here. As Stan said,
you are the Scoutmaster for now. That means he is your ASSISTant.
He is to assist you in delivering the Scouting program to the boys.
If he has a problem with that, you should ask him to stop being ASM
or step out completely.

Is he trained? If not, have him get trained ASAP. If he is trained,
lay out some specific tasks you want him to do. Work with the Troop
Guide and the New Scout Patrol. Help the Assistant Senior Patrol
Leader train the other junior leaders. Help the JASMs learn how to
help the Patrol Leaders lead their patrols. Help the Instructor
develop skills instruction programs for the outings. Be the Eagle
Coach to help guide the older boys in reaching Eagle.

For the planning conference, again this is your role, not his. He is
certainly welcome to help. You should take a look at what they produce
first. If it seems reasonable, then try to make it work out or work with
your junior leaders to adjust it, just to minimize the impact of all of
the stuff that has happened. If not, tell them that it has to be redone
and reschedule it. If you let slide scheduling the planning conference,
then you have to accept your responsibility for not making it happen and you
should not complain that someone else picked up the ball.

I have to tell you that I have been in that role as ASM, and when the
Scoutmaster wouldn't do his job -- training or planning -- I waited on
him a long time -- I stepped in, with the support of the troop committee.
I scheduled the training conference and the planning conference when he
wouldn't. When he wouldn't insist on PLC meetings, I insisted they would
happen. I had a better rapport with the junior leaders and they accepted
my doing that. I work hard at keeping the communication lines open with my
junior leaders, but it pays off. That doesn't mean I don't get surprised
by elections, and I have been. But they know where I stand and I know
where they stand.

Alan R. Houser ** Scoutmaster, Berkeley Troop 24 ** troop24@emf.net
** WWW page ** http://www.emf.net/~troop24/t24.html **

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