Stosh

Over the past 15 years that I have been a part of the troop, out of all the Eagle scouts we have produced, no one ever raised even $1 for a project. There are plenty of project out there that people need done that cost the project nothing other than what the sponsor provides. Some of the projects that have been done are: benches along a trails, observation decks for wild life refuge, park pavilions, picnic gazebo, DNR surveys, abandoned nature trail restoration, falconry nests, VA survey of military cemetery markers, etc. These are not little projects just to get the boy the experience, the

Ed, Yes, you are correct. However, there tends to be an abuse of that especially as the boy rounds out his Cub experience. I would think that in Tiger, Wolf and Bear a lot of interaction between the boy and parents. This would show the boy the development of skills and help parents to understand the Cub program. However, as the Cubs move into Webelos, the parents need to begin encouraging their boys to be more independent while still being close. The Boys need to do more and more "on their own" and parents need to step back. When this process doesn't happen and the parents are a

Along with the expedition hat and the campaign hat, the baseball style is an official hat of BSA. No other pins are recommended for that hat. The red beret is also still an official BSA hat. Plan accordingly, your mileage may vary. :^) Stosh

evmori: While the Eagle and AOL may have different emphasis, the comparison I was referring to was that in both cases the award can be and often times is earned by the parent and not the boy, regardless of how the program was set up to accomplish. Derby cars are supposed to be built with adult cooperation, but we all know that expectation falls short of it's intended goal as well. Parents who get away with this in cubbing follow their boys all the way through and expect to get it done for their boy doing their Eagle. Unless the interference is stopped early, it will be genuine

Maybe you can get a moderator to move this thread over to an appropriate category. On the other hand, what do you do with parents that do the same thing for the Arrow of Light for their Webelos boy? Stosh

When dealing with the Uniform Police it is important to remember that in order to go by the rules, one has to really go by the rules. Since our troop does not recognize any official hat, we tend to wear what we want. I have a non-official campaign hat of the brown color which I place a first class pin on. Historically this I believe was the standard for all scouts adult and youth. The only difference was the quality of the hat itself, not the pins. When I am in "uniform" the hat tends to be optional. If I'm instructed to remove my non-official hat during a flag ceremony, does t

Bob58 put this thread in the Cub Scout category. My apologies to Bob if this is not what he intended, but it's a good question and we all have parents like this in our troops so I moved it to this category. Stosh So I finished reading the e-mail from a Star Scout Mom that started "**** has completed his six months of service its time to arrange for a Board of Review...." Third, she copied the whole troop, second, if I'm not mistaken there is the question of a Scoutmasters Conference, and FIRST... why isn't her son making this request! He is the Senior Patrol Leader, is suposed to

Are the shorts too long? Are the pants too long? If the shorts are too long, shorten at the zipper, but then your pants will be too short. If the pants are too long, shorten by rehemming. I'm assuming the new pants are sold by inseam measurements rather than the required hemming of the older pants. Stosh

A scout is trustworthy. If a scout gives his word, he lives up to it. If he signs up for camp he has made a promise and he needs to pay whether he goes or not. We had a boy pull this stunt on a Philmont trip of big bucks. He figured by dropping out he would get out of it. Small claims court said otherwise. Stosh

When our crew participates in a "national" event involving 10,000 - 15,000+ people, it has nothing to do with the BSA. We, like many of the Venture crews that are not "high adventure" interested in participating in things that are of no interest to us. With councils struggling to provide district or council wide activities for Venturing, why would anyone think an activity of national proportions be a better draw? Stosh

Somehow I lose the logic of this argument! A SM can effectively run a troop for 5-10-20 years. A CM can't make it beyond 2-3 years before burn out. A healthy pack turns over their leadership every three years, but that would basically harm the continuity of a troop. How can it be both ways? I vote for longevity. If the SM or CM begin to harm the program the CC visits with him/her and they work out a solution. Until that point, the SM or CM stays on as long as they wish. I've been an ASM under the same SM for over 15 years and our program is excellent. Do I aspi

Rule of thumb: If adults or PLC dictate, decide, direct, manage or run the patrols, then NO, it is not the Patrol Method. If adults or PLC support, encourage, assist the patrols, then YES, it is the Patrol Method. Stosh

We all learn the tough lessons in life the hard way. A boy-led troop is the only way to go. There are a lot of boys out there that fit into the "exceptional" boy you describe. As a matter of fact there are a lot of exceptional boys out there that we as adults often times totally ignore, stifle, or drive out of scouting and mark it off to girls, cars and money, when in fact it was really us as adults. Stosh

History 101 Color Guard: group of NCO officers responsible for the maintenance and positioning of the unit flags for the purpose of unit identification during maneuvers/battle. A color guard usually consisted of 10 armed men and 2 color bearers. The purpose of the guard was to insure the flag could be seen during battle and maneuvers. The armed men protected the color bearers. Up until WW I the color guard was no longer needed on the battlefield. Once the soldier entrenched himself, the need of a color guard was needed only for parade functions. Today it is only ceremonial i

Exactly!

I have a Venturing Crew of Civil War reenactors that has a system to circulate uniforms. It's a major headache, but we cover uniforms, shoes, weapons, hats, shirts, leather belts and boxes, haversacks, canteens, etc. etc. etc. :^) Just be thankful shirts and pants are the only thing you need worry about. Our Crew owns the inventory. They buy, or get handed, equipment which goes into the inventory. It is bought and sold at fair market value. If a boy sells us his equipment for $1, we sell it for $1. Records are horrendous, but we do pretty fair in light of it all. We also buy

One of the first things I teach each member of the NBP is how to sew on patches. There is nothing that will wreck a shirt faster than glue or iron-on attempts to adhere patches. A poor job of sewing can always be corrected, a good job of gluing can't. Stosh

Sure there are trained "professionals" out there who have the responsibility to counsel in this area. However, one-on-one with a trusted advisor is often times more important. My "guidance counselor" in high school said I should apply at the local foundry after high school in order to get a good job, etc. Well, I didn't take her advice, and now hold AA, BS, and MS degrees and work for a multi-billion dollar international company. Don't underestimate your ability to help these kids just because you're just a scoutmaster. My Eagles and others are still in contact, I talk w

GernBlansten: I disagree. At least you see the problem. Obviously JLT isn't working, but that doesn't mean one can go through the motions and still not abducate the reins to the kids. I constantly drive at the kids, "What do YOU want to be doing?" "Where do YOU want to go?" and the open the doors of opportunity. If they want to go to BWCA, the standard answer is, "Great, I want to go along, when do we leave?" Always leave the responsibility AND authority in the hands of the kids. "10 day forcast on the Weather Channel says this weekend is going to be sunny and warm. We should

Excuse me? How many of the merit badges end up with the final requirement talking about different careers? This process has been a part of Scouting from the beginning and hasn't changed, only our attitudes have. Scouts talk to me all the time about their future plans beyond HS. College, work, military, etc. have all been discussed. It's important for the boys to have adults other than their parents who have a genuine interest in the lives of these boys. Supporting leadership means that there has been an investment in the lives of these scouts and their future success is dependent

"If we don't do that, then we have to think about what the next challenge is. Maybe OA, maybe Venturing, maybe Sea Scouts. We shouldn't give up on the lad because he turns 14 and Eagle. Any way we do it, we should be there with the level of challenge the boy needs to continue to develop and grow." He's only 12 years old! He's been in scouts for only a couple of years, and you seem to be promoting the falacy that once one achieves Eagle, life as a Boy Scout is over. So many boys wait until the last minute, come in under the wire with their projects and age out before their parents have a

The newest, youngest scouts seem to be the most dedicated. >> They haven't figured out the situation as of yet. There's a lot of promise and potential being touted in the beginning. As they grow older, or perhaps its just because more is expected of them, they wander from the program and the responsibilities to run one. >> or they haven't been trained, encouraged, developed, to take on leadership because it really isn't being offered without strings attached. The adults call the shots and keep the boys from failing. Sure a few shine and take the ball, but th

"I think yeh take a good look at your program and how Advancement-driven it is. Seems like a boy doin' this is really pretty tightly focused on only one of eight methods, and I have to wonder what's happenin' with the rest. Is advancement your only form of recognition? On the other thread I merely responded to your question, but now with a continuation in the accusatory tone you began with, I'll continue the comments. Boy DOB: 08/12/94 Joined Troop: 02/27/05 (Yes he was only 10 1/2 years old but he was Arrow of Light, rules specifically state this is an acceptable procedure i

"What do you do with a boy that has just completed his Life requirements, is waiting on his BOR and is only 12 years old?" Is it mathematically possible? Boy DOB: 08/12/94 Joined Troop: 02/27/05 (Yes he was only 10 1/2 years old but he was Arrow of Light, rules specifically state this is an acceptable procedure in the BSA) Scout: 04/12/05 Tenderfoot: 08/30/05 Second Class: 02/14/06 First Class: 04/04/06 Star: 09/26/06 (Yes that is 4 months as a First Class scout) Life: 04/24/07 (Yes that is 6 months as a Star scout) APL: 3/01/05 -

What do you do with a boy that has just completed his Life requirements, is waiting on his BOR and is only 12 years old? And before anyone even thinks it, no one has been pushing this boy nor is he getting any special considerations. If anyone has ever read any of Percy K. Fitzhugh's books, just imagine Pee-Wee without the belt axe and fry pan. By the way, in this boy's spare time, he's a fully functional Den Chief working on the national award as well.