John-in-KC

"The boys father told his old pack did not use internet advancement and therefore his advancement would not be on ScoutNet." BALONEY!! If he has earned Bobcat, Wolf, or Bear, those are in Scoutnet. Units are required to turn in advancement reports for ranks. I'll have to check about arrow points. ScoutNet is a membership, finance, and advancement database. He entered it the instant his Council registrar banged in his app. As for works in progress, well, ACP&P has guidance for all Scouting programs: Sit down with the kid and his Dad. Evaluate what activity pins he has toward his Webelo rank. Evaluate what he's done toward AOL. Make a decision and press on. If necessary, ask Dad for the contact info for the old DL/CM/CC. CALL THEM. Ask them to scan and email (or just plain fax) you their copies of advancement reports. (This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

I'm going to make this real simple: Have a quiet cup of coffee with your District Advancement Chair. You have a legitimate allegation that this Scout has not lived the Scout Oath and Law in his daily life. The DAC needs to know not what the local rag says, but what the charges in front of the Court are. Let him guide you! This is a question best answered on the local ground. If, after visiting with the DAC, you cannot in good conscience re-sign the Eagle App, then it may be time for you to have a business visit with your UC and your COR. A simple course of action, one that takes the matter entirely out of your hands, is for the COR to tell the DE this youth member is no longer a part of your unit, and for the COR to tell you to package his records and deliver them to the family. Good hunting.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

Now, with the possible exception of Beavah, most of us here aren't attorneys, and we didn't sleep last night at HoJos... but... Abuse has specific terms in statute law in your state. You will have to ask an attorney licensed in your state for exact meaning and for how your situation fits. At $100 an hour, that should lighten you wallet a bit. Or ... you can listen to the friendly fuzzy critter... You've not said who you are in the Scouting food chain. From where I sit, District Committee staffing is a matter between CORs, the District Chair, and the DE. Your COR is the right man locally to push any objections. If you have a neverthere COR, well, you've just learned a lesson in blood about why units should cultivate relationships with their Chartered Partners.

Even better, Encourage the PLC to set that date for him

Y'all are drinking too much single payer health care Kool-Aid. This action is below the radar, except to the blogosphere.

I've discussed in another recent thread my experience with wet-behind-the-ears manchildren who have not had their first true AW-#### moment in life yet. To me, a clear AW-#### moment is the prerequisite, not chronological age.

"I have come to the conclusion that ONE useless man is called a disgrace; that TWO are called a LAW FIRM; and that THREE or more become a CONNNNNGRess!" ... John Adams as depicted in 1776 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mark Twain quotes: Fleas can be taught nearly anything that a Congressman can. - What Is Man? ...the smallest minds and the selfishest souls and the cowardliest hearts that God makes. - Letter fragment, 1891 Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself. - Mark Twain, a Biography Congressman is the trivialist distinction for a full grown man. - Notebook #14, 11/1877 - 7/1878 All Congresses and Parliaments have a kindly feeling for idiots, and a compassion for them, on account of personal experience and heredity ...I never can think of Judas Iscariot without losing my temper. To my mind Judas Iscariot was nothing but a low, mean, premature, Congressman. - "Foster's Case", New York Tribune, 3/10/1873 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Will Rogers quotes: Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate; now what's going to happen to us with both a Senate and a House? Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat. Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip. On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does. Our constitution protects aliens, drunks and U.S. Senators. ETA the following from Mr Rogers: I don't make jokes -- I just watch the government and report the facts. I bet after seeing us, George Washington would sue us for calling him 'father'. Hurray! Congress is to adjourn! Only four more days of Congressional burglary on the Treasury! A foreigner coming here and reading the Congressional Record would say that the President of the United States was elected solely for the purpose of giving Senators somebody to call a horse thief. The short memories of the American voters is what keeps our politicians in office. If we have Senators and Congressmen there that can't protect themselves against the evil temptations of lobbyists, we don't need to change our lobbies, we need to change our representatives. The difference between death and taxes is death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets. The more you read and observe about this Politics thing, you got to admit that each party is worse than the other. The one that's out always looks the best. That's what a Congressman or a Senator is for -- to see that too much money don't accumulate in the national Treasury. There is good news from Washington today. The Congress is deadlocked and can't act. I generally give the party in power, whether Republican or Democrat, the more digs because they are generally doing the country more damage. The party in power drawing a salary is to be knocked. A flock of Democrats will replace a mess of Republicans. It wont mean a thing. They will go in like all the rest of em. Go in on promises and come out on alibis. The Republicans mopped up, the Democrats gummed up, and I will now try and sum up. Things are terribly dull now. We wont have any more serious comedy until Congress meets. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And were he alive today, Mr Rogers would begin his commentary with: "All I know is what was posted to youtube today."(This message has been edited by john-in-kc)

I think the best course of action is a LOT of mentorship. Coordinate with Bobby SPL's parents. Every week, after troop meeting, under two-deep, take him to have a friendly burger and shake. Thorns, Roses and Buds: What went right, what went wrong, what is within him to change. Now and again, take a Scout who's not a leader (but who you know didn't vote for Bobby) along with Bobby to the after meeeting meal. Let him get do the slam dunking. Allow the SPL to feel the frustration of his members. Then guide him along the way to doing what is right. What has happened is you may have a huge buy-in moment for the leadership vision you want. Once Bobby buys-in, you'll be amazed.

Unilaterally appoint the Scout who you groomed as SPL to an ASPL position Again, doing these kinds of actions places your Troop into the category of adult run I strongly recommend against this guidance. If your "ideal" candidate is 16, JASM him. If not, let the youth live with their results. Let them experience failure. They'll learn more from failure than they will from most successes. BTW, one month? Heck no. Let the youth experience failure. You'll know the right moment to move from mentorship to directive supervision of your SPL (I'll bet about 10 weeks into tenure). You'll know if you have to remove him (my guess is about the 5 month mark). Remember, talk with the parents of your youth leaders, particularly if they are among the 1-2% of all Scouts who have to be removed from a POR. You do not want the unintended consequence of a parental rebellion at the Committee, or worse, to the Chartered Partner, calling for your head on the silver platter.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

We grownups elected Obama. The kids aren't allowed a bad choice? Wrong-o, G.I. They're allowed to make bad choices. Now, take a deep breath, and then accept the fact and drive on. It's adult-run Troop Method for Mr SM to hand-groom the next SPL. Let the boys have one or more failures, then help them learn from it. It may be the biggest gain you'll ever see in collective maturity. The only time I know that a SM is allowed to hand-select an SPL is when the Troop is a start-up, and the SM has a "ringer" transfer he brought in to help the Troop in its first 6 mos to year.

Give each of them the PL Handbook/SPL Handbook, the one that Kudu recommends, as part of your mentoring toolbox.

You mentor him. You do not lose patience with him. You have some sidebar conversations with Mom and Dad. You and the SPL do your best, as long as he's doing his job. If he really fails to do his job, National, like it or not, has given you latitude to remove him for cause, have a SM conference, and stop the clock on his credit for POR on the rank advancement. Note, that is not "he didn't do the job the way the Committee and I expected him to..." He's their PL. Just like the rest of us, the youth have to learn with the results, no matter how ridiculous/lamentable they think they are.

My roommate in grad school (University of Georgia) was from Charleston SC. He referred to it as the War of Northern Aggression. He wasn't joking. Yeah, it ain't over in South Carolina. It's not over around here either. Folks still tell the tale of the sacking of Osceola by JayHawkers and Red Legs. Folks also tell the tale of the sacking of Lawrence, Kansas by Quantrill's raiders. I saw a license plate leaving the MU-BGSU game Saturday night: KU H8R. The problem is pretty widespread.

None of the pavilions in the Council I serve are in campsites. One covers a basketball court, one supports the handicraft lodge, and the largest is for our Cub Scout Family Resident Camp area. It's in lieu of a dining hall, and sits 300 folks at capacity.

His credential: He has memorized 100 chapters of the Bible. Big whup. It's not how you know them, it's that you apply them. I must agree with the others. This guy is best left ignored by the civil press in terms of gratifying him. Pray for him, though: Today's BFO is he doesn't understand the single important ethic of Christendom: Love your neighbor as yourself.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

MTE, Remember, one of your Scouting jobs (as a parent) will be to stay away from your son. Some of what he needs to learn needs to come from the school of hard knocks.

Stripping out the emotion, The issue of trust by a unit that a District Advancement Chair is trained properly and is supporting units belongs to two people: - The Chartered Organization Representative of a unit which is questioning the DAC, AND - The District Chairman. May I suggest your unit SM and CC visit with the COR to prep him, then have the COR ask for a business meeting with the District Chairman?

Amy, By and large what Rick and Eagle92 said. IMO you as a DL (albeit a WDL) have an obligation to inform the CM and Pack Committee of your schedule. The CM is the principal program officer of the Pack. At the same time, the CM and CC have the task to make sure all DLs have all the information on Pack level program. That said, have a great time at your weekend. Yours will come off, I'm not sure the Packs' will.

This is not difficult. Get with the DAC. Have him re-take MBC training and do a new MB Counselor app. Done.

Here are two threads we've hashed through in the past couple years... http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=197894 http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=178656 There may be some ideas in these two you can garner.

SctDad, Be careful of what you ask for, you might get it. You really, really do not want the Posse Comitatus Act repealed, and the Armed Forces acting as a police force. That lovely law is one of the hard checks on a President's authority, he does not have a Federal military to put down rebellion inside the United States. When you see Army National Guard troops on riot duty, they are in State service, paid for by their individual taxpayers. I don't care who is at the White House... an Army enable to conduct real campaigns inside our borders is a bad thing.

SM196, Sadly, I agree with twocubdad. What you can do is stop this for the rest of your tenure as SM, be that 3 or 30 years. Have a friendly cup of coffee with your CC. You and he need to have each others backs. Then, you announce, first at a Committee meeting, then at a PLC, and finally to the Troop how things are. Yes, it will mean more time for you: Mr Smith, may I...? What it will also mean is you will get to help kids learn to make good decisions. Have fun

CP, BSA Requirements 2209 #33215 or 33216 (glue or wire bound respectively: Pick a Subject. Talk to your Scoutmaster about your interests. Read the requirements of the merit badges you think might interest you. Pick one to earn. Your Scoutmaster will give you the name of a person from a list of counselors. These counselors have special knowledge in their merit badge subjects and are interested in helping you. Note the sentence: Your Scoutmaster will give you the name of a person from a list of counselors. The Scoutmaster assigns the Counselor. As I tell my students: The SM has the duty to get to know his Counselors, to learn their strengths ans weaknesses. That way he can match Mr Jones to Bobby and Mr Smith to Billy, even though they are taking the same merit badge. The Scoutmaster is the gatekeeper. BTW, since BSA Requirements is online, you can also find those words at: http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges.aspx

In fact, my Patrol bonded because we got the point early on: The sylabbus is set up to substitute time pressure for lack of knowledge. There was one Patrol corner very early on: We, collectively, save 1 20-something, were in our 40s, had had multiple AW-#### moments in life, and we weren't going to let the %%%%%%ds get to us. We were going to have fun and learn on our terms, thank you very much. In other words, we normed, we bypassed storming, and we performed. At the end of weekend 1, our 20-something, who had not had his AW-#### moment in life just yet, tried to get us to storm a bit. He told all of us about how we weren't trying to be kids again. My Lord, we unloaded both barrels on him. Every one of us looked at him and told him to his face we'd been there and done that, we'd all lived through it again with our own kids, and two of us talked about grandkids. Our message to him was &&&& you and the high horse you came in on, son. We said we intended to have fun in this course, and by God we will. Guess who never made any of our 3 interim meetings (and we were a cluster course, coming anywhere from 50-120 miles to get to our convergence point)? Yep, Junior. Guess who, having volunteered to bring the dessert fixings for weekend 2 Friday night supper, didn't? That's right, Junior. Guess who was the one student who didn't bead in our entire Course? You got it: Junior. I guess he had his first AW-#### moment in life. The rest of us still have fun and email, and use each other as resources!

CP, I hear what you say, and in a perfect world, that should be true. Each SE, in his role as Supreme Chief of the Fire, makes decisions about how things are really going to happen. I will say in the Lodge where my quiver is, if a youth Arrowman shows up, there had best be two adult Arrowmen from his unit or one parent Arrowman showing up too.