KoreaScouter

I hear you; we just had an Eagle BOR last week. I'm across the hall as our PLC meeting's wrapping up, and our advancement chair tells me that the BOR president told the lad he's an Eagle as of right now. I do an immediate Warner Brothers cartoon double-take, and get into the "spin mode" with the Scout's parents and the committee. They understand now that it's different from the other ranks, and it has to come back from National, but will be "as of" the BOR date. Whew!

KS

We took the Troop to a UH game at Aloha Stadium last year -- sat in the family section, no incidents, good time. The only pro event here they'd be remotely interested in is the NFL Pro Bowl. That's an expensive ticket, in addition to being a 3-ring circus -- too many uncontrollable variables for me to be comfortable with that many critters under my charge.

I've been to pro games in all 4 "big sports". I thought there was the greatest chance for a donnybrook in these sports, in this order: hockey, basketball, baseball, football. What happened Friday was appalling, but not surprising. I've been to Pistons games when Bill Laimbeer played there, and saw player fights on the court, and fan fights off the court, but never the two put together although there was no reason there couldn't have been. At least it can serve as a bad example of sportsmanship -- a teaching moment in everything, yes?

BTW, check the GTSS on motorized speed events. It tells me we can't go as units. When I was in Virginia, we had a pack tour permit to a NASCAR track disapproved...that's how we found out. After this Cubmaster wiped the egg off his face, he dug into the GTSS a little more.

KS

Two bucks a week. Rather than collecting weekly or monthly, we're going to try a "quarterly-in-advance" system starting the first of the year...hoping it will cut the workload on the Scribe/Treasurer...

KS

We don't have any Scouts' names or individual photos on our site; privacy issues. Also, BSA has published recent guidance regarding web sites and their content. Naturally, I don't have it with me, but other forum members undoubtedly do.

KS

I didn't have a situation exactly like yours, but did have a 17 1/2 year old Life Scout racing the clock once. Scamming, cutting corners, parsing the truth, etc. Worse yet, his father was his inspiration for this nefarious behavior. I could write a book on this kid and his dad, but I won't do that here.

What I will say is that in the eyes of many, silence equals concurrence. That is, if what he's doing is unacceptable to you, that must be communicated to him, immediately and in a crystal-clear fashion, or else he'll think he's doing fine. Also, he must understand that there are advancement implications for his behavior, and he must be given a "way ahead" to complete those advancement requirements. If that's not possible (i.e., must do 6 months' POR with only 3 months until he ages out), he must be told.

Good luck.

KS

Dateline - USA: "Most adolescent boys would forget their heads if they weren't attached". Stop the presses! Is this a newsflash for anyone, especially anyone who has a teenage boy in the house?

I'll concede that in the short run, dealing with this can be very frustrating. We have to take the long view here. This absent-mindedness is something that almost all of them will grow out of. I'd like all of them to ougrow it in the next five minutes of course, but that's just not to be. You have to be stoic about this, and be patient until it happens, seven years if it takes that long.

Look, regardless of what we do, they will still lose, misplace, and forget things. In the units that make boys sing or perform trained-monkey stunts for their return, was it a one-time event? Of course not! What does that tell you?

Almost every meeting or outing, something gets left behind; a hat, a neckerchief, what have you. If it's not marked with a name, I either put it in my truck (to Mrs. KS's chagrin), or in our equipment shed until the lad asks about it; then we return it to him. I just can't get worked up enough over a dropped pencil to resort to public humiliation. Maybe I'm missing something.

KS

I realize that you can't practically compartmentalize your Scouting life (values) and your family life. In fact, I suppose you shouldn't. That said, I think I'd have made a mistake if my son were "raised by his Scoutmaster", if you get my drift. For example, if I were to lecture him on the 11th point of the Law when I find a dirty sock in his room (when I've never seen any of my other Scouts' rooms), is he in a fishbowl he doesn't deserve to be in?

KS

I think the older the boys get, the more sensitive their BS meters are -- they'll detect a meaningless award at 100 yards.

For Boy Scout age lads and up, "I was there" patches are enough, but I like a quality T-shirt, too, to build up the summer camp and gym wardrobe. I think patrol flag ribbons are important too -- boys keep score, and they want to know how they did. As a byproduct, I want to know where their skills, teamwork, problem solving, etc., are as well.

KS

I'm not going to debate the legal obfuscation and language parsing associated with this issue; others have the corner on that -- you can be 100% right on the law and still 100% wrong. I can only comment from the standpoint of a career military guy, with 2 kids in Scouting, for whom this hits very close to home.

Military parents are acutely aware of the extra burdens on our kids (constant moves, deployment-related absences, overseas culture shocks, etc) because of the professions we've chosen. We bend over backwards to do everything we can so that our kids have as "normal" a childhood as the typical American child. Whether it's school, sports, scouts, clubs, what have you, no matter where we are, we try desperately to make it as "American" as possible. There are many places we serve where that's incredibly difficult, but we do our best, always with the help of selfless volunteers, because there's often no option outside the gate -- we have to do it ourselves or it doesn't get done. Now this; as if it wasn't tough enough before. Didn't we just have an election whose outcome was based in part on morals and faith? Further evidence the inmates are running the asylum...

That said, I'm not as alarmed about this as some may be. Most of those units that serve military kids are sponsored by booster clubs, wardrooms, ladies auxiliaries, etc., and the vols are doing it on their own time. We'll find ways to deliver Scouting to our kids that won't run afoul of the lawyers. Our kids are amazingly resilient, despite and partially because of the world they live in. If the American public knows anything about us, they should know that we're incredibly resourceful, tenacious, goal-oriented, and dedicated to the principles that made our country free. We'll trust in our God and in the United States of America (okay, a direct lift from the Code of Conduct, but it would seem to be applicable here...). Keep the faith; we're going to be fine.

KS

Look at the list of duties/responsibilities for the youth PORs, and it's obvious that some are more complicated than others. I like it that way. It gives me flexibility in assigning Scouts to less demanding positions, based on age, rank, experience, training, time available, whatever.

There's really no dilemma here, in my opinion. If you have the intro to leadership session with them at the beginning, and give them a copy of the job description, they can make margin notes that localize their duties to their unit and clarify your expectations. If they measure up, you and they both know they met your expectations. On the other hand, if we do nothing up front, and they in turn do nothing, they also met your expectations...

Every POR doesn't necessarily include Troop leadership. The Green Bars certainly do, others may episodically. However, every POR can teach leadership skills, even if only in the sense that the lad has to lead at least one person -- himself.

KS

An important thing to remember is that while almost every Scout can perform in a leadership position, they all develop at different rates, and have different capabilities at any given time. There's no cookie-cutter formula that develops all Scouts identically.

The Tenderfoot patrol grubmaster is learning leadership skills, just as the Life SPL is; just on a different level. The trick is to match the Scout with the right job, so that challenged, but not in over his head.

KS

Depending on what you want to use them for, check at military surplus stores for "Jerry cans" or ammo cans. The jerrys are now made of thick plastic, but used to be metal; you might be able to find some that are still serviceable. They've been used for everything from water to diesel fuel, though, so check them out closely. The ammo cans come in all sizes, and have a thousand uses. Again, if you're using them for anything connected with food storage, preparation, or consumption, make sure they're thoroughly cleaned and that any paint or coatings won't create a toxicity problem.

KS

Something my son's football coach told me the other day struck a chord, and I want to find out what you think as it pertains to us. He said he has to make a concerted effort not to "coach" his son outside of practice and games. It would be really easy to go over Xs and Os at dinner, in the car, etc, and grade his "motivation" based on things away from the field that he can't see with any other player. He tries not to do that because he doesn't want his experience to be any different from anyone else on the team, place him at an unfair disadvantage, or burn him out.

He's a smart guy and has been doing this for a long time, and it made me think. As my son's SM, do I "put the campaign hat on" at home (I admit I do sometimes, but should I?). Should I put him under a microscope for things I know he does, but I have no visibility on with my other Scouts? Does that amount to an unfair disadvantage? To the extent we do this, does it create burnout in our kids?

Please tell me what your experiences/thoughts are...

thanks,

KS

Sno-Seal's awesome; I use it on my Matterhorns (in fact, they recommend it and include a small sample with new Matts). I haven't used it on my Danners because I need to get a brush shine on them from time to time, and you can forget about shoe polish if you use sno-seal.

KS

For suede or nylon/synthetic (like running-shoe material), try Camp-Dry (or Camp-Dri). It's an aerosol silicone-based compound, and comes in at least two different concentrations. Get the stronger one. It costs about $6 a can, and lasts a good long time. It takes a while to dry, and stinks until it's dry, so don't use it in the house (especially near tile or linoleum -- any overspray makes the floor unbelievably slippery...almost comically so). An application is good for several months. I use it on my Hi-Tec hikers and running shoes.

KS

Even if you get past the leadership and "be active" requirements (which you shouldn't, if your Troop Guide hasn't been to meetings/outings), you will then hit the "Scout Spirit" speed bump. Did he in fact "help other people at all times"? Was he "loyal", "helpful", "obedient"?

I encounter this too sometimes. I try to make sure there are no misunderstandings at the outset by giving youth leaders the photocopied sheets from the SM Junior Leader Training Handbook that lists their job descriptions and specific requirements. They know what I expect. I also don't withhold feedback as their term goes on, too. If any of them are "mailing it in", I become the postman.

Bob makes a good point. The lads will often be tougher on themselves than you would ever be. They know if they've put in the required effort, whether you're giving them feedback or not.

Also, Scouts keep score. We all know they only compete with themselves, but just as in the pee-wee soccer game where no score is kept but all the kids know how many goals were scored, the lads know who advances, when they advance, and how much work they did to get there. If a Scout who they last saw on a milk carton shows up at a COH getting rank advancement while they've been toiling like galley slaves, their inclination will be to throttle back. In other words, if the minimums weren't good enough, they wouldn't be the minimums, and what he did is the new minimum.

KS

I don't take lanterns on backpackers, so I'm not concerned about weight. I place a big importance on light output, ease of lighting, how good the case is, and ruggedness. From what I've seen, the Coleman North Star wins hands down. I've got one of my own, got it on sale ($29) with the case that butterflys open from the top rather than that hideous two-piece thing that guarantees a broken globe when you try to open it. Wire birdcage around the globe, dependable igniter, and bright? Like a magnesium flare!

KS

I don't think liberals are unpatriotic, just wrong. Anyone is free to hold whatever opinions they want regarding the President's judgment, intelligence, world perception, whatever. What's important on election day is how many Americans agreed with that opinion, compared with the other candidate. On November 2nd, 59,000,000 Americans trusted the President.

KS

Hazing, not hazing. Embarrassing, not embarrassing. All beside the point, in my opinion. Look again at the BSA mission, the aims, and the methods. How does such a practice reinforce them? Given the same circumstance (lost/found flashlight), is there a better practice that does reinforce them?

When I first hired on as SM in my last Troop, they sang to reclaim lost items. I stopped it, and asked that any Scout who found something that belonged to someone else return it to it's owner immediately, and let me know he did so. If he couldn't identify the owner, give it to me and I'll hang onto it until I get an inquiry or we have our next assembly. At that next assembly, I make a fuss over who found and returned it, not who lost it. Lessee, what was that Boy Scout slogan again?

How do we want them to turn out as adults? How are we imprinting that now? I would never think of asking someone to sing a song to retrieve lost personal property at home, at church, at work, in sports, in a shopping mall parking lot with a total stranger. Why in the world would I do that to someone who's character I've been entrusted to shape? The fact that some people still do this is just more evidence that dinosaurs still roam the earth.

KS

I'd make the following changes to BSA's IT architecture:

- Web sites: All councils will operate a server. All units in the council get web space on the council server (plus the OA Lodge, council camp, District staffs, etc). Not huge, maybe 5MB, so no pictures, video, animations, or any of that junk. Contact info, announcements, where/when they meet, unit calendar jazz, etc. Free would be great, but I'd also pay a few bucks a month. Imagine how easy it would be to find out this basic info about any unit in any council without having to data mine in Google for it. While we're at it, the council web site has a geo map of the council area on the home page, move your cursor over the map, and the district name pops up, each dot is a unit link. Go look at the Fox News Election results map, and you'll see what I mean.

- E-mail: Give registered Scouters a bsamail account on the ScoutNet server, and put them in an address book so I can find any registered Scouter in my District, or Council (or other unit-level guys in other councils). Go ahead and put the Region/National staff behind a firewall if they don't want us pestering them, but there's no reason why I should have to decipher a chicken-scratch sign-in sheet to get an e-mail address for the guy who's putting together our camporee. And, many of those e-mail addresses are not intuitive -- when I want to find Joe Putz, the address book will show me all the Joe Putz's, and I click on which one I want -- much better than trying to remember that Joe's personal e-mail is "rabidpackerfan1996@whatever.com". Log in, open the address book, search, and "Bob's your uncle". Again, it's ambitious, so you could start with CCs, SMs, CMs, and optional for other leaders. But, let's start somewhere. Free would be great here, too, but I'd pony up a few bucks a month for this one as well. What I'd get back in time and frustration would be worth it. Ever had a transfer Scout who didn't have all his records? Tried to get in touch with his last unit? How'd that work out for you? (Sorry, Dr. Phil.)

- Online fillable forms: Every piece of paper I fill out and schlep up to council should be online on the council web site, fillable with a password, and click-to-submit. Tour permits, money-earning applications, event registration, advancement reports, MB counselor apps, you name it. When it's done/approved/whatever, e-mailed back to CC/SM/CM's bsamail account.

- MB Counselor data base: Should be on the council web site, available to SMs with a password. With their bsamail account info, I can do a much better job linking Scouts with counselors.

- ScoutNet data base: Give CCs, SMs, CMs, and Advancement chairs view-only rights (for now) to individual Scout records for their unit. Record checks for Life Scouts, transfer paperwork, etc., all easier if this could happen. As a follow-on effort, create unit modules in which we could perform unit management tasks in ScoutNet, through the council server. Think about it: no more stand-alone software that doesn't interface easily with ScoutNet. No more e-mailing text reports around. You could access your unit management files from any computer with internet connectivity

I think we're moving in this direction. We ordered popcorn on line this year, and we're rechartering online, too. So, they trust us gentle unwashed volunteers to penetrate the system for some things.

Take a step back and think about it. This entire huge organization succeeds (or fails) on the backs of volunteers in direct service to the members. Doing our jobs requires massive amounts of communication and coordination within units, between units, and between levels of the organization. Yet, we have absolutely no organizational connectivity, and our tools are almost completely manually manipulated. Does this make sense? Consider how effective we are in spite of this. Now consider how much more effective we could be if we were all connected and our processes were automated...

Food for thought.

KS

I heard a great quote on the radio on my way to work this morning.

"There is only one word more powerful than 'president'; it is 'citizen'".

Pretty cool, huh?

KS

I think it was Sigmund Freud who said "Only an insane person would do the same thing over and over again, and expect different results". You certainly can't proceed on autopilot. I think one of the things we're obligated to do as adult leaders is to tweak the program delivery to fit the maturity, experience, and abilities of our youth leaders. It seems that's what you're doing.

KS

We do weekly PLCs, too. They're standups, right after the meeting's over with and the service Patrol's cleaning up. SPL reviews the meeting and goes over the TMP for next week. Doing that religiously means we don't have to drill down to the "gnat's posterior" level of detail at the monthly PLC. SPL gets "roughed-in" TMPs and event plans, and we flesh them out afterward. Scan/e-mail/post to web site, and all the Green Bars have them.

The monthly meeting takes about an hour. We have a new batch of Green Bars, and their reports could be better. And, they haven't yet learned what a great tool the Patrol Record Book can be. But, they'll come around...they always do.

KS

Let's make sure we're not considering "failure" and "mistake" to be synonymous. The lads will make more mistakes than Carter has liver pills while they're developing their leadership skills. That's not failure. I've always maintained that we measure the success of the program, and the Scouts, by how they turn out as adults, not by whether they missed an activity because they ran late.

Ultimately, I think it's all about what kind of priorities we set ourselves, how much of an emphasis we place on winning at all costs, and how we communicate that to the Scouts. Keep a balanced, healthy perspective, and so will they. Meaning, they won't be crushed by setbacks.

Case in point: little KS plays football. They're having a dreadful season from a W-L standpoint, only one win with just one game to go. But, he went out so he could play, polish his skills, hang with his buds, and smack fellas without getting in trouble. He's getting all that, so despite their record, the losses don't bother him. BTW, although I help with the team and am on the sidelines every week, I never criticize his performance or yell advice to him -- that's his coaches' jobs to do. On the way home, we'll talk about the game if he wants to, otherwise, it's about our plans for the rest of the weekend. There are boys on his team who are distraught after a loss. Their dads (and some moms) are screaming at them from the sidelines the whole bloody game. Coincidence? I think not.

I've said this before: in military working dog circles, we have a saying... "What goes down the leash comes up the leash". Who remembers that old Harry Chapin song, "The Cat's in the Cradle"?

KS

I love these uniform debates. It's impossible to get consensus among us; you can imagine what it's like with a group actually charged to come up with a new design. It almost seems a fool's errand.

That said, I'll throw in my $.02.

- Colors: Keep 'em. They're identifiable, distinctive, and have legacy power that goes back 100 years. Formally outlaw surplus military camo as part of the uniform -- as one who wears it because I have to, I can say from experience that it looks ridiculous at Scout activities, does nothing for our image, and the first time you get caught in wet weather wearing it, you realize it's not the best material, either.

- Shirt design: I'm okay with the collared, button shirt, too. The epaulets/shoulder loops give me some difficulty, though. Those things take a pounding, not so much when hiking (we wear activity uniforms for that), but even when slinging a backpack to/from a meeting, for example. They could go away and it wouldn't bother me a bit. Scouters above unit level? We'll know by the patch on his sleeve -- I don't need to see a silver shoulder loop to know I'm dealing with a Council guy.

- Shirt materials: It's time to drag National into the 1980's (the 21st century would be great, but I'm a pragmatist) in this respect, kicking and screaming if necessary. So many better materials out there. I don't understand the "made in USA" argument either. I'm as patriotic as the next guy, but aside from the clothing, lots of the other stuff in the catalog is made in China, Sri Lanka, or Bangladesh -- check the labels in your shoes, tents, backpacks, etc. Open an REI catalog for material ideas.

- Pants design: Needed immediately: real cargo pockets, and no sew-on patch pockets at all. They scream out "we're cutting all the corners we can". Reinforced knees and seats on the youth uniforms is a must.

- Pants materials: See "Shirt materials" above.

- Belt: How about a nylon web with a male/female snap buckle, just like the waist belt on our packs?

- Hat: I wear a campaign hat for meetings and ceremonies, not in the field. I wear the baseball hat when I'm playing baseball in uniform. Let's get a crushable, waterproof, reversible (green outside, hunter-orange or reflective scotchlite) bucket/boonie hat that's functional in the field. You could include a logo & unit ID for when the lads are wearing outerwear that obscures the uniform.

- t-shirt: I don't see anything wrong with units designing their own Troop t's, but a standard BSA undershirt made of a moisture wicking material would be great.

- Outerwear: C'mon; both the windbreaker and Jac-shirt are merely decorative. Let's get a 3-in-1 convertible, check REI again.

The military's got a lot of different uniform combos based on what you're doing and where you're doing it. Get and wear what fits your mission. We emulate much of what the military does; why not that? Nobody's proposing everybody gets everything in the catalog. I don't now, and I won't if we have material/design options. I'm going to get what I need, want, and am willing to pay for.

KS