JMBadger

Congrats from an Owl! C-14-09

6 members per patrol is so everyone is a patrol leader for a day at least once. (That's straight from the syllabus) The only thing I can find regarding 8 patrols is that that is what the syllabus says is optimal "based on experience." The game played at the end of day 2 expects 2 groups of 4 patrols each (if there are only 7 patrols, staff is supposed to make their own patrol to create an 8th). There are 8 "teamwork puzzles" in the second weekend. And there are 8 critters in the song.

Had a chat with my DE a few months back when the subject of whether or not the IH had to be youth protection trained came up. I'll say right up front that I don't know what the book was that he had with him, but it said: If the IH is not multipled in another position, he does not have to be YPT. IH is the ONLY position associated with a unit that does not require YPT. If the IH is multipled in another position, such as IH/CR or IH/CR/CC, then he must be YPT. My DE went on to say that while IH/CR is more common, the IH can multiple in any other position in the Unit he wants.

In my limited experience, I've found any organized gathering of scouts and /or scouters either has an established dress code, or the expected attire is denoted in the announcement for the event. If the event is a service project or OA work party where we expect to get rather dirty, we are expected to show up in grungeable work clothes. When in doubt, I wear the full uniform with a scouting t-shirt underneath. If I show up and nobody else is in uniform, class-A shirt comes off and I'm suddenly class-B informal.

sbemis1, moosetracker: Congratulations on your Eagles! We have a 16-year-old about to make Eagle this spring, and I asked him if he's thought about joining the Venturing Crew. He grinned at me and said he wants to stay with the troop where he'll no longer have people (like his SM Father) expecting him to be constantly working toward advancement. Our venturing crew just formed this Fall and would really benefit from an experienced scout joining them.

Yes, it's easy to forget parents don't know the rules. I had no AWL. Since I never knew how many or which boys would show up, parents needed to remain there. If plenty of parents showed up and a couple needed to run an errand, fine, but the whole group couldn't up and go. Our meeting area was big enough the adults could remain at one end while we were at the other and not be a distraction. I don't have concerns about "easy graders" Shortridge brought that up, not me. But school employees are also trained in various YP courses (even my wife, a "cafeteria lady"), and are also trained

I was helping to staff BALOO in the same building they were holding a MB University. I think the counselor in one room would have been thrilled if the boys could have "filled in the blanks." He was doing all the talking, and when he did ask a question, he received a room full of blank stares. He paused for a few seconds, answered his own question, then went on. I agree with mkay in that if the boy has filled in the worksheet completely, he has shown more interest and exposed himself to the information far more than a boy who sits in a seminar expecting to be spoon-fed the data.

Venividi I don't think I've changed my attitude or opinion, just become clearer and more selective in expressing my views. Yes, the vast majority of the time things will happen the way you say; boy wants badge, boy talks to SM for help setting it up, SM provides counselor info, boy earns badge. And yes, 99.99% of SMs are doing their best to provide the best program they can. And my examples of the evil SM are extreme indeed. But I have personal knowledge of troops that help a boy hustle through to Life, then actively prevent him from getting Eagle until they decide he's mature enough. I

In my opinion, it goes back to the boy-led troop. The boys are the troop. The leaders are there to provide guidance, not force a course of action. The adult leaders make sure the boys aren't doing anything illegal, against the rules, and make sure they are aware of opportunities available to them. If the SM wants to assign a particular counselor and the boy requests counselor B instead, the SM may choose to find out why. Does the boy consider the second councilor an "easy badge," or get "doe-eyed" when referring to them? That would be bad and needs serious investigation. When talkin

OGE, I brought up contacting Council and the Scout Executive in my second and third comments in this thread. And NO, to my knowledge, my district doesn't have a pedophile on its MBC list.

"So the only basis for assigning MB Counselors is the Scout's preference (very likely uninformed) and concern over being a pedophile? So anyone who is not a pedophile is thus a fine choice for MB counselor so long as the Scout thinks so?" When someone rearranges my words to make it seem as if I said something that I didn't say, it's the same as lying. I said you should have a very good reason for not going with the boy's preference, if he has one. Pedophilia would be an extremely good reason, but not the only one. I agree finding that a counselor is pencil-whipping the cards is an

I'm not telling anyone to not follow BSA procedure. I'm saying if the boy would rather go to Counselor B instead of Counselor A, then the Scoutmaster should select Counselor B for the boy to see, unless the SM knows of a very good reason why scouts should avoid Counselor B. And if there is a very good reason, the issue should have already been brought up to the Scout Executive.

I think SR540Beaver got it right mentioning the MB Fair (or MB University as we call it around here). We get the application for the MBU a month or two beforehand and the boys are told to select a first, second, and third choice. They don't find out which MB they'll be working on until a week before the seminar (or worse, when they get there). Not enough time to study the pamphlet, and then the counselor wonders why the boy hasn't read it. The boy winds up getting the MB anyway. Do this a few times and now the boy thinks this is the way it is supposed to be: no need to read the pam

I obtained the worksheet for the cooking merit badge and handed a copy to every boy in the troop who planned to attend my MB seminar. I told them, "Now none of you has the excuse that you didn't know what the requirements were." I indicated on the worksheets which requirements I would be covering in the seminar itself, and which requirements needed to be done by the scout either before or after. The sheets provided nice little charts the boys could fill in for menus, groceries, prices, weights, etc. Made it easier for me to figure out what the boy was trying to prepare. Also made it

TwoCubDad: Unfortunately, Ms Rawpork was recently indicted on 2 counts of pedophilia.... (My apologies if there is anyone reading this actually named Ms Rawpork!) But seriously, if you've discovered a counselor is "pencil-whipping" the cards, you should bring it up to council immediately. Getting a reputation among boys as an "easy badge" could be a lure by a molester. But unless you have serious evidence against the boy's choice of counselor, you should not prevent him from going to whomever he chooses. I reviewed my district's MBC list and many counselors are listed for 15

Considering how much we want the boys to go off on their own "patrol campouts," I say let them take pop-tarts. We should be thrilled with the fact they are getting "out there" and we should encourage them, not place barriers in their path. Once you see they are really getting into the whole "unsupervised" patrol camp-out, use a meeting to teach a cookable breakfast. Something easy and tasty. Perhaps even an inter-patrol competition at the next troop campout, again just for one breakfast. As confidence builds, they'll take that breakfast out with them, and Pop-Tarts will stay home.

Basementdweller: "Soooo, is limiting the number of merit badges that a scout can get from a merit badge councilor adding to the requirements??????/ " In my opinion, yes. If the BSA does not impose such a limit, I don't think a troop committee or SM has the right to. I've heard from a few SM's that if a boy has an incomplete blue card over 6 months old, he must restart the merit badge. BSA doesn't make that requirement; SM's don't have the right to do so. The SM of my troop told me he made a boy completely redo his swimming merit badge after the boy turned in the completed

As COR I just got my American Legion Post to agree to pay $200 (maximum) for one leader per year to attend Wood Badge. BUT, the money is in the form of reimbursement, not cash up front. Seems the members know of too many leaders who failed to earn their beads.

That sounds just about perfect, Eagle. Thanks.

I was informed by my CD last night that my completed ticket has been approved! WOO-HOO! Now the question is the particulars of the beading ceremony. My ticket counselor recommended I do it at the district award banquet in January because "everyone who is anyone will be there, and with all those people the singing will be fantastic!" Yeah, right. Fortunately for me, I work rotating shift and won't be able to attend this gala event, so I need to think about how I want to do it. I've been to only one ceremony before; it was held just before round table, didn't take too long, we

As I read through the list, I notice some of the points are a bit vague, open to interpretation, and if "a little of all the rest" makes a point count, then Boy Scouting as a whole may be guilty! 1) We hold Baden Powell in fairly high regard. 2) We get irritated when parents or leaders ask "Why is national changing stuff? Why do we have to do things this way?" 3) Reciting the Scout Oath and Law might sound like chanting in unison. 4) Yeah, we tell the kids to obey the oath and law, want them to wear uniforms. 5) Don't we tell kids that to be a scout is to be special? 6) No

Perhaps I've lost the thread of the conversation. Has someone implied that there is a movement to deliberately prevent individuals from taking WB training and subsequently completing a ticket?

When I started as a Scouter in 2007, I stood in the scout shop and asked the attendant to help me put together a complete and proper uniform. As we walked about picking out the correct insignia, I noticed the OA flap and asked if I could wear one if I was in OA as a boy. He said sure, I just had to be reinstated. He asked when I was in OA (late 70's was the best answer I could remember) and which lodge (Kiondaga). I paid my $8 (yes, it is now $10) and got my flap. A couple months later my membership card came in the mail. I'm just an Ordeal member (I had to quit Scouting the followin

My understanding is (and someone should correct me if I am mistaken) at one time you could not be a participant at Wood Badge if you had ever been a participant before, regardless if you received your beads or not. Now as I read a copy of the 2009 WB Admin Guide, it says, "To attend a Wood Badge course, Scouters must 1) Be registered members of the Boy Scouts of America. (There are no tenure requirements.) 2) Have completed the basic training courses for their Scouting positions. 3)Have completed the outdoor skills training programs for their Scouting positions. 4) Be capable of fu

In my council (Buffalo Trace) OWLS and IOLS are offered as the same course, with a single breakout session of the OWLS going off to do Webelos Den Leader Specific Training, while the SM/ASMs redo Youth Protection. I'd like to see a combined BALOO-OWLS-IOLS course myself. I know a lot of cub parents may not go for training that lasts the weekend though.