Eagledad

>>For anti-uniform folks, try sending your kid to football with his jersey and pads, but a motorcycle helmet and blue jeans instead. See what happens next.

>>The issue I see is when Football season morphs into Basketball morphs into baseball and the scout is always late, then I agree with your questioning if scouting is worthwhile, but for a few months? I think the program can handle it

>>So women should be viewed as second stringers, bench warmers?

From your answers, I think a merge will work. But, you and the CM? First each pack needs to get the committee on board. I know how some units run and that may be a no brainer. But trust me that this is what the council will tell you to do anyway. Then if all is well, call a meeting of parents for each pack. That will be the test of how well it works. I suggest the committees of the other pack attend each parent meeting to show support and answer questions. You MUST have the DE and UCs attend as well. It always looks better if you can get the Council Executive too. The meeting must be specific.

Hi mkahler I hate merges and splits. They are emotional and rarely is everyone happy. Maybe you can help make this go easier. Questions: How many scouts in each pack? Do both packs function OK or is one a lot better then the other? Have you polled the adults in both Packs and how they feel about it? Have you considered two packs under one charter and meet on different nights? I will add that recruiting is a pain if you considered that. Is one pack older then the other, more tradition? Would the families of one pack have to drive a long ways to the other school? A

>>This makes for unbalanced terms, but there is much less for the elected leadship to do in the summer.

>>Aquila: Woman don''''t belong running the troop, nor sitting in at PLC meetings.

>>Barry: I was very much impresseded that you had 150 boys in your unit.

>>One suggestion is to provide a copy of the SPL handbook to all adults that feel a need to be present at a PLC meeting and request they read it with an eye to finding their role in supporting the SPL.

>>Let me ask this question: for those who have seen uniforming improve over time in a troop, what was the cause? Adult leadership, youth leadership, improvement in other elements leading to more esprit? I''''d be curious to know.

Hi Allangr Im in the beautiful town of Edmond. I think you are going to have to feel your way through this question. Probably 95% of troops do six months as does mine. However, the best run boy run programs I have ever witnessed do 1 year terms. Saying that, some do a 1 year SPL while the other offices are six months and the ASPL is the elected knowing he will step into the SPL job in six months . The advantage of 1 year is that it really takes about 6 months to learn a job well, so the other six months give the scout a chance to really lead and make a difference. ! year coud be a l

>>Since EagleSon has been in the marching band, I''''ve known no fewer than 4 HS students who do exactly that: Play ball, at halftime, they march with the band! Thankfully EagleSon is not one of these.

>>Second, mentor the SPL and teach him the leadership skills he needs to be an effective leader and get back in the good graces of his peers.

Oh for pete sakes Brent, he was talking in the third person of scouts in the general term talking about their SM in the general term. Adios Amgio? That is not your style. Barry

Holy cow, how does your son play football and march at the same time? Im sure you have a logical answer, but I''m imagining your son making a fine tackle on the quarterback then throwing his helmet on the sideline and grabbing his instrument to run and join the band for halftime. The answer to your question is where there is a will, there is a way. Typically our SPLs are also involved in other activities like band, drama and sports. Our SPLs are very busy, if they can do it, anyone can. But they have to have the will. But Im trying to understand if 15 minutes of scouting is worth a

>>At the camporee opening ceremony formation, I pulled the SPL and a couple of older boys over to view a Troop that was in full uniform, with custom Troop neckerchiefs, and pointed out how they looked like a really united team and Troop. I asked what they thought about it, and if they thought our Troop could ever get there. They just shook their heads and said "No way!" I''''m curious to hear what you think an adult leader should do in those situations.

>>Y''''all seem to think the uniform is only to be decided upon by the boys.>Tell me, what do you think B-P was saying when he stated "Show me a poorly uniformed Troop, and I will show you a poorly uniformed Scoutmaster"?>If the Uniform Method was left totally up to the boys, why would B-P say that? What would it matter what the SM wore?

>>Character is doing the right thing, and wearing the uniform is the right thing to do.

>>How hard is it to be in "perfect" uniform?

>>Pack, the post wasn''''t just about the uniform, but also about how some are fanatics about 7 of the methods, and very cavalier about the Uniform Method.

>>I do think it''''s very important that the Scouts know who the leader of the adults is. There can only be one leader. Any more than one clouds and confuses everyone. Eamonn.

Hi All, I hope your fall days are as beautiful as Oklahoma''s right now. Jambo first; I''m having a hard time understanding your post. Are you saying boy run promotes boys only stay in one year, or that they stay in longer? Doesn''t matter really I guess. Our Troop in seven years went from 14 scouts to 95 scouts. 40 of those scouts were 14 and older. We average 1 Eagle every two months and their average was 16. The average of our SPL was 16 and typically two of the top three youth leaders in our local OA came from our troop. If you asked any of the adults in our District and the one

>>From GernBlansten Ok, I can/will wear the shirt and the switch backs into a restaurant when I''m traveling with the boys, but no way are you gonna get me to wear the shorts with the dorky socks. In my council, we rarely/never see adults wearing the shorts/socks combo. There are limits to my fashion tolerance.>Bob T I had picked up my son after his annual 10-day Sierra trip. He was in uniform, taking his pack out of my truck in our driveway when "the new kid" across the street (whom he had never met) shouted "Gay Scouts" at my son. My son faced him, paused, and said "I just sp

I am excited to see this. Free market is a better solution then forced intervention. Besides the obvious differences, there also might some new ideas everyone can gain the opportunity. I wish them God speed. Barry

Yes, that is pretty close to us except our transportation cost are a little less then half yours. That extra $500 is a big difference. Another thing we do is give a budget that figures the $5 for breakfast and lunches, but we tell the families the scouts can add more if they need. That way we can set the baseline lower for those scouts who don''t need three burgers for lunch. There should also be another discussion along with this one of how to get equipped on a budget. Boots, pack and sleeping bag can really add up too just looking at it from the outside. Barry