Re: ????
Settummanque, ("Mike)
Tue, 31 Oct 1995 02:12:09 -0600
At 01:40 PM 10/30/95 EST, you wrote:
>Hi, all over there |
>
>This is my first post.... I'm nervous.
We're all nervous when we post our first postings. I'll let you in on a small
secret: some of us get that way *every time* we post, so we'll post a intro
and then sit back, waiting for someone else to ask the questions that we want
answered but feel a little "silly" or "uneasy" asking. Somehow, they think that
instead of answering the question or helping to solve the problem, we're all
sitting around saying either "OH NO!! Not *another* newbie!" or "That's SOOOOO
EASY (or SIMPLE) (or STUPID) (...take your choice)..."
One of the things I love about Scouts-L is that while we tend to ask (and
answer) those "common questions" several times during the year, we still all
answer it as if it was the first time anyone asked. While this tend to wear on
some of us longtime Scouters, it's just like you asking an experienced Scouter
what a "roundtable" is, or what is a "crackerbarrel". We're never too proud to
answer those or other questions for you, if we know the answers.
We're just all sitting here waiting to be asked!! Thanks for asking!
>First: Scouters friends in USA, can you explain to me differences btween APL,
>PL, SPL, ASM, SM ?
I'll go in reverse order. SM is the Scoutmaster, a male or female adult
leader that supervises the weekly Troop meetings, insuring the safety of
those participating and otherwise sitting or standing in the back of the
room, drinking coffee, tea, a soda, or punch during the meeting.
He or she is assisted in that matter by one or more ASMs...Assistant
Scoutmasters. Like the Scoutmaster, they are more concerned with insuring
the health and safety of the Scouts while sitting with the Scoutmaster,
learning from him or her and likewise drinking coffee, tea, punch and
perhaps having a cookie or a slice of cake or a couple of cookies.
(By the way, whenever a bunch of SMs and ASMs (and others) get together to
drink coffee, tea, punch, milk, and to have cake and cookies, along with
crackers and
cheese, that activity is called a "crackerbarrel").
SPLs run (or should, anyway) the Troop. They are the Senior Patrol Leader,
a youth member of the Troop elected by his peers. He has an Assistant
Senior Patrol Leader, or ASPL. (Can you see why we do a lot of abbreviating
here? Imagine typing Assistant Senior Patrol Leader several times in a
posting?!).
Their counterparts in the Patrols which make up the Troop, are called Patrol
Leaders (PL) and Assistant Patrol Leaders (APL).
>Second: What do yo need to be a Professional Scouter ?
A lot of patience, a willingness to serve without worrying about being
compensated for it, a presence of strength and willingness to "do your
best", and most of all, the ability to work with a diverse number of
Scouting and community members, from all walks of life, with all levels of
income and backgrounds, and to do so basically anytime day or night, every
day, every year.
To become a professional (career) member of the Boy Scouts of America, you
must be at least 21 years of age, of sound physical and moral ability, with
a bachelor's degree or higher in any discpline (but those in the social
sciences, business, or physical education or recreation tend to provide the
best collegiate background), and be willing to subscribe to the Scout Oath
and Law and the Scout Executive Code. You DO NOT need to be a former member
of the BSA, nor do you HAVE to be an Eagle Scout (although either and
especially both are looked upon highly as desirable traits). Many of the
career Scouters in our local Councils come to us from ministries, from the
business sector and from
fish and wildlife organizations. There's been a decline in the number of
Eagle Scouts and former Scouts/Explorers entering the profession in the past
seven years or so. This is being changed, as a new emphasis is being made
to have Council Scout Executives to identify early those outstanding Scouts
and Explorers whom would be interested in pursuing a career of service with
the BSA.
>Third: What's a Court of Honour ?
A Court of Honor (Honour) is the formalized occasion in which Scouts in the
USA are recognized for their advancement in the program, to honor Scouts
that have done exceptional things, to recognize Scouters for their service
to the movement or to aspects of the movement, and to recognize community
programs and members for their contributions to the betterment of youth.
Most of the time, we talk here about Troop Court of Honors, in which awards
previously presented are
announced and the certificates acknowledging the award are presented to the
Scout. Adults attend dinners and other events, during which Courts of Honor
are
conviened for the purpose of presenting service awards like the Silver
Beaver Award or the Whitney Young Service Award or other awards.
>Fourth: How is a WB course in USA, (and another countries of course) what do
>you mean about tickets ?
The "ticket" (as in "I'm going to work my ticket if I can" from the Wood Badge
Song or "I'm working on this part of my ticket", found from several recent
postings here) is a personal contract arranged between you and your Wood
Badge course Coach/Counselor. During the practical part of the course here,
you are
given several opportunities to formulate how you would use the skills and
teachings during the course in your application in your present or anticiopated
position at the conclusion of the course. On the last two days, you are
asked to prepare a rough draft and then a final "proposal" of how you will
use the
skills to help others in your unit or District/Council, how you will help
youth, and how you will help yourself after the course is over. Your
Coach/Counselor sits with you, reviewing the items and timeline you wrote to
insure that it's realistic and not too overbearing for you to complete
within two years, and
then approves and returns it to you to "work". This becomes your "ticket"
to earning the Wood Badge. When you have completed all parts of your
contract, you
and your Coach/Counselor evaluates the work, and your Coach/Counselor
recommends to the course Scoutmaster that you have completed the application
portion of the course, and is entitled to have presented the Wood Badge at
an appropriate ceremony.
Sometimes, those ceremonies are done during monthly gatherings of Scouters,
called a "Roundtable" meeting. It is at these meetings that announcement of
Wood Badge and other training courses are announced, that Scouters exchange
information about camping and service opportunities, that information
concerning the Council's program or "what's new in the program" are offered
to take back and share, and whereby Scouters can receive a monthly dose of
enthusiam, energy and reassurance that they're doing the best that they can do.
Kind of like Scouts-L, except we get to see each other face-to-face!
Hope this all helps you, Mariano, and others that are sitting there saying
"Yeah! I want to know that stuff too!!". The only way you'll know for
sure...is to ask. And what better place to ask those questions than right
here...
....in the "Roundtable Meeting that NEVER ends!"
Settummanque!
(MAJ) Mike L. Walton (Settummanque, the blackeagle) (
Internet Operations Center Coordinator, CLR Technologies Inc. __)_
174 Chapelwood Drive, Henderson, Kentucky 42420-5036 | * | ]
(H) 502.827.9201 (F) 502.826.7046 (W) 800.467.4257 coffee? anytime!
also via Blackeagle Services 502.826.7046 or 800.816.6746 /BlkEagleS@AOL.COM
(Email) mwalton@alpha.comsource.net/kyblkeagle@aol.com/mikewalton@gnn.com
"Ask about Geoworks, Leaders' Online & visiting your place to talk Scouting!!"
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
