At summer camp we have an ASM who is transitioning into the role of SM. He has been an ASM (untrained) for about 2 years and finally got trained. It seemed to me that he has a "my way" mentality and after spending a week with him I have some concerns.
#1 He does not support the SPL when the boys give the SPL a problem or refuse to do the tasks assigned to them. This happened on several occasions and 3 that I can remember had to do with the Sm's son refusing to do his assigned task. The SPL ( an excellent scout in my opinion was upset that he didn't get the support from the scouts and I did tell the boys that as "he is the SPL and deserves the respect that he apparently earned as you boys voted him in as SPL") I know feels that the SM did not assist him with this issue and I heard him say that "his son's do what they want but nobody else gets to do this." This needed to be addressed immediately in my opinion to the patrols and the troop to prevent it from happening after the first occurence but the opportunity was lost.
# 2 After an incident with a breakdown of the buddy system at night he did not address the situation as the scout that committed the breakdown ( he left his buddy alone) went into his tent and did not want to talk about it. I felt that allowing the boy to go to his tent was although not the best way to handle it was ok for that night but the issue still had to be addressed in the morning and that as nothing occurred it lost us a valuable chance to impart expectations on the boy ( a newer scout) about how to handle such an issue.
# 3 I have heard ( still unsubstantiated) from a few of the boys that his son after drawing a picture that displeased him was taken aside in private and had his face slapped. Now apparently the picture had something that was offensive but I have a concern about the slapping. I am not one of those never hit your kids types but I do not feel it belongs at a scouting event in any way shape or form. Take him aside and explain the consequences and proceed from there but not at Scouting and not where the boys can or will hear about the incident.
# 4 We had a week of terrible weather and when the boys were pulled from the event field and sent back to the campsite because of weather he did not go to the site but instead went and sat in his van with one of his son's while the other one went to the site, It was left to the ASM's (of which I am one) to see to the boys during a period of very incliment weather.
Any ideas suggestions etc, I am not sure how to handle the situation as I think the SM thinks that I want to be the SM as the leaving SM and Committee chair have asked me if I was interested and I think that does not sit well with him. I support him as much as possible but the few times that I have told him I didn't agree with how things were being handled he has pouted and basically been nasty with the ever common "well you do ....." comment. I do not want the SM job and have told him so but I am leary of approaching him concerning this past week as that will be the first thing that he thinks.
Some concerns about a new scoutmaster
in Open Discussion - Program
Posted
At summer camp we have an ASM who is transitioning into the role of SM. He has been an ASM (untrained) for about 2 years and finally got trained. It seemed to me that he has a "my way" mentality and after spending a week with him I have some concerns.
#1 He does not support the SPL when the boys give the SPL a problem or refuse to do the tasks assigned to them. This happened on several occasions and 3 that I can remember had to do with the Sm's son refusing to do his assigned task. The SPL ( an excellent scout in my opinion was upset that he didn't get the support from the scouts and I did tell the boys that as "he is the SPL and deserves the respect that he apparently earned as you boys voted him in as SPL") I know feels that the SM did not assist him with this issue and I heard him say that "his son's do what they want but nobody else gets to do this." This needed to be addressed immediately in my opinion to the patrols and the troop to prevent it from happening after the first occurence but the opportunity was lost.
# 2 After an incident with a breakdown of the buddy system at night he did not address the situation as the scout that committed the breakdown ( he left his buddy alone) went into his tent and did not want to talk about it. I felt that allowing the boy to go to his tent was although not the best way to handle it was ok for that night but the issue still had to be addressed in the morning and that as nothing occurred it lost us a valuable chance to impart expectations on the boy ( a newer scout) about how to handle such an issue.
# 3 I have heard ( still unsubstantiated) from a few of the boys that his son after drawing a picture that displeased him was taken aside in private and had his face slapped. Now apparently the picture had something that was offensive but I have a concern about the slapping. I am not one of those never hit your kids types but I do not feel it belongs at a scouting event in any way shape or form. Take him aside and explain the consequences and proceed from there but not at Scouting and not where the boys can or will hear about the incident.
# 4 We had a week of terrible weather and when the boys were pulled from the event field and sent back to the campsite because of weather he did not go to the site but instead went and sat in his van with one of his son's while the other one went to the site, It was left to the ASM's (of which I am one) to see to the boys during a period of very incliment weather.
Any ideas suggestions etc, I am not sure how to handle the situation as I think the SM thinks that I want to be the SM as the leaving SM and Committee chair have asked me if I was interested and I think that does not sit well with him. I support him as much as possible but the few times that I have told him I didn't agree with how things were being handled he has pouted and basically been nasty with the ever common "well you do ....." comment. I do not want the SM job and have told him so but I am leary of approaching him concerning this past week as that will be the first thing that he thinks.