eghiglie

This has been challenge. The boys don't want to sit and listen to a lecture nor do they want to watch a Powerpoint. Tried these things and it didn't work well This year I had the SPL and ASPL learn how to build something without instructions. Then the next meeting was teaching the other boys how to do it. They had a blast and learned a lot without realizing they learned something.

This thread brought back to me a nostalgic look at my youth, one that is gone, and one that my son won't be allowed to have. I had the same experience with firearms and knives as a some of the other posters. I myself much prefer a 3 or 4 inch blade sheath knife for a lot of reasons. However, the local council has expressly prohibited them. About 200 miles from me is a tourist town that has a knife shop. They stock many low quality knives for $5 or $6. Sadly the metal used in many knives just doesn't hold the edge. The other sad thing in this era is that it has to have lots of ex

My hope is that we as a Nation Under God have learned from this and will pass on to the future generations to look for the good in all people.

The requirements in the book are what they are and so long as the boys meets them then they should get the rank they are trying to earn. Scout spirit aside there is little that can be accomplished to state that the minimums are not good enough. We as adults can't say only the superb boys make Eagle. I have however learned that the boys themselves determine what they are. I've seen boys zoom to Life Scout but there are 4 MB's that knock them for a loop. Personal Mgmt, Communications, Cit in Comm and Family Life. They seem to be great if they get past those.

As I recall Tigers are required to each have an adult partner, so they should be helping them. If the boy is doing his best they advance. If they play they don't. I'm a little surprised that the parents have made those statements. Adapt and overcome is my motto. Many times I see the boys with learning issues work harder. You have to admit Scouting at all the programs gives the kids a sense of accomplishment. My son has learning disabilities the local school system left him back twice. But we just encouraged and pushed him more. He is also a rare kid who loves school. At

Den Chief is a great job and for many boys teaches them how to teach. Currently we have one boy doing this, who is also the ASPL and he loves it. Its also a bit of work as the Den work can be as complex as the Troop work. We have a rule where a boy can't hold the same PoR for two terms in a row. This was to prevent the boy who stays bugler forever. The only exception is an Eagle Scout. We usually make them a Troop Guide but give them a second job like Asst PL or Quartermaster.

I'm not here to defend why my troop does it, but to explain it. My troop has five youth members total. I expect to increase this a bit in March but not sure by how much. Where we are located is hot in the summer, but the heat isn't the reason. The meeting place is available. The assertion that kids are available with ton's of free time is not quite accurate. School lets out mid June, then a week at Summer Camp right after school. We shut down for July and August. We tried for 2 summers to meet but with only two boys showing up a week it was hard to have a meeting. The

From what I understand this is not possible. Check with the local Council first though. The only exception I know of is that a 14 yo boy can be registered in a Troop and Venturing Crew at the same time. Starting a Troop can be a rewarding experience.

We do not meet over the summer either and for July and August PoR credit is suspended also. We are kind of lenient that we credit all of June even though we end the middle of June. We also credit all of September even though we don't meet again till the Monday after Labor Day. By the way the boys voted for no summer program and they live with this outcome.

My son went to NYLT this past summer and didn't learn much. Everyone woke up at 5AM for a mandatory swim, then they would have to make breakfast and other things. Presentations, meals and other things kept them going till 10:30PM every night. Add girls to this? The distraction may not be worth it. I just asked him about this and he is thank full that he did NYLT already.

Annual dues: $135, this includes Council fees and 1 t-shirt a year Outings: Can vary from $20 to $40 a trip, last year this cost $300 Summer Camp: Went to a nearby council and this was $285 per boy. This year we are in Council and the fee should be $225.

This is a tough position to be in. But having a BoR before the 6 months means that the Scoutmaster Conf was held early also, which does not quite agree with 6 months in the handbook. Believe it or not a Council will reject an Eagle app if the boy has less than 6 months between positions, and it does look strange if exactly 6 months passes between BoR's. In the Council I'm with if a boy protests failing a BoR the decision will 99.99% of the time decide for the boy. Good luck.

Just on stuff in general, the troop (5 boys) is small so most people see the week to week operations. We require the SPL to come, but he makes a number of excuses every month.

Very interesting situation you have where the COR is involved in Den decisions. Maybe you can have coffee with him and find out? Perhaps the issue being relayed to him is not as you are experiencing. Good luck.

One thing to keep in mind if you split is where the troops will recruit from. In my area we have a collection of small troops and we compete for every boy at the two Middle Schools. Its a challenge. Granted the prospects have lots of choices. Some of the small troops were actually together at one time, but things happened and everyone (adults) had to go do their own thing.

Run, don't walk, and find your District Advancement Committee Chair. This person can spend some time with you and talk you through the intricacies of an Eagle Project. The local District or Council people should be able to help you here. The council I am with has a Life to Eagle class that lasts half a day, but the boys (and parents) leave it with all the info they need to make sure the paperwork and the project meet the requirements.

I gave each boy an index card for the bathroom mirror to sudy when brushing their teeth. Worked well.

The local scout shop told me that because Camilus went under and some sort of legal action the trend is to now use lockbacks. Not sure if this is all accurate. As a victim of a getting a folding knife on my knuckles lockbacks are better, my opinion. Buck makes a great product in the USA

We also lost a scout because of eating issues. His diet was very picky and his mom supported his belief, I learned after the 5th trip that he very rarely ate on a campout. The boy made it to 2nd class, and at summer camp he ate very little and was sick most of the week at the health lodge. Agreed that summer camp food is often bad. The boy would just look at the tray and never try anything, but ate a ton of candy from the trading post. His mom came up to check on him and they decided to go home. He is a good kid and goes hunting with his dad but not sure what they eat.

I don't know the exact number/percent of scouts that actually make Eagle. However, way more boys graduate high school. So I think Eagle is an award that can be attained by doing the bare minimum with persistence, perseverance and patience.

This has come up before and its a very tricky problem. Sadly the book is signed and that carries a lot of weight. Anything done to erase the signature will cause other problems. We had something similar happen a number of years ago, and the result was the boy kept the item signed off. However, it took him a little longer than expected to earn the initials for scout spirit. Good luck. In our troop signatures for star and life can only come from the SM staff. Eagle init's are only from the SM.

When the BSA said they were optional gets out to the public. The cost and comfort for a long time is an issue. The other thing driving parents nuts is the cost of getting the patches attached. My 2 cents: Regardless of what they wear on the outside its how the boys lives to the Oath and Law that matters more. I've seen rich kids with all the uniform parts be trouble makers.

My son who very recently just finished his project up had the same exact problem. He gave up fighting it and there was no easy way, even for my wife who is a secretary. Basically he printed it out, and wrote it out longhand. We then scanned it into a PDF for the DAC to approve it.

At a recent EBOR the DAC stated that there will be significant changes to Eagle Scout Fund Raising coming from National real soon. He was not sure what the driver for it was. Has anyone heard of this? What will the changes be? Reason I ask is that two boys are getting ready to get projects going.

great info from the two previous posts!